Sporting KC II Manager Benny Feilhaber
Thoughts on the match...
That's two games in a row where I think we played pretty well and we have nothing to show for it. It's about continuing to grind. There's no real easy answer. You can't just come up with one answer and that just solves all your problems and that's what's frustrating about it. The players are frustrated and I think the coaches are as well. You get back to work, you try to fix things and you try to come back next week a little stronger and not only have ago performance but get points as well.
On the team's performance playing down a man...
The effort has been there for most games this year and that hasn't been one of the reasons why we've dropped points. The guys battled, they created some stuff and I think it was pretty even in the first half of the second half. Goals decide games and when you miss a penalty, miss some other chances, give up the first shot on goal as a goal and you get a red card and you're chasing the game, that's how soccer is. You get punished very severely in soccer if you don't take care of the moments that are in front of you. We haven't been doing that and it's showing in the results.
On the growth of the team and players like Esai Easley...
I think everybody has been progressing. I have enjoyed working with these guys. I've shared my knowledge of the game to try and elevate there's and I think that to some extent it's coming along. It's a lot more fun when you're doing that and winning as well. You can include Esai as somebody in that group, but there are other guys that are doing well. We'll continue to try and do well to develop these players. As the kind of person, I am, I want to make sure I pair that with victories. It's a lot more fun to go to work and find that reward at the end of the week. That's one of our big goals that we want to make sure we complement with the goal of development.
Sporting KC II defender Esai Easley
On his progression so far...
It took me a little bit of time. I started the preseason well then got a little bit of an injury and was out for like a month. It was hard to come into a new team unsigned and get an injury. Worked my way back, was playing well and slowly got myself back into the team. I think I did well in my first start here tonight and that's all you can do.
Thoughts on the match...
If you watch that match and didn't see any goals it's one we should have won. We had a penalty we missed, we got a red card and we still had a lot of chances. I thought we played really well. It was just the key moments we switched off. Scoring penalties, getting red cards and conceding soft goals. We played well but that doesn't matter at the end of the day.
On the team's response to playing a man down...
Credit to the team because we were a man down for 50 minutes and we still pressed them. We didn't sit back and we still worked out butts off. There's something to build off from that but it's those key moments. We can't get that red card or lose our heads. Other than that the team gave their all. We need to work on those key moments.
On the mood of the team...
Guys are frustrated but at the same time, we have a good group of guys. It's not like we're the worst team every game. I think in most of these games this season we've been the better team. We are working on those little things and it's almost the same with the first team. We're the better in these games and we've been unlucky at times. That's how soccer is sometimes but hopefully, one game can switch it and we get the results. The mood is, overall, not as bad as you would think. We're doing the right thing.
Sporting KC goalkeeper John Pulskamp...
Thoughts on the match...
In the first half, we were a very good team. We created a lot of good moments, a lot of good chances. We defended well and weren't really giving up any good chances. I thought we were definitely the better team and there are just two to three small plays that happened in the first half that we needed to be better on. Those two to three, quick, ten-second instances changed the game entirely.
On playing down a man...
Guys stepped up to cover the spaces that we were lacking while being a man down. Knowing that they were up a man, they maybe got a little complacent or a little extra patient trying to exploit us. We did a good job managing that and in the second half, playing a man down, we had some moments. Similar to the first half there was one instance where guys can fall asleep for a few seconds and we get punished for it.
On Esai Easley's first start...
I've played with him in front of me before but for his first start, he did well. Obviously, there are areas to improve from all of us defensively. Like I was saying earlier this was a game where one play can impact the entire game, no matter how good you're playing for the other 89 minutes and 50 seconds. There can be a 10-second play where you can get punished for it. For the most part, he did well like the rest of us. Collectively there were a couple of moments when we fell asleep.
