Head Coach Robert Warzycha
General thoughts on the match:
We played against a very good team and they punished us for our mistakes. I think we made two mistakes, and they got two chances. Obviously, they scored both of them. Overall… We had a lot of possession. They sat back and waited for the counter attack. We had some momentum, we created chances, but when we had that five minutes, we didn't score. You have to score.
On the lineup chances:
We weren't playing good. You change the lineup or the players, obviously you're going to play better. I think Josh (Williams) and Bernardo (Anor), other than the two mistakes, they played a good game. With Bernardo against Kamara and Josh against Sapong, I think they had a good game.
On the team's attack in the second half:
The beginning of the game, usually you don't know what the other team is going to do. So, you just watch. That's what happened in the first half, other than the mistake. In the second half, actually, we moved the ball a little bit quicker and we were getting in the spots and being more dangerous. That's why we created those chances. Especially Dilly (Duka), when he came in, those five minutes were really he good. He put some crosses in and did a good job. Like I said, you have to finish your chances when you have them. The header Meram had, it was great, but it hit the cross bar. It need to be in the back of the net. Obviously, Emilio's chance, if you don't foul and get the penalty, you've got to finish it.
Defender Josh Williams
On the cramp that forced him to leave the match:
I went down to tackle C.J. (Sapong) there, and right when I went down and kicked the ball away, both (legs) just tightened up. It definitely put a scare into me, but I was sitting there realizing it was cramps instead. I wanted to be out there for my guys, but I knew as soon as I'd get back up, they'd just tighten up again. I knew I had to get out.
On the frustration of the evening:
We were all talking, this is a league where you can't make mistakes. The teams are so even, I feel like that the team with the least mistakes wins. We just need to limit our mistakes, starting with the back, starting with me. I can't make a mistake in the back there. They're a good enough team to pound those chances in and they capitalized on two mistakes.
On SKC's first goal:
They play happened so fast, I thought (Jacob Peterson) was behind the defense. So, I tried to stay even with the line, but I guess he wasn't. It was a good ball through and a good finish.
Midfielder Dilly Duka
On his impact as a substitute:
I came into the game, I think my first touches were in a pretty good area and I took it to the byline to serve it in and hopefully create something. It worked. For some reason, on that left hand side, I was getting the ball a lot. I had the ability to serve it and I was open. It just didn't work out. Coming in, I just wanted to bring energy and help the team out. We were down a goal, so we were throwing our numbers forward, so that's what you saw.
On playing after missing time with injuries:
I didn't think we deserved to be down a goal. (SKC) had that one chance, and they finished. I came into the game, and I wanted to at least get a tie out of this. I was focused. We need points and this is a tough stretch. So right off the bat, I just wanted to go in and get in a tackle, or get a shot, or cross a ball.
On the physical play of SKC's back line:
They're very athletic and physical. The one center back, Collin, he was pretty dominant in the air. I think we could've done a better part competing with him on those 50-50 balls. But overall, we did have chances and they didn't go in. That's how the game was.
Sporting KC head coach Peter Vermes
General impressions on the game:
“Whenever you play away from home you got to realize that the other team has the pressure on them to drive the game. They have to entertain their home fans and I think we were really solid defensively, we didn’t give much away. I think it was hard for them to break us down and I think they got a little frustrated. We scored a great goal early on, we talked about finding some seams in behind them and it was a great run and finish by Jacob [Peterson] and a great ball by Peterson Joseph who was making his debut for us tonight. In the end we defended very well we really grinded the game out and that was huge for us.”
On the Crew’s lineup changes:
“I’m a big believer that in this league there’s so much parity. You can never underestimate the lineup that comes out on the field. I had seen some of those players play at one point or another so it was different but we had a lot of new guys in the lineup as well because we have been playing two games a week for a while now and I think that we took our chances when we needed to.”
On the possibility of a physical letdown after playing on Wednesday night in U.S. Open Cup:
“We talked about it but I talked about the fact that I don’t believe in that stuff. For me it’s all about mentality and I think the guys came out with the right mentality. All season long they have, we dropped a few games here and there, they figure out how to get themselves into a game and be successful.”
Sporting KC midfielder Jacob Peterson
On the game:
“Overall it was a good performance from us with a good result. We came here in the middle of a ten-day road swing and we got the three points which is what we set out to do. We scored two great goals and Jimmy [Nielsen] made some good saves back there and it kept them out of the back of the net.”
On the importance of scoring early while playing away:
“It is important, especially you want to get the crowd out of the game and I thought we did that with the early goal. I think they started getting some good chances towards the end of the first half and being dangerous. I think throughout the game our shape was pretty good and the guys battled.”
Sporting KC Jimmy Nielsen
On the game:
“I think overall it was a solid performance. I think we were very well organized. Of course you can’t keep them from creating chances for 90 minutes because they are a very good team. I think they created their chances but unfortunately for them it wasn’t their night. They hit the crossbar and had another few good chances but I am very happy with the win and with the way we reacted on the field. It is a performance to be proud of.”
On getting the early goal:
“Of course it was a good thing. They had to drive the game then; they had to go for the equalizer and it opened up to our counters and I think we did very well on that end. We scored the second goal by getting in the middle of the field and going down to the end. It was a solid performance and I am very proud of my teammates.”
