Swope Park Rangers head coach Marc Dos Santos
On the sending off changing the game:
“There’s no doubt that this game was conditioned with the sending off and we benefited a lot from it. I thought that when it was 11 v 11, it was a very tight game, it’s two very good teams. LA in the last two years have advanced far in the tournament and have always been very competitive. We knew that when it was 11 v 11 it was very, very tight and either of the two teams could’ve won. The 10-man advantage against 11 – it conditioned a lot of the game. We started to find more, much more of the ball, but we had to do a good job coming between lines, trying to get the ball between their back four and the center midfielders and we were asking a lot of our wingers to come inside to try and get that ball and not only our number 10. Then we took a risk, we took out a midfielder, Ayrton, an offensive midfielder to push them even further back with another forward (Mark Anthony Gonzalez) and we kept pushing and I think at the end of the day, overall for the type of finishing we had in our plays and substitutions we made and the impact they had in the game, I think that it was a deserved win.”
On the club’s first playoff win:
“It’s great, because in one year you’re able to do the first of everything. I think that there’s no doubt that before the game I told you that I would never judge the team based on the playoffs, I would base my judgment on the 30 games and the growth, but this is just a continuation of the growth and of what this team is capable of. At this moment we believe, and I think that nothing is impossible. Absolutely nothing is impossible, now we dream and to dream is good and it’s healthy and we dream we could go all the way.”
On Adrian Zendejas impressing in goal:
“Very good saves. This is what you need from your ‘keeper, he makes one or two saves to keep you in the game, when you’re not doing that well or they have a little bit more of the pressure on us and they score, right, then it changes the game, but Adrian did those two saves that kept us in it and I always said this team isn’t about one or two players, it’s about everybody understanding that the team is first and the collective side is more important than anything else.”
On keeping 11 players on the field:
“We spoke about it in the beginning of the game that we need to finish the game with 11 players and one of the reasons also that we took Ayrton off is we felt that he was a little bit getting emotional and we wanted to make sure we kept 11 because the game could’ve finished 0-0 and then you go overtime, still with 30 minutes with a man up and LA becomes more and more tired and we had to finish with 11. I’m not surprised someone was sent off, because these two teams that face each other has been very intense all the time, but I’m very happy of what the guys did today.”
Swope Park Rangers goalkeeper Adrian Zendejas
On joining the team in June:
“Once I got here these guys welcomed me with open arms. I feel like I joined the team. Perfect timing.”
On tonight’s result:
“We are so excited. Our first year as Swope Park Rangers, we wanted to do something big. We made history just by going to playoffs but it’s not done yet, we’ve got to keep grinding.”
On previous experience playing LA Galaxy II:
“I know a couple of them. I played with them when I was younger. When I was the Academy back in the day, we would play each other. It’s a great feeling, especially coming to Kansas City.”
Swope Park Rangers Forward Kris Tyrpak
On his game-winning goal:
“It’s one of those one when you’re like ‘I have too much time and you start to overthink it.’ I was like ‘I have to make solid contact and I’m pretty good with my head. So if I make solid contact, it’s going in.’ Pasher played a great ball across, I was just lucky to be there and finish it. I saw Pasher alone all the way on the left wing and I was like I need to get into the box because I got a wide 18-yard box in front of me. I need to get there and make solid contact and hopefully it goes in.”
On the mentality of the game:
“Before every game, Marc (Dos Santos) says play it like a championship game and for us to play three championship games already this season, in our opinion, today was just another one. We came in and approached it like the other ones. The results showed.”
On the physicality of the game:
“It’s playoff soccer right there. A little bit more intense, little more fast-paced, a little dirtier but it’s the team that can grind it out that does the best.”
