KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Benny Feilhaber's manager didn't think the star playmaker had 90 minutes in him on Sunday.
Feilhaber didn't agree, but the choice wasn't his. All he could do was give Sporting Kansas City the best half he could muster.
That was all they needed.
Held out of the starting XI by manager Peter Vermes, Feilhaber came on after the break in Sunday's critical Decision Day match against the LA Galaxy and delivered his 15th assist of the season on Dom Dwyer's 65th-minute winner as Sporting locked up a trip to the 2015 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs with a 2-1 victory.
“No doubt about it, I was surprised and disappointed,” Feilhaber told reporters after coming off the bench for only the second time this season. “But the No. 1 thing about this group is that the team comes first. That's the No. 1 thing, and I want this team to win – if I'm playing, if I'm not.
“I want this team to win – if I come in in the second half, if I come in in the 90th minute, I want the team to win. That's my mentality.”
In his post-match news conference, Vermes said he based his decision in part on data from Wednesday's 2-0 home loss to Colorado, as well as on training-ground evaluations.
“It was based on a lot of different variables,” he said. “But at the end of the day, for us I know it was the right decision. He did exactly what he needed to do and I love the fact that his attitude was great when he came in the game. He gave a great ball to Dom, and that’s what we needed at that time in the game. It was fantastic.”
While he watched the first half, Feilhaber – who had only come off the bench in one other league match this year in which he was available for selection – paid close attention to the seams in the Galaxy's midfield, which were magnified on Sunday by Steven Gerrard's heavy legs throughout the match.
“LA is a team that gives you that sometimes,” he said. “They're a team that's very good on the ball. They like to create opportunities through passing. But at the same time, they're not one of those teams that you see more often than not and MLS, where they just try and press the crap out of you and win balls. They tend to give you a little more time and space than other teams.
“So it's always a game that I look forward to playing in, because with that little extra time and space, you can usually do some little extra things against them.”
In this case, that “little extra thing” was a perfectly placed ball to Dwyer that gave him room to operate with his dominant left foot – a setup and finish reminiscent of Dwyer's match-winner against Houston in the second leg of the 2013 Eastern Conference finals, on the way to Sporting's first MLS Cup title since 2000.
“I knew Benny was looking for me,” Dwyer said during Sporting's news conference. “He’s our playmaker; he’s a guy who can find that pass. So I knew I just had to make a good run and try to stay onside. I knew he’d find me a pass and I’d finish it off.”
Feilhaber's omission from the XI raised plenty of questions from Sporting fans, who took to social media to voice their concerns – but also their trust in Vermes' judgment and their hopes that Feilhaber would take the pitch in “Angry Benny” mode and change the match in Sporting's favor.
Feilhaber laughed at the phrase, but also said that big matches tend to bring out his best.
“I think more than anything in this game, this was basically a playoff game,” he said. “I'd like to think that there's a 'Playoff Benny' as well. I love playing in playoffs. It's a different atmosphere. As much as you want to say that every game means the same in the regular season, the playoffs is a different level. You're just focused more. “
“I just love playing in the playoffs, and I'm just excited to be back there.”
Sporting’s not only back, for the fifth season in a row, but back under their own power. SKC would have qualified even without Sunday's victory, after San Jose fell 2-1 at FC Dallas, but closing out the regular season with a win gives them a needed shot of momentum.
“That's what it's all about,” said center back Kevin Ellis, whose 38th minute goal put Sporting up 1-0 before Robbie Keane equalized for the Galaxy in first half stoppage time. “That's what our whole focus was – that it doesn't matter what anyone else is doing, we knew we had to win this game no matter what. That's the attitude we went in with.”
Steve Brisendine covers Sporting Kansas City for MLSsoccer.com.
