SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES HEAD COACH DOMINIC KINNEAR
On what he told the team at halftime after Kansas City’s strong start:
“Just come out more alert. And their shots were from like 25, 30 yards, so it wasn’t like we were giving them great chances. In saying that, we were a little bit sloppy with our passing, which were leading to those chances. We tried to send a message to the guys before the game saying this is a team that, when the whistle blows, they’re ready to play. You can’t feel yourself into the game. You have to be ready to play right away. I thought at times we were just a little bit too casual and they were taking advantage of that.”
On David Bingham’s performance:
“He made one real good save in the first half, I think it was [Dom] Dwyer with the header. You can’t say enough good things about David right now. He’s playing really well, and he’s bailing us out when we need him to. He’s got great range. When he makes a decision, for the most part they’re strong, which you want from your goalkeeper. I just like the way when, sometimes when the ball’s in the air, you see him come up for the ball, you feel real confident he’s going to be the one coming out with it. He had a good day for us today.”
On the team’s character bouncing back from the loss at Portland:
“It’s a good sign. When you walk off the field with a loss, the one thing you want to do when you step on the field the next time is try to rectify that. Our passing and movement was probably better in Portland than it was here today, but we didn’t get broken down like we did in that second half [at Portland]. So that’s a good sign. And I think any time you can follow up a loss with a win, it shows good character. It means the guys aren’t going in a shell, they’re trying to get better the next time around. That for me is a huge thing.”
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES FORWARD CHRIS WONDOLOWSKI
On the potential of the team:
“It’s way too early. It feels like a special season, I can tell you that. With this locker room and what we have with the guys, it’s weird you get these special feelings and you really did in 2012 and I feel something special. We can do some big things this year.”
On how he’s so prolific at scoring penalties:
“It’s a 12-yard shot and with a one-on-one with the keeper, you should make them. That’s always been my philosophy. You’re not going to always make them. I definitely vividly remember the ones I missed. I missed one against Dallas two years ago. It is what it is. I work on them. I literally work on them every day at practice. I take some. You have to have different philosophies going up there and today it was put my laces through and try to hit a corner.”
On playing at Avaya Stadium:
“I think that anytime we play at home, we feel confident. We feel confident anytime we step out on the field. It’s great to play in front of our fans. They do a great of spurring us on, especially through tough moments. I thought we did well and were able to grind it out."
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES GOALKEEPER DAVID BINGHAM
On clean sheet:
“The big thing for us today was to get three points. The first half wasn’t our best. We know that. We came in here and re-grouped at halftime. In the second half we were the better team. It was a great performance by the guys ahead of me and we were able to get three points.”
On his performance:
“It was a comfortable game for me. The back four makes it easy for me. It makes my job a lot easier. When they play well, I look better. Props to them for their play.”
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES MIDFIELDER ALBERTO QUINTERO
On win versus Sporting Kansas City:
“This was an important game for us to win against a team we want to pass in the standings. Like I said from when I got here, we need to win at home in order to make the playoffs. Today was a big three points.”
On current form:
“Our overall play is better, but I think we are still playing well on the road, even though we’ve had some points escape us by our own mistakes. As long as we can keep improving on that we will be fine. We have the mentality to improve every day and it’s starting to show.”
