QUOTE SHEET
Real Salt Lake 1-1 Montreal Impact
Rio Tinto Stadium; Sandy, Utah
August 11, 2018
Real Salt Lake
Head Coach Mike Petke
On the result:
“It’s a little frustrating. Teams, to their credit, come in a do a good job of getting behind the ball and looking to counter-attack. Tonight we had numerous opportunities to put them away and we just couldn’t find that one. A point is a point, it might feel like two dropped points, but a point is a point. We look forward now to two very tough games on the road.”
On Brooks Lennon:
“Brooks is getting better and better every game defensively. We see a big improvement on a weekly basis with his positioning, his one-on-one defending, his bite. I would like to see Brooks get more involved in the attack – which is strange because he is an actual winger – finding that balance. Brooks has been chipping away at the right back position week in and week out. He’s not a finished product but I’m happy with where he is at right now.”
On moving on to LAFC
“It’s three points. Any points we can get out of that game – it’s going to be an extremely tough game, it’s a very stacked roster, good personnel from player to player, it’s going to be an extremely difficult game for us. There is no revenge factor, it’s a completely different time of the season, a different venue. It’s going to be tough but we are already planning for that.”
Midfielder Kyle Beckerman
On whether fatigue was a factor in the game:
“It was tough. It looks like everybody is making a campfire out there so I’m sure both teams were tired. We created a lot of chances and credit to their keeper - he made some incredible saves when they really needed it. We just couldn’t finish the second one to get the win.”
On dropping points at home:
“We’re definitely disappointed because it was a big opportunity tonight but we’ll look at the positives and the negatives. We have another opportunity Wednesday against a Western Conference opponent. We’ll take a point and move on.”
On Montreal’s goalkeeping:
“For all the chances we had, their keeper made some unbelievable saves. I had one in the first half I should have scored and I missed. Credit to him; he played really well. We asked a lot of him and he had the answers for it. We’ll try to do better next game.”
On the next matchup with LAFC:
“I think we’d like to show better. Nobody thought that was going to happen (5-1 loss to LAFC) and it was kind of a wakeup call for us. We want to get some respect back but for the most part it’s just a Western Conference game with a team that’s above us a couple of points.”
Defender Nick Besler
On the match:
“Nick (Rimando) made a lot of big saves for us. He stood on his head for a few of those tonight. We moved the ball pretty well for the most part. We created some chances. Their goalie made some saves. We probably could have put the game away, but he made some good saves. We probably could have been a little bit more balanced. They caught us on the counter quite a bit and Nick bailed us out a few times.”
On Nick Rimando:
“As a defender, you don’t want to have to rely on your goalie too much. You want to try and help him out as much as you can. It’s obviously nice because when things do break down, more times than not, he’s going to help us out.”
On the three-game week:
“Tonight we’ve just got to take care of our bodies. Try to get a good night’s rest. It is a quick turnaround with the travel, but we’re going to have to try and make up some points since we lost a couple here tonight.”
Montreal Impact
Forward Quincy Amarikwa
On quickly joining the team:
“I think that’s why they brought me here – to contribute and try to get into the mix. That’s my role. That’s my job. I knew what I was up for and I came in and started doing my thing. It’s a lot of learning on the fly, but that’s been my role throughout my career. I have to pay attention, learn quickly and adapt and show that I can be a valuable asset. I think with a little bit more time, we’ll get on the same page and create more opportunities. I think it was a good start and we’re in a good spot.”
On how he fits in:
“I’m very optimistic. I think there are a lot of quality players out there. We’re looking to get in behind and attack. I’m looking to learn the tendencies in the guys and fit their style and try to bring out the best qualities in them.”
