Swope Park Rangers Head Coach Paulo Nagamura
On the match…
It wasn’t our best performance. The first half we lacked urgency to go forward and what Tulsa gave we did not take. We had a lot of possession but didn’t try to go forward and be dangerous around the box. In the second half, we gave away too many balls, so that hurt us. Fortunately, we were able to find that goal in the last 15 minutes and manage the rest of the match.
On the team's passing…
It was clear today we didn’t do anything with the possession. Tulsa let us have the ball side-to-side, but we never had the urgency to move forward and make them chase the game.
On Kuzain’s goal…
The way Kuzain takes the kick, it’s a very difficult ball to read for a goalkeeper. I gave him the green light to take it because when he has the opportunity, he will score. It was a great strike. He’s growing as a player.
On Vanacore-Decker’s appearance…
He came on well. He gives a different look for us out wide. He has a lot of explosiveness. He’s a powerful kid and fast. He came on in the last 30 minutes and did well.
Swope Park Rangers Midfielder Wan Kuzain
On the game…
We knew we had to get three points to keep going for playoffs. Tulsa didn’t have the greatest results in the past, but we knew it was going to be a tough team and we had to grind out the result.
On his goal…
It’s something I practice after practice is over. (Paulo) Nagamura gives me confidence I can hit them and I saw the keeper cheating a bit so I knew if I could hit it pretty well, I could score it.
Swope Park Rangers Forward Hadji Barry
On his goal…
We forced pressure and we won the ball on the offensive end and (Gianluca) Busio did a great job tracking the ball. I called out to him and he happened to see me behind him and he passed it to me and I sent it away.
On the team's passing…
You have to give credit to Tulsa. They came here with a game plan and pressed us high. It wasn’t easy to break them, but we stayed the course and knew that there was still a chance.
On earning a second win in a row…
Feels good. Especially our last game to win away against San Antonio, which was a tough one. Getting three points before returning home for five games straight was important. We can’t take games like today lightly just because we’re home. We have to keep working hard and protect home field.
On his goal celebration…
I went and visited Kansas City International Academy a few days ago and spent some time with them. I invited them to a game. I really appreciate them coming out today and dedicated that goal to them.
Tulsa Roughnecks FC Head Coach Michael Nsien
On tonight’s lineup…
We went young. We went quick. We had good balance, so even when we were defending, we were organized early in the game. Some things definitely didn’t go our way with the numbers – 17 shots and 10 on target – away from home, we expect more than one goal. The quality in the final third just wasn’t there.
On preparation for SPR…
At this point it’s more about us, so when you play a team that you’re not sure what the lineup will be you really just have to be the best you. Obviously, they have some key players that you want to focus on, but it’s more about understanding the way their team plays not just the player. We had a good feel about how they were going to play as a team and set out the game plan, but didn’t execute in the final third in some key moments.
