Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes:
General Thoughts on the game...
I thought we had a good first half and we created some very good chances in the first half. Coming in 0-0 at halftime was good being away from home. The goal they [Columbus] scored was a really good finish by Robbie [Rogers]. What he did well was he hit [the ball early]. Outside of that there was one other big save that our keeper made and that was really it. I thought we had some really good chances but I don’t think we ever really tested Hesmer. Credit goes to them [the Crew]. I thought they played a really good game and did a good job.
On the four consecutive shutouts for the crew...
I think they are very disciplined and they get all 11 guys behind the ball when they lose it and it’s very hard to break them down. One of our objectives was to get after it pretty quickly but they just packed it in whenever they lost the ball. I thought they did a good job from that perspective.
Sporting Kansas City Captain Davy Arnaud:
General thoughts on the game...
First half was decent… I thought we didn’t really give them any chances and I thought we had two or three really good chances of our own. It would’ve been nice to get the goal but we still came in even at halftime. In the second half we didn’t start out well and they got the goal early on and from that point we were chasing the rest of the time. After we went down to 10 men it was really tough.
Sporting Kansas City Defender Matt Besler:
General thoughts on the game...
I thought we played pretty well in the first half. I felt like we created the chances we usually create and in the back we were pretty solid and didn’t give anything away. We came in at halftime and we were pretty happy with the performance. We wanted to come out in the second half and raise the level and keep playing the way we were, but we may have dropped just a little bit. They [the Crew] came out pressuring a little more in the second half. Then we gave up the goal and after that a red card and it really made it tough on us. I think the wind picked up right after the goal and it felt like it went 20 miles an hour which didn’t help. It was a disappointing second half.
Columbus Crew Head Coach Robert Warzycha:
General thoughts on the game...
I think as a team we defended very well and had a lot of confidence in each other and that is why the performance was as it was. Other than the chance in the first few minutes where Hesmer had to make a save it was a pretty clean game by our defense.
On the lineup changes...
I think everything is about the team and not about the individual. He [Duka] did well in practice and that is why he started. I think we are trying to find the best position for everybody. We played last year and the year before with Eddie Gaven as a withdrawn forward and he did very well in that position. He’s very active, he’s good on the ball, he can shoot from distance and I think the first shot came from him.
On the four consecutive shutouts...
It is great to get the shutout. These guys are playing very organized and focused and it’s good to see that.
Columbus Crew Goalkeeper William Hesmer:
On the shutout...
I think we’re communicating a lot better. I think we’re focused on being preventative and not reactive to situations. Guys are taking individual battles seriously. It starts from the forwards all the way back everybody is doing a great job.
On the game...
The first half was tough because we were going into the wind. Every time you play into 30-mile an hour winds it’s hard. Not only is it tough to play the balls you want to play but also running against the wind and playing against a team running with the wind. Once we frustrated them in the first half and withstood some of their pressure, we started the second half really pressuring them. There was no doubt in my mind that we were going to score some goals in the second half.
Columbus Crew Midfielder Dilly Duka:
On the sequence that brought to the goal...
Sometimes it happens, it was the spur of the play and we had some good communication. [Kevin] Burns held the ball as I was getting back from an offsides position and he played it at the right time. I could hear Robbie [Rogers] in the background talking and communicating, I didn’t see him but I knew he was making that run and I knew there was a defender between us so I knew I had to get enough on it to get it to him. It was a difficult angle but he slotted it by and it was an awesome goal and we needed that.
Columbus Crew Midfielder Robbie Rogers:
On the goal...
I remember Dilly [Duka] flicking it to me and the rest is like a blur I got a good touch and I hit it far post. When it happens quickly like that you don’t even think about it, your soccer instincts set in. I was happy to get the goal and to get the win especially at home for the fans.