QUOTE SHEET
REAL SALT LAKE 0-1 COLORADO RAPIDS
DICK’S SPORTING GOODS PARK; MAY 7, 2016
Real Salt Lake
Head Coach Jeff Cassar
On what was different this game for the team:
“Well they scored more than us, but I think it just came down to a few plays. [Jermaine] Jones was dangerous all night coming from that late position. We had spoken about it and probably didn’t deal with it great. I think we turned the ball over in poor areas that led to us retreating back to our goal, and you never want that. With that being said, I feel – on the night – that probably a draw was more accurate. I didn’t feel like they were the better team, they just put away their chance and we didn’t. It was a hard-fought game. It was first-place teams battling it out, and we lost. We’ve got to move on and that’s what it is.”
On Colorado’s goal:
“It was a turnover. We had the ball and we turned the ball over about 35 yards away from goal. We had it contained and we just didn’t do a good job. There were a couple of combination passes and then Jones came in late and it was good work by them.”
On what Colorado did well on defense that prevented RSL from scoring towards the end:
“They’re playing well right now as a team and they’re working hard. I think Cronin and Azira are a nice combination in the midfield and they know their roles. They do a really good job. Burling and Sjöberg are a handful. They keep the game in front of them, it’s tough to beat them. We weren’t at our best tonight, and I think on a different night and back at our place, we’ll take care of business.”
Defender Tony Beltran
On the Rapids this season:
“I think this year Pablo has got them believing in the system that they’re playing and they’re fighting for each other. The biggest thing that they have that they didn’t have last year is the belief.”
On the Rapids style of play:
“We knew that’s the way that they were going to play, but it’s still dangerous, especially here in Colorado. Credit to their players up top. They put in some good balls and pressed us, and we weren’t good enough on that goal and that’s why they won.”
On starting the road trip with a loss:
“It’s a disappointment. We wanted to start off this road trip with some points, but I think that the important thing is that – especially in the second half – we showed so much fight and the belief to win was there, and we never gave up. So even though we walk out of here with nothing, we have to respond really quickly because it’s going to be a rough stretch.
Midfielder Kyle Beckerman
On if he felt they deserved more from the match:
“I think it was there for us. I had a couple of good chances myself, I should’ve buried the one. Their keeper made some good saves as well, so give credit to them and Zac [MacMath]. It was a hard-fought game, and it could’ve gone either way. We were just on the wrong side today.”
On his matchup with Jermaine Jones in the middle of the field:
“Well, Jermaine scored so that’s good for him. Just a good battle. He was almost playing like a forward. It was hard-fought and what I would expect.”
On what wasn’t working offensively:
“Zac MacMath played well. He made the saves that he had to make. I think I had another shot earlier which he picked out of the corner and then the other on me as well. We will give credit to him and we’ve just got to get back to work this week and see if we can tidy up some finishing and hopefully do better next week.”
Colorado Rapids
Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni
On beating Real Salt Lake tonight:
“I think it was a fantastic performance, fantastic result and I think the guys from C38 really put things in perspective before the game started with the tifo that said, "Keep Fighting." What I tell the guys all the time is that we're always underdogs here. No one is going to ever believe until the very end. The one thing you can't lose sight of is that you have to be the hardest team to play against, you have to fight for every ball. You have to have that fighters’ mentality.”
On Jermaine Jones' performance in this particular game:
“He finds ways to impact the game from all different angles and today was a top-notch finish from what was a fantastic build-up, a great combination play. But his ability to get in good spots and deliver the goods has been spectacular for us. And again, that's why he is where he is in his game, and that's why he'll be joining the national team and at 34, he's still a guy who has so much left in the tank and so much to offer. Not only from the footballing side, but also the leadership side and driving the team on from that part of the field. Tonight was an effort from every single player that stepped on that field. Everyone contributed in great ways and we were able to withstand a lot of pressure late in the second half. We had so many good breaks and some very good opportunities, so I think overall it was a complete team performance, and one that we'll have to duplicate here on Wednesday.”
On the importance of getting a second goal given the rivalry:
“No, not so much from the rivalry. You take it one game at a time, you're not thinking about the season at this point, you want one-game runs. You want to win this game and then look forward. I think the second goal would have calmed the game down a bit more, but anytime it's 1-0 in a rivalry game, they're always going to get chances and opportunities. So it would have been a little bit easier to manage in the latter part of the game. But again, the guys did a fantastic job of gripping arms and holding down the fort.”
On being 5-0-0 at home, and first in the league:
“It's good for the night to reflect on. We've got a game Wednesday, so we're already starting to prep tonight. There's no rest and the mentality that I hold myself to and try to spread amongst the group is that the next game is already upon us and we've got to prepare. What I will say is that these results validate what we've been working on since preseason. Every player has bought in and every player's contributing. And for that, I couldn't be more proud. It just feels like everyone is moving in the same direction. It feels really good at the moment, but the only way to continue feeling that way is to keep working that hard, and to keep fighting.”
Forward Kevin Doyle
On their chances in the first half:
“I think we have a bit of confidence over a number of games so I felt like tonight – especially for about 70 minutes – there was only going to be one winner, us. First half I felt that we could have capitalized on a couple of chances better, me included. But we didn’t panic and in the second half we came out and it was a great goal. Good move all around. You go one ahead and obviously a little nervy and sit behind a little trying to soak up pressure for a long time. We got a bit lucky maybe at the end.”
On if they defended a bit more than they would’ve like in the second half:
“Yes. If we wouldn’t have been up 1-0, that wouldn’t have been the case, we would’ve still been on the front foot. You get that goal up and everyone gets a bit standoffish and a bit just protect, protect, protect. Maybe we could’ve gone for a second a bit more, but we won.”
On difficulty to create as many chances in the second half:
“We were all probably one position back further if you know what I mean, and trying to help out and protect. It’s just a mental thing, it’s psychological. You’re winning and you’re just trying to hang on and keep our little run going at home as well and we did.”
Goalkeeper Zac MacMath
On his confidence this game:
“I think going into this weekend’s game I really focused on being confident and making sure the guys felt confident with me back there. Obviously that last game in Salt Lake, I made a mistake that led to their goal and us losing points, so I made a point this week to be strong back there and make sure that I give everything possible to give us a shutout and give us a chance at three points.”
On his third shutout of the season:
“It’s good. The guys in front of me have done an unbelievable job, the back four. It’s been a while since we’ve had a shutout, a few weeks, so I think this week we really harped on making sure we were sound defensively knowing that if we got a shutout at home, we’d have a good chance at winning.”
On having Jermaine Jones in the locker room and on the field:
“He’s great. He came in at halftime and a bunch of guys were upset with the way we played and the chances we created even though I thought we played a really good half, it wasn’t good enough. I think you can tell on the first goal how sharp everyone was, and obviously it was a really nice goal.”
