Sporting Kansas City interim head coach Kerry Zavagnin addressed the team’s recent 3-0 loss to Vancouver Whitecaps FC. He acknowledged the strength of their opponents, stating, “They’re a good team and a balanced team.” Zavagnin highlighted difficulties faced in the first half, noting that Sporting KC was unable to control the game early on. “We were on the backfoot and we wanted to be on the front foot,” he said.
Zavagnin discussed tactical adjustments made during the match, such as dropping Jacob Bartlett deeper as a third center back. This change aimed to counteract Vancouver’s long diagonal plays which had been problematic in the first half. He noted that these adjustments helped gain control in the second half but added, “It might be something that we have to think about in terms of how we start games.”
Reflecting on improvements seen after halftime, Zavagnin attributed some changes to psychological factors and praised players like Santiago Munoz and Jake Davis for their positive contributions. He expressed confidence in Davis’s potential: “He’s in his moment of coming into form… We know as a club what he can bring to the team.”
The possibility of Munoz entering the starting lineup was also considered by Zavagnin, who remarked, “I think we’re awfully close to seeing (him) start.”
Midfielder Jacob Bartlett shared his perspective on the defeat against Vancouver. He admitted mistakes made early in the match set an unfavorable tone: “We initially played long instead of having confidence to build out.” Bartlett emphasized teamwork moving forward and reflected on his role shift during gameplay: “When I dropped into the back, I tried to get ball those guys so they could create.”
Bartlett concluded with hopes for better starts in future matches: “Hopefully we can do that starting in first half going forward.”
