Sporting KC Manager Peter Vermes
On the team’s overall performance…
It was definitely a good game. It’s always a battle. It wasn’t an easy game by any means. I like how on both goals there were good situations where I felt like we got in good spots. We took our opportunities. We used the ball well. I thought defensively we were very solid, and I think as a group it was a good win. I’ll say I was very concerned from the standpoint that Minnesota is a good team, and I think that they actually bring a lot to the table. I don’t know who are next opponents are, but I thought it would be one of the harder matches, especially starting this competition out.
On the challenges of playing an NASL team…
That’s the beauty of the tournament. That’s just the way it is, and you always know that these games are going to be huge, and the teams that you play against are going to bring everything they have. And with these guys playing at home, they really brought everything tonight, so it wasn’t easy. The field was a little tight and a little long, so it played a bit differently. And like I said, it was a tough match. But I think we managed it well. I never thought we were out of control or undisciplined. We were good throughout the game. We kept our heads.
On Rubio scoring…
It was very good. I thought he was good right from the get-go. I thought he held the ball really well. And then the goal he scored I thought was a great finish. He’s got it in him. That’s one of the reasons we brought him here. So it was good to see.
On the guys playing 120 minutes…
It seems like these games always wind up doing this, at least pretty regularly, so we had a feeling. We started working on PK’s and all that stuff, so we were ready for everything. And I think our three subs came on and gave us a good run, but now it’s about recovery and getting ready for Sunday.
