QUOTE SHEET
REAL SALT LAKE 4-1 COLORADO RAPIDS
RIO TINTO STADIUM; AUGUST 26, 2017
Real Salt Lake
Head Coach Mike Petke
On the first goal:
“That is what we’ve really been preaching, you know. We need to finish at least one chance early on because teams do come and sit in. It opens the game up so much more, which is where we’re at our best. In the last two games now we had teams sitting on us and we found a way. I’m proud of the guys and my hat goes off to them to the work they put in.”
On what’s changed for Luis Silva:
“I can’t say what changed because that is something he would have to answer. I can guess, I think that faith, not only his faith but us having faith in him. Sticking with him when he was a bit frustrated. Putting him perhaps in uncomfortable situations early on, in a position that he wasn’t extremely comfortable in. But we saw something in him and he’s repaying us now over the last couple of games with goals. But before that, right from the start he showed why he’s valuable for us. I said it every game what he does, the combination play, dragging defenders out, but now he’s putting the ball in. He’s earned it and I’m extremely happy for it.”
On how well Lennon and the other young players are playing:
“I mean it can always be better. Again, I don’t think we’re at where we want to be and perhaps that’s not going to happen until two weeks from now at Vancouver, perhaps it’s not going to happen until preseason next year, perhaps it won’t happen until midseason next year. But everybody is in this. Everybody’s in this. Everybody is excited. You know if I would’ve taken Plata out my first couple of games in the time I took him out tonight, we probably would’ve had a fist fight. But he was all smiles now because it’s about the team and he is, along with everybody else, bought into that. And I said it a number of times before, I can’t take much credit. I’m a coach, I tell them what I want to do, I show them why I want to do it, I explain it in many different ways and it’s up to them to accept it and do it. It’s really on the players and they’ve done that.”
On the team’s interchange:
“It varies from game to game but the one thing is we want to isolate guys like Plata and Savarino as much as possible. We knew right away when we saw the lineup, playing a guy like Hairston out at the right back, he’s very athletic and he’s very good going forward but he’s not a natural defender. So we understood that they thought that his physical attributes could match up with Plata and he would be an option for the counter attack going the other way. And then you put someone like Williams on the other side, who is very much a stay-at-home outside back that likes to battle and they were worried about Plata and Savarino. So today the message to them was mix it up between staying wide for us to isolate or making those runs centrally because their center backs do not like to get pulled out. So my guess is a long answer to a short question-- it varies from game to game.”
On Acosta having a learning experience:
“I thought Danny, the San Jose game and tonight, had some very, very good moments. He showed some maturity and some growing up. I honestly didn’t see the tackle so I don’t want to comment on it. I’m pretty sure that they were looking at that video replay. I think the fourth told me they were looking at it and talk to him in his ear so again I have to trust it, I didn’t see it. But listen, he’s a young, eager kid and him, Justen, Brooks, Bofo-- sorry, Sebastian-- guys like that are going to have moments, you know, in their learning curve. So when we look at the video, we’ll have a conversation with him, it’s happened to me many times as a player. But the rest of the guys, they showed some grit and determination.”

Forward Luis Silva
On Brooks Lennon’s assist from the other end of the field:
“I just saw their last guy, it passed over him and once that happened, I took off, looked behind me, and I had a few yards in front of him. As soon as I got one-on-one with the keeper, I just thought about keeping it on frame. He dove one way and I played it the other way. I am very happy with the team, very happy with the win.”
On scoring four goals at home and going forward:
“It feels great, it is a great feeling. The mentality of the team, you can tell it has gotten a lot better. Better than standing on the field. We are having fun and we are enjoying it. We just have to keep this up. It is not over. We could still make that playoff run and that is what we are looking for.”
On telling Plata you wanted to take the PK:
“I told him I wanted to take it. He respected that. I have known him since 2012 and we get along really well.”
On personal scoring record:
“I mean after right now, I really don’t pay attention to that. Right now, my mindset is to keep the team together, help them win in anyway, assist, make unselfish runs, scoring goals. That is my mindset right now. All of the other things are just going to come.”

Forward Joao Plata
On the last two games:
“I think it’s the work during the week. We start training on Monday to Friday and into Saturday. If you want to be in the playoffs you have to start winning games and I think that’s a key.”
On the urgency to win games:
“We have to win games. If you want to be in the top six we have to start winning games and that’s the mentality for all of my teammates and all of the staff. We’re going to do it the right way and I hope we can keep going like that.”
On giving Silva the penalty kick:
“I think asked for it and I’m not a selfish player. I love Luis so much and he’s been a great player for us and he’s been helping the team a lot and I’m very happy for him.”
On Luis’ play:
“I think it’s a big thing for us. He’s been doing good things for us and I think that’s important. But the most important thing is that the team wins and gets the three points.”

Colorado Rapids
Head Coach Steve Cooke
On his thoughts on the match:
“It’s a tough one because the score line looks a bit bigger than it should be. I thought we just got ourselves back in the game and I thought to myself, ‘we’re going to a have a little bit of a go at this one.’ As you could see we had quite a few forward players there at the end. That little bit of quality in that final area of the field, a couple of turnovers at the end and obviously when we’re pushing at the end and they caught a couple of breaks. Disappointed with the shape behind the ball at the end because we just kind of went kamikaze and it gave us no opportunity. Down 2-1 with a few minutes left I feel we could win the game and that’s why I’m disappointed. We had Axel going up top and I said ‘no, let’s let the fullbacks go forward so we keep players in good positions to keep attacks going so we can get some momentum.’ I thought we threw the third and the fourth goal away. I felt we were going to get back and tie the game.”
On Gatt’s goal:
“Video review is interesting. When I was looking at the screen it looked like two players were both onside and I think it was Wingert who played them on. Great run from both players and Josh Gatt had a fantastic header and finish. That’s what I saw. I’m assuming that Mike Petke might have a different story. I saw him waving his arms so he might have something different to say but for me the video review, I like the video review. I think it brings some integrity to some of those decisions and for me it was a great ball from Mike Azira, came on in the second half and a great run and finish from Josh Gatt who also came on late.”
On Tim Howard’s performance:
“He’s phenomenal. You don’t need my opinion to tell you how good he is. He’s a top player. In any generation he’s a fantastic player. Great professional, he’s a leader and we owe him a debt of gratitude. He made two or three unbelievable saves. Again, players like him don’t come around very often and I hope that people literally embrace him and honor him because people like him aren’t going to come around too often for any country. In the US he’s not only the greatest keeper this country has produced he’s the greatest that most countries have produced. He’s a fantastic player.”
On the away support from the Rapids fans:
“I can’t believe it. It’s not the shortest drive, seven or eight hours over the Rockies. They were loud, they were passionate and you could hear them and they were waving the flags early in the game. They kept going right to the whistle. We went over and gave them a good clap and they deserve a lot more than that because to make that journey and show that level of commitment as fans is great. I know what it’s like to be a fan. We owe them a great deal of effort and as long as I’m here the players are going to give that. One thing that I would be proud of is the effort and commitment of the players. Those fans deserve a great deal and let’s hope we give them something to cheer on for the rest of the season.”
Midfielder Joshua Gatt
On his first MLS goal:
“The VAR is a system that definitely throws you for a loop sometimes. Back maybe a year or 6 months ago that would have been done, no goal. If they got the call right then great, I’m grateful to get my first goal in the MLS and let’s hope it’s the start of more.”
On the game from his viewpoint:
“It wasn’t the performance we were hoping for. Coming here and going for a cup we wanted to be better and I think we were a little disorganized and they caught us out on the counter too many times and they put two in the back of the net really quickly and it made it look worse than it really was. If we were a bit more organized and stuck to the game then things could have gone differently. But that’s how it happens, good teams counter and good teams score goals.”
On what went wrong:
“When you get caught chasing the game, you want to go and win the game and you lose focus on defense. It’s about moving the ball forward and trying to score goals and RSL took advantage of that. They saw that we were out of sync in the back and they took advantage of that, a couple of balls over the top and that’s all it took to score the goals.”
On if will he remember tonight:
“It’s a great feeling. It’s always good to score a goal and to get your first in the MLS is a fantastic feeling. But it’s a bittersweet feeling. I wanted to come away with a win and with a goal and win would have been great. But I’ll just take the goal as the one positive and we have a lot to work towards this next weekend.”