SPORTING KANSAS CITY MANAGER PETER VERMES
On playoff implications with the win
“We knew coming in today, the fact that we had given up four points in the last two games at home, which both games we should have easily gotten six points out of them. We knew this was a huge game for us. We knew that we had to do everything we could to get three points here, because the games are going away quickly and you can’t just keep fighting to the very end – because I think what happens in this league especially because of the parity but also, every team has a very high level of pride and at the end, everybody fights at the end. So it’s not like you’re going to get an easy game. So this was a big game for us. We knew it. Getting the three points was ginormous.”
On the pride of the team, missing some core veterans:
“I was a player one day. I played at one time. When I retired, the game kept going on. The game forgot about me, if you know what I mean. It keeps going and so you gotta keep, as time goes on, within the club you gotta keep finding players that are evolving themselves, and they are becoming those players that can close a game out if you will, or step up big in those moments. It’s great to see that our guys can do that, especially when it’s a bunch of guys who maybe haven’t been on the field on a regular basis.”
On Kevin Ellis’ goal:
“What a lot of people don’t know about Kevin is, through our academy he was a forward. He went to community college for one year, and he played a little bit of central defender and right back. And we were really bringing him in to be a right back. And a couple years ago we had a real big problem at central defender, they were all gone. So I was like, ‘Kevin, you’re gonna have to play there.’ I think he is almost maybe like one of the new prototypical central defenders of the future. Because he’s not 6-3, he’s 5-10, 5-11, whatever, but he’s got incredible leaping ability. He’s got great timing in the air, he’s very agile. And then the other part of it is the fact that he was a forward, he’s got great instincts in the box. He scored quite a few a couple years ago, quite a few set piece goals for us, because he’s got great instincts in the box. I think it’s more because of his forward days.”
On what about going to 5 backs and 3 midfielders locked the game down:
“Ike [Opara]. Putting Ike in the center. I think he’s the best in the league when it comes to in the air. And the fact that Dom [Kinnear] and I have had some real battles over the years and towards the end of the game, his guys do it well. He knows how to send the ball into the box, and they know how to get in and around the box for second chances… They dropped a lot of balls in there. A couple bounced around here and there, but I thought at the end of the day, I thought we were in good positions on all of them. And if we didn’t have the extra guy there, there’s no doubt in my mind I think they would have gotten a goal. So I think Ike really shut that game down.”
SPORTING KANSAS CITY MIDFIELDER BENNY FEILHABER
On picking up three points on the road in the middle of a tight Western Conference playoff race:
“It’s extremely important. I’ve never won personally in San Jose. I don’t think I’ve ever even drawn here so it was really, really great to have that finally happen I guess and it’s very important for our team. Us having dropped points at home it was essential that we were able to grab some on the road and grabbing three is obviously huge in this race. It’s so tight right now and in these last few games.”
On getting an early goal on the road:
“It should’ve been more important, honestly. I think we were lucky and fortunate to get that goal. We took advantage of an opportunity, but you know not the way we wanted to end the first half being 1-1. We had to come back out in the second half and continue to defend and we were able to get a goal on the set piece. That’s sometimes how you have to do it on the road, but it’s obviously huge to get those opportunistic goals on the road because you’re not going to get very many chances.”
On Kevin Ellis’ no-look goal for his first of the season:
“Well I just got another look at it and I can honestly say that he meant to do that. I just tried to put the ball in a good space there. I know Ike (Opara) was my main target and he made a good run, got a lot of the defenders towards him. I think Kevin was able to fight off his man and he just tried to kind of take the opportunity and just put any kind of body on it and he was able to. Thankfully, he put it in the back of the net.”
On finishing the season with a final match against San Jose:
“It’s always big mentality to be able to beat a team that you’re going to see very soon. That’ll be the last game of the year. We’d like to think that we put ourselves in the playoffs before that last game, but having said that we were able to beat San Jose here and hopefully we get that little bit of a mental edge when we play them in three weeks time.”
SPORTING KANSAS CITY FORWARD DOM DWYER
On scoring his 15th goal and what he can attribute his success to:
“Obviously fantastic service. It’s just that you try and find yourself in the right place at the right time. I always said this: ‘anyone who plays forward for this team you should score goals.’ That’s my job to try to get myself in good positions and get chances and try to finish them. It was good to get on the score sheet again, but most importantly we got three points tonight.”
On how excited the guys were to pick up three points on the road:
“Yeah it was big. We’re very focused on making the playoffs and getting as many points as we can before the end of the season and we’ll see where it goes from there. Obviously it’s a big result for us. It’s tough to win here so we’re very pleased.”
On if bouncing back to score the game-winner is indicative of the spirit of this team now:
“Yeah. If you look back through the season, we’ve been very, very unlucky. Last time we were here there were a few calls that didn’t go our way so it was very big to get a result here tonight. Obviously we play again in a couple weeks so we should have that mental edge.”
On if San Jose always seems to knock the ball in the back, big battles and if that’s how it was tonight:
“Yeah. I try and put myself involved in those battles and hopefully the ref takes care of the game. Sometimes that’s not the case. You just have to keep battling and working and it’s tough going against bigger guys, but you know we got a result so we’re pleased.”
On letting leads slip in the last two games and then being able to come back and win:
“It’s big. This group has a lot of character. There were results we didn’t get. We were really pushing and we had chances here and there. Sometimes it’s just the way it works I guess in football. Tonight we got the better of them.”
On if Kevin Ellis gets full credit for the goal:
“Absolutely. Right place, right time. I would’ve took that one happily so I’m glad he scored.”
