COLUMBUS CREW HEAD COACH ROBERT WARZYCHA
Overall thoughts on the match:
I’m happy with the performance today…I think we dominated in the first half, I thought we really pushed them. I don’t remember them having many quality chances to be honest with you. [Sporting Kansas City] is a very good team, and watching them play in the past I thought they created a lot more chances than they did tonight, and I think we did well at the end of the game to score a goal in the ninetieth minute. Obviously it would be nice to have three points, but I’m not disappointed.
On conceding an early goal to Sporting:
I think the way we played they had to sit back at times. I think they came out strong at the beginning of the game. I think they pushed us a little bit and maybe surprised us with the long ball, but the ball they scored the goal with took a deflection. [C.J.] Sapong finished it pretty well. [The ball] hit the post and he finished it after that.
On the 2012 MLS Cup Playoff race:
Obviously we are a few points behind D.C. and a point behind Houston for now. We have to win our games and hope for the best. We play every time to win, so it doesn’t matter. We’re going to go to D.C. and try to win, as we do every single time we step on the field.
On the status of his roster re: injuries:
At this point in the season every guy is one kick away from being subbed [out of the game] from injury. [The players] are all playing with some kind of injury; Federico [Higuain] is playing with an injury, Jairo [Arrieta] is too, Chad Marshall and Julius James – you name it.
COLUMBUS CREW MIDFIELDER EDDIE GAVEN
On scoring the stoppage time equalizer:
Emilio [Renteria] played in a great ball and I was able to get it in [the goal]. It just felt good for the team – everybody worked so hard tonight. [Sporting Kansas City] is a very physical and fast team, and it was a very chippy game at times. There were a lot of fouls out there, so with all that in mind it was nice to get a goal for your team and not to lose a very important game at home. It would have been nice to get three points, but now we have to try and get six [points] and build off the good things we did tonight.
On the draw:
We’re happy that we came back obviously after going down 1-0 – that we didn’t lose here at home. We were able to get one point and every point matters this time of year. At the same time everybody knows this is a game we should have gotten three points from. We’re playing here at home, it was a game where we played pretty well except for the first 10 minutes or so where we go ourselves down in a hole...there’s things we can take from [the game] for sure in terms of the things we did well, but obviously there are some things we have to work on. Probably the biggest thing is working on coming out stronger in the first 10 minutes.
COLUMBUS CREW GOALKEEPER ANDY GRUENEBAUM
On the draw:
I thought [Sporting’s] goal was a bit lucky as far as the deflection goes, but we did well to battle back and really limit their chances. We know we needed at least a point out of the game, and that was a great, great goal from Eddie [Gaven]. We know we have to come out and get six points from these next two games.
On the club’s remaining MLS regular season matches:
We know we have to win out. Nothing less that that is going to be acceptable for us as far as the playoffs go. At the same time we can’t have any added pressure. We need to go out one game at a time and make them count.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY HEAD COACH PETER VERMES
General thoughts on the game:
I thought that based on the significance of the game for both teams, especially for [the Crew] trying to remain alive for the playoffs, I thought we played well. Getting the goal was good. I think we should have gotten another one. We had some good chances. I thought we did a really good job of not giving [the Crew] anything really. They scored a good goal at the end. We should've been able to close the game out. I think we made it a little to easy for them at the end, just pumping balls all over the place. But at the end for us to come here and get a point, it's good.
On leaving Columbus with a point:
Obviously, we move on to the next game. We had it within us to get the three [points]. I'm a little disappointed on that side of it, but it still keeps us in the running for everything we want to do.
On Sporting’s Supporters’ Shield hopes:
There has to be a major slip-up on San Jose's part. Right now, it doesn't look like there's going to be, especially with the way their schedule looks coming up. For us, the whole end goal was trying to make the playoffs, and then try to get in the position to have home field advantage for the playoffs. Right now, we're keeping ourselves in that position, which is good. We'll keep pushing towards it.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY GOALKEEPER JIMMY NIELSEN
General thoughts on the game:
I though it was an okay game. We knew that Columbus had to come out and try to drive the game a little bit. I think they did a pretty good job of that. I think we had a lot of quality in our possession the first 30-40 minutes of the game. When the field dried out a little bit, the quality went down from my point of view. With our possession, we played a little too slow. Overall, I think we had a decent performance. Of course, when they score in the last few minutes, you're standing with a mixed feeling. But it's part of the game, we've been in situations where we're the team that's chasing the goal. Unfortunately, we couldn't hold up for 90-plus minutes.
On earning a point on the road:
It's a mixed feeling when [the Crew] scored so late in the game. I think when we go back to KC and we have a couple of days off, I think when we look back at this performance here, it's an okay performance and we'll be happy with the point.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY FORWARD C.J. SAPONG
General thoughts on the match:
It was a hard battle. Obviously, [the Crew] was in a position where they're battling for points. We knew that coming in. They gave us that battle for 90 minutes. They pulled one back in the 90th minute. It is what it is, right?
On his first half goal:
The initial cross got a little deflected. It kind of hung up for me and I had a little bit more time than I expected. I really didn't get off the best header, but it ended up hitting off the post and coming right back to me and I was able to be quick enough to put it in the net.
