REAL SALT LAKE
Head Coach Jason Kreis
On the penalty kick
“I think we need to be honest with ourselves and say that Nick Rimando made a mistake. He came out for a ball that he probably does need to come out for. A player like that come probably makes one or two mistakes a year. He is holding his hands up in the locker room and on the field. He clearly knows he made a tactical judgment error but that is OK. He has saved us many points along the way so he will get a pass.”
Thoughts on the match
“I thought the first half was odd. Every time we come here, Houston really puts us under it and it was odd to see them not. The second half livened up. I thought it was an exciting game, but the first half was dull.”
On Tally Hall’s performance
“In the first half, the save on [Fabian] Espindola when it gets through on his right foot is a critical save for him. In the second half, the [Nat] Borchers header on the top corner was unbelievable and then he had the save on Ned Grabavoy when he goes through on the box. Clearly Tally Hall was the man of the match tonight.
On dealing with the Houston heat
“We pay attention to what the weather is going to be like, especially whenever we come to Texas. We have to make tactical decisions because of it. Typically we want to go everywhere and press the issue, but sometimes it’s a lot of distance to cover and a bit unrealistic. I’m not even sure Barcelona could come here and press in this heat.”
RSL GK Nick Rimando
Thoughts on the match
“It’s one of those games where you do what you think is right. I don’t know if you call it a mistake. The ball is in the air, I’m coming in the air and not intending to hit [Macoumba] Kandji, but it happens. He made a great run. We didn’t have any pressure on the ball and I committed. Once I committed, I had to go out. I didn’t want to get stuck in no-man’s-land. At the end of the day it’s a play I want to take back for sure and get these guys in the locker room a point back.”
On Houston pressing for a goal
“They are the home team. I think you have seen the game enough where you have seen the home team go after the opponent, especially at home. I think we dropped off a little too much. We didn’t put pressure on the ball when we needed to at the dying minutes. At the end of the day, we needed to do better as a team of closing the game out.”
On playing in the Houston heat
“It’s a tough place to play. It’s not hot like that in Salt Lake but it’s definitely not an excuse. We come here with the mindset that we are going to win or get a point. I have been a part of a lot of games where it has gone down to the dying minutes and they have ended up scoring in extra time. It’s tough place to go 90-plus minutes and stay focused in this heat. It’s something we are not used to.”
On the team’s mentality
“Right now the spirits are high from the efforts the guys put in. One play doesn’t give us a loss here. I think a lot of plays during the game could have determined the result today. We have a big game in Panama coming up and we have to focus on that. We are going to keep our heads high and move forward.”
RSL DF Nat Borchers
Thoughts on the match
“Overall, I thought it was a great performance from us. Offensively, we were on. They didn’t want to come out and press. It was almost a joke how easy it was to play in the first half. I thought we did a great job.”
“In the second half, we still put it on them pretty well. They had a few counter-attacks that we dealt with. It was a bad call on the first penalty. The second penalty was a little more fair, but let’s be honest, we are not even in that position unless we have Nick Rimando in goal. He kept us in that game. He was the best player on the field. We just have to do better at closing out the games.”
HOUSTON DYNAMO
Dynamo Head Coach Dominic Kinnear
Thoughts on the match
“It was a great win. There was a lot of adversity tonight and the guys fought really hard. It’s a valuable three points. The guys are mentally worn out. It’s a tough night for both teams, with how hot and humid it was. The play was pretty slow with not a lot of chances. Tally [Hall] made a couple great saves, as did Nick Rimando to keep the score at zeroes in the second half. It was good for Colin [Clark] to step up, smash the ball into the net and give us three points. I’m very proud to coach this team to see what have gone through over the past few days and to come out of here with three points is very valuable for us.”
Thoughts on the officiating
“He gave us two penalties so I can’t say too much. I think it’s a tough job that these guys have. I like Ismael [Elfath] a lot and asking me to go to the locker room doesn’t change that. I think people should focus more on the game and how the players played than how the refs are doing.”
Thoughts on the performance of the backline
“I thought it was good. Ricardo [Clark] had a good game back there. I wasn’t planning on playing him back there, but it worked out. He made some great interceptions, had good individual defending at times and passed well out of the back. He showed he can play well back there for us.”
On getting three points
“It’s huge. With Columbus losing last night, it opens up a little opportunity for us. I think the guys are spent. Mentally it’s been tough and physically it’s been more tough, but the three points are there and hopefully the wins continue.”
Dynamo MF Colin Clark
Thoughts on the match
“I think we had a pretty good performance short-handed. We showed our depth tonight and got a great result.”
On being short-handed
“I think a lot of the guys here are always prepared to play. When your name is called you just do what you can. We had some people sick, some hurt which gave people some chances and I think everyone did pretty well tonight.”
On taking the second penalty kick
“Brad [Davis] let me take it and I’m not going to turn that chance down. I just put it in the back of the net.”
On getting the three points
“We pride ourselves on getting results at home; not just results but wins. It’s a mentality throughout the team. Even coming in shorthanded, we still wanted to come out and win.”
On scoring the penalty kick
“There was one thought in the back of my mind. I was just going to step up and smash it down the middle. I never had a vision of him coming close to saving it.”
Dynamo MF Brad Davis
On letting Colin Clark take the second penalty kick
“We were joking after the game. I don’t know how many penalties I have taken against Salt Lake but it’s been quite a few. I’ve actually had a few two PK games against them. It was one of those things where I stepped up, hit a great ball and he made a great save. I knew Colin [Clark] hit a great ball. [Nick] Rimando saved my first ball, I can’t take anything away from him. But Colin hits a good ball and that’s what he did.”
Thoughts on the match
“It was just one of those weird games. We have been talking all week about getting that proper attitude back. I think the guys fought extremely hard. We fought until the end. We got a penalty. I was unfortunate to miss mine. I didn’t drop my head and stop and the rest of the team didn’t drop their head. We kept pushing forward and scored and I could not be more happy for the guys. This game tonight was huge for us. It’s good for our confidence and it shows what a strong mentality can do for you.”
