POSTGAME QUOTES
Colorado Rapids 3-1 Real Salt Lake
July 11, 2015; Dick’s Sporting Goods Park (Commerce City, CO)
Real Salt Lake
Head Coach Jeff Cassar
On the first half:
“I don’t think they ever broke us down through the middle of the field. It was dealing with direct balls to their wingers and to their forwards- for the most part we dealt with it well. We just didn’t manage the game properly at the end of it.”
Is this the most frustrating loss of the year?
“Pretty much; it ranks really high up there. We had the opportunity with three points in our grasp. We gave up a goal on a set play which is unacceptable and naive. You’ve got to recognize that when you have a 1-0 lead, you can’t finish with ten players on the field. It’s about being disciplined, it’s about making good choices on the field, and we lost our cool.”
Do you think it was a domino effect starting with Sebastian Jaime’s red card?
“I think it is a frustration effect because we felt that they played very physical. Javier [Morales] got hammered in the middle of the field, and I think Sebastian was a little upset to see his teammate get hammered like that and reacted poorly. We’ve got to do better than that.”
On bouncing back:
“There’s not a lot of time to prepare. We travel home tomorrow and will have a light training on Monday and then we’re right back at it. The schedule is tough, so our guys are going to have to be mentally tough and do everything they can to get their bodies right. As a staff we do everything we can to prepare them, but there’s not a lot we can get done on the field to do that.”
On using the word “unacceptable”:
“You can’t give up set-play goals. You can’t finish with ten players on the field. It’s hard enough to break teams down. There’s got to be accountability. You’ve got to win your battles, you’ve got to stay with your mark and we didn’t do that on that particular play. We had an opportunity to tie it up, but we’ve got to move on quickly.”
Is this a wake-up call?
“Wake up calls shouldn’t happen at the end of the game. If you survive them at the beginning of the game, you’re lucky. You can’t let your guard down. You’ve got to be focused. We write that on the board every single time to concentrate on set plays.”
On Sebastian Jaime’s goal:
“If we were sharper with the ball we could have had many more opportunities like that. We just weren’t great with our passing tonight.”
Goalkeeper Jeff Attinella
Is that the most frustrating loss of the year for you guys?
“We’ve had some frustrating ones, but that one hurts a little bit. We had them, and I’ll put my hands up as well. We weren’t good enough the last ten minutes, but we’ve got to shake it off. We’ve got a big one on Tuesday and we have to bounce back.”
What changed after Sebastian Jaime’s goal?
“We were really comfortable throughout the whole game. We scored and it felt like we were going to just ride this one out and have everything under control. They got that quick one, and right after that it just got away from us. We’ve got to do our best to bounce back. Tuesday is a really big one for us.”
On Drew Moor’s goal:
“I thought our first guy had it. A lot of people were saying he got pushed, but he was cleared out of the way. I’ve got to be better off my line in case that happens. That’s soccer, if there was a foul missed calls happen and we’ve got to react the right way. We’ve got to do everything we can to keep the ball out of the net and that starts with me. It just wasn’t there tonight in the last ten minutes, and that is unacceptable but we’ve got to move on.”
Defender Tony Beltran
On what went wrong in the last ten minutes:
“With ten minutes left in the game we ended up losing 3-1 when we were up 1-0 it’s not good enough. I’m speaking collectively. We win as a team, and we lose as a team. To be up at that point in the game, and to let that slip away at this point in the season is unacceptable.”
On what needs to change:
“I think in that situation it’s about the mentality, having a killer instinct, and being able to finish out the game not giving them an edge.”
On Drew Moor’s goal:
“It’s disappointing because it is a set piece which we have control over. You never want to give up a goal on a set piece. We’ll have to look at the replay and see our positioning which could have been better. It’s a good example of what’s not good enough.”
On team’s frustration level:
“Being at that point in the game, being up a goal and then losing the way we did- of course we’re frustrated. We want a win for this club, for our fans, and for our teammates. It’s a frustrating point in the season.”
Being a locker room leader, do you put any extra pressure on yourself to turn things around?
“Absolutely, I want the guys to be able to lean on me in a moment like this. You try to pick them up while you’re on the field. We want to do everything we can to get better.”
Is this a wake-up call?
“I don’t think it matters. What matters is just moving on to Tuesday. It’s a big opportunity in the Open Cup. We’re only a few games away from competing for a trophy, so that is where our focus needs to be. We’ll get better there. Having a quick turnaround is helpful, because it gives us something to focus on and is something that motivates us.”
Colorado Rapids
Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni
On your feelings after the match:
“It was by far one of our best displays of football this year. That’s a combination of going through hardship during the year and a group of guys believing that they are going to win the game. It was a great attacking performance being on the front foot and the guys in the back and the midfield working their tails off. It was one of the best wins that I’ve had here [at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park] as a coach and possibly as a player.”
On team’s perseverance after giving up a goal:
“I think that all the losses and bad results that we’ve had at home and away have never been in vain. We’ve learned something from each one and in other for a team to perform the way that they did tonight, they must believe in themselves. This week in training, I knew we were going to win this game and our players knew it as well. It was a great performance and a fantastic game to watch from the sideline.”
On Charles Eloundou’s performance:
“I think it speaks for itself. We were talking amongst the staff that I feel he’s matured tremendously. He has been patient and a great teammate by waiting for his opportunity to make a difference. He was fantastic on the attacking and really caused a lot of fits on the opposing team. He was involved in all three goals.”
Defender Jared Watts
On his first career goal:
“It was awesome - just being in the right place at the right time and not giving up on the play. You have to give credit to Charles for following up and getting a good shot off that hit the post. That’s what this game is all about - bounces are coming our way and we are getting results. It doesn’t matter how it comes, but we’ll take it.”
How big of a boost was having Charles in there?
“With the type of player that he is - so dynamic going forward, getting in dangerous situations with fresh legs; one could just tell he added a little spark. We see it every day in practice; he’s working hard and doing the right things. I’m really happy for him to come in and really make a difference.”
On going for the win after tying the game:
“Absolutely. I think that once we got that goal, we weren’t satisfied and we were feeling the momentum. This game is all about momentum and we pushed for that. You have to give credit to those guys up top, they never stopped running and putting themselves in dangerous positions. Our job back there is a lot easier and the goal that we gave up was tough. We have to give credit to all the guys, nobody dropped their head, and we got after it and got those three points.”
On momentum switching after Jaime’s red card:
“I think them going down to ten men was a little more push of momentum for us. We wanted to take it right on and keep pushing the game and really throw numbers forward because we knew we could get a result out of this game.”
