REAL SALT LAKE HEAD COACH JASON KREIS
On RSL’s performance tonight:
“It started with a really lackluster first half. At halftime down 1-0 I thought we were in the game with a chance, but everything fell apart with [Kyle Beckerman’s] red card. I don’t know why he decided to throw our guy out and none of theirs… Our team has lacked discipline this season and that especially showed after we went down a man. Some of our guys sleep-walked through the game tonight. It doesn’t get much bigger than this game and I don’t know how our guys didn’t get up for it.”
On San Jose’s play tonight:
“[This game] made a statement that San Jose is a much better team than us. [The Earthquakes] have a lot of guys that bust a gut the whole game. They are a very blue-collar team that knows that they need to work extremely hard and be together and that’s how you get a result. They obviously have some very talented players, but the way they play together is what puts them on top right now.”
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES HEAD COACH FRANK YALLOP
On performance of team:
“I felt it was a strong performance from the guys. I felt good coming into the game. There was just a sense of confidence in the team and in the locker room before the game and it carried out to the pitch. There was no doubt in my mind that we were going to win the game. I thought obviously the play of Wondo (Chris Wondolowski) was great and to get a goal from (Alan) Gordon and (Simon) Dawkins really helped in their confidence. I was pleased with the play of both (Rafael) Baca and Sam (Cronin), I thought they made it hard to play if you were Salt Lake and knocked the ball around very well.”
On Chris Wondolowski’s goals:
“He has played really well up top all season. He’s been in really good form and you saw that again tonight. He missed an opportunity in the first half, but was able to stay focused and buried two goals for his 17th and 18th of the season. All in all, it was a very good performance for him and I think it will help him through the remainder of the season.”
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES FORWARD CHRIS WONDOLOWSKI
On team’s performance:
“Our midfielders had a great game tonight. Sam Cronin, (Rafael) Baca, Marvin Chavez and Shea (Salinas) played world-class stuff tonight. They made it easy for me. They found the space and did a good job of putting me in a position where all I had to do was finish.”
On hat trick:
“If you look at the tape of this match, you will see that all I had to do was finish and that is a credit to my teammates. All year long they have put me, Alan (Gordon) and Steven (Lenhart) in prime positions to score. Hopefully we can carry some of the offensive momentum into our next match on this short week.”
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES DEFENDER JASON HERNANDEZ
On being unbeaten at Buck Shaw Stadium:
“It’s a different team this year. We have guys on this roster that fight and do not take any game for granted. We have been like this since the start of the season and we are seeing the results at home. Every game is a sell out and winning is our way to thank the fans for their support.”
On consecutive shut-outs:
“We are starting to hit our stride. We had to rotate our back line due to injuries, but now that we are healthy, we are finding some cohesiveness and it’s starting to show. I liked our performance in Dallas and I liked this one even better.”
