Sporting KC II head coach Benny Feilhaber
Thoughts on the game...
I thought it went really well. We earned the two-nothing lead and then in the second half, not as well, but we played very professionally. We put everything out on the line, and everyone gave all the effort that they had. I don’t know if you saw, but everyone’s got an icepack somewhere at the end of the game. So, professional performance and obviously the guys are excited about it and so are we as a staff.
Care to comment on the quality of play in the second half...
First, the other team is chasing the game so they’re going to put some more numbers in, and we want to be a little more pragmatic. In this heat, you don’t want to overrun your endurance. We had a pretty good conversation at halftime that we still wanted to press at certain times but we don’t want to go crazy and waste all of our legs. It was a balance of being able to still press and being able to do the things we want to do as a team but at the same time being composed and smart with the energy that we had.
Can you speak briefly on Pierre’s performance...
I thought he was very good in the first half. Second half I thought he was very professional, managed himself in the right way, got up when he could, defended well, and connected well with two different guys Sebastian [Cruz], and Alenis [Vargas] there on the right side so I’m happy that he was able to go 90 and start getting that endurance all the way back.
Comments on Sebastian Cruz's goal...
It didn’t look like he had an angle, it looked like it burst through the side of the net. Look, Seba's going to give you that effort every time. Obviously, he made a good run on that one, not sure how he snuck the ball in, but you can’t score if you don’t shoot, good for him.
Sporting KC II forward Sebastian Cruz
How did you manage that goal...
My goal, I just wanted to put it where it was dangerous enough. When I saw the keeper I just shot it as hard as I could and luckily when it hit him it went in. It did take me a couple seconds to process it. Then I just felt so much relief because I hadn’t scored in quite some time.
The team has been playing well lately, what do you attribute that to...
I feel like the attitude every game is to attack, to always put pressure on the other team whether it's offensively or defensively. It’s the second half of the season and there is nothing to lose so for us it’s very important for us to keep getting the three points we need. We knew San Jose was 1 point behind us so this was an important game for us. Every game is like a playoff game here on out.
Sporting KC defender Kayden Pierre
How are you feeling after your first full 90 in a while...
Yeah, it’s been about 4 or 5 months and in the heat, but I’m glad to have made it through and happy to have gotten the three points. When I was injured I realized how much I missed the game and just getting back and playing. I'm so happy now and getting back and playing it’s really good to be back playing.
On your assist...
Yeah, don’t know how it squeezed in, but we take them. I’m going to be honest I’m not sure (how it went in) he shot it near the post and I guess the goalie was not working the post because it snuck in and I said we take them.
The benefits of having the second team...
It’s good for guys coming back from injury or just younger players who can’t get minutes on the first team, it’s always good to get minutes and play games cause I think for me playing games is better than training. You get better when you’re playing more games. I think it’s super good and it’s a good group of guys and a good team so that's good.
What’s the toughest thing about being out for a few months...
Of course other than being hurt, I had big aspirations for this year so getting hurt was an unexpected detour. I’m trying to get back on that track. It’s hard to watch from the sideline the first team guys playing, but hopefully I’ll be back there soon.
