Postgame Quote Sheet
Real Salt Lake 0-1 Portland Timbers
October 14, 2015; Rio Tinto Stadium
Real Salt Lake
Head Coach Jeff Cassar
On how the team played tonight:
“No, I’m not frustrated with the way we played. It was two teams battling. Their goal came off a long clearance but I thought we moved the ball extremely well. We missed the final ball again, but I’m not upset with the way we played, absolutely not.”
On Portland’s goal:
“[We] fell asleep on one long clearance. After looking at it, it should’ve been dealt with better but the foul was outside the box. Everyone’s been looking at it. Everyone sees the exact same thing. I think the referees know that it happened outside the box. After that our players played with urgency and passion. And we didn’t get the result. It feels really tough, it’s at an awful time in the season, but I’m definitely proud of my players. It was a red card. It was a long clearance, we didn’t deal with it well, and we were forced to that. If you look at the replay it’s just a gruesome play. It’s something that we talked about. They are very direct, win the second balls, everything. You take a little play off and you have to react.”
On nearing the potential end of the season:
“At the end of the day it is a season of work. We are in this position where we must win games but on a different night we could get a different result. Anytime you’re in these games you should have 11 players on the field and not give up set play goals. I think we would have had a different result had we had 11 players but I’m really proud of the work our players put in. We are going to bed tonight. We are going to wake up tomorrow knowing exactly what we have to do [to make the playoffs] and everything but we need to leave this game alone. It’s over, and mathematically we are not out and I know with the character we have in our locker room we are going to approach all the games the right way. The staff and myself will come together and have a good game plan. This one hurts, there is no getting around that but we adjust.”
On the quick turn around with a game on Saturday:
“Well, we just need to get back to work, we still get to play for ourselves, our fans, our jobs, the Champions League and I know with the character in the locker room we are going to approach these three games with the right attitude.”
On the Champions League game next week:
“They are all important. We have to do our jobs and that’s an important game but they are all important.”
Midfielder Luke Mulholland
On feeling the same as Tony Beltran, dejected:
“Yeah I feel the same. We only had one track mind tonight and that was three points. We didn’t imagine any other possible outcome and now it’s the end of the game and we didn’t come out with any points. It’s very annoying.”
On why they weren’t able to get 3 points:
“I think we got caught in a track race with Portland. They’re a good counter team and whenever the field gets stretched going back and forth is always really dangerous with the forwards and the players that they’ve got in transition. We rolled our luck at times and obviously the PK was the final blow really.”
Midfielder Javier Morales
On not getting the win:
“I think that we needed to play the game that we thought before the game where we attempt to control the ball and try to score goals and win the game, but I think we couldn’t do it today and it wasn’t a good game for us, but I just want to say that I am proud of my team. Even down a man, we fight until the end.”
On not getting things going for RSL:
“Yeah I think we couldn’t figure it out, because Valeri was there and winning second balls. And I think that we tried to attack and we didn’t defend when we went with the ball, so then they win second balls and they control the game pretty much and second half we went out with another mentality, then penalty and red card happened. It wasn’t good for us.”
On possibly not making the playoffs:
“We knew before the game that is a reason I am a little bit frustrated, because I talk with the referee about the penalty and I told him, I thought that was maybe red card, but that was outside of the box. Because we are fighting for a spot in the playoffs and that’s a crucial moment that can change the game. It’s different a free kick than a penalty kick, but it’s no excuse. I talked to the lineman, I asked that we are playing for the spot in the playoff and you should try to be smart. If you don’t know, then don’t call it, and then he insulted me. That was a surprise to me, because I never insulted a referee in my life in my career. But it’s no excuse and it shows like what happened and then after the penalty the game changed.”
On the key to moving on:
“I think we have to keep fighting until the match says we’re out, but I have been playing here for 7-8 years and always playing in the playoffs. It’s going to be tough for me and for the rest of the guys. We have to keep fighting, especially for the fans.”
Defender Tony Beltran
On the game:
“A lot of emotions. Dejected, frustrated. We knew what we had to do. We failed. I’m proud of the boys’ fight. Difficult circumstances playing a man down. I felt in the second half we were really pushing, you know really putting them under pressure, but again I keep coming back to opportunity, and we didn’t capitalize.”
On why the team could not capitalize:
“Maybe not one clear cut reason that I could put my finger on. It’s never one thing in soccer. It’s always a number of things, so we’ll try to figure that out and move on to Saturday.”
On digesting and moving on:
“You have to quickly. Mathematically we’re still not out, so we keep playing, we keep pushing. We got an important game Saturday, important game Tuesday, so continue moving forward. It’s the only thing that you can do… We all have a job to do. Just because we lose one game, even though the circumstances, doesn’t mean that we put our heads down, so everyone in this locker room knows that. We still have work to do and that’s what we will do.”
Portland Timbers
Head Coach Caleb Porter
On how the team performed:
“I thought the players and the team as a whole today were outstanding, from start to finish. Some games you get three points and maybe you dodged a few bullets and maybe it was a bit unfair. I think the last time we took three points off RSL last time we were here. You know probably, I wouldn’t say we stole one but they definitely had the better of it. Today I thought we had the better game. I thought in the first half we came out aggressive and didn’t just come out to sit back and let them come at us. We came out to attack. Obviously our lineup and our game plan reflected that. We pressed up the pitch. We had a lot of the ball and I think we were rewarded in the second half with the goal.”
On the tactical plan working tonight:
“Yeah you know some times you get it right. I think we got it right with the system that we had and with our plan. But you only get it right if the players execute and perform. The players deserve all the credit. But I thought that moving Melano to the left and having Rodney lock up Beltran offensively and having Melano go at Allen a bit unlocked the game.”
On the defensive effort from Kwarasey and the back line:
“Yeah he made two saves and they were big. You need your goalkeeper to that. We didn’t give up too many chances. We are very good defensively. We’ve shown that all season long. In terms of chance creations and shots we’ve been up there with the top teams in the league but we’ve had some games where we haven’t found goals. But we found a goal today and we grinded out the win. I thought we managed the last 20-30 minutes of the game very well, which is always important even if you are up a man. RSL would push and throw numbers and I thought the guys managed the game very well.”
Midfielder Diego Valeri
On the overall feeling of the club right now:
“The feeling is very nice. We worked a lot and we got the three points. That is a very good result for us. It is now in our hands to make the playoffs. We are fighting for that place and the feeling is great.”
On if the penalty call was deserved:
“Sometime that is what happens. We had a few calls that sometimes were bad for us. We can’t really control that. I think we did a good job; it was a good game for me. I think in the first half we deserved to score. We deserved this win. We controlled the ball against a very good team who has very good possession players and we had a lot of the ball so you have to be happy about that performance.”
Forward Fanendo Adi
On what happened during the penalty call:
“I can’t really remember very well but I think I was the one who gave Melano the pass that he got the penalty kick on. I just believe it was a very difficult situation. But I felt in a very good motivation to score the goal. I told him (Melano) I was going to take it. It was a very tough game for us and we are glad that we came out with three points.”
On controlling the game as an attacking unit:
“From the first we did very well. Everyone was playing in shape. We were just trying to come out with the three points today. We just believed in ourselves that we would have to play very well and defend very well, as well as attack. We had some chances but our finishing was kind of poor but lucky for us we got a PK. That’s the thing about the game of soccer is that the three points is all that matters.”
On the defensive effort put in by Diego Chara:
“Diego Chara is our best midfielder. He has always done very excellent for us. Every game you can see that he comes out as the best player for us. Today was just excellent from the back four to the front four. You could see that everyone did very well today and we just want to enjoy this moment.”
