Quote Sheet
Toronto FC 1-0 Real Salt Lake
August 3, 2016; BMO Field
Real Salt Lake
Head Coach Jeff Cassar
On the game:
“Our second game on the road in a difficult situation and I couldn’t be more proud of our team. The energy was right, the quality was right, they did everything that was asked of them and we just got caught up on one play and that can’t happen. But when you don’t put the ball in the back of the net the defensive mistakes are amplified. I am fully confident in our group and now we go home and we take care of business.”
On Glad and Maund:
“Yes, I mean to deal with Giovinco, Hamilton and Jozy as a sub is not easy to deal with especially on the back end of a two game road trip I thought they did very well in difficult circumstances. I still believe we can get better, there are areas defensively we can get better and cleaner, smarter and recognize dangerous times. Their goal was just a long ball from the goalkeeper and we just took a mental break.”
On moving on to Saturday against Chicago:
“We have to score! We have to defend very well at home but we have to put the ball in the back of the net. I think this game would have been different if we had scored our earlier chances in the game. Goals changed teams’ games plans and both teams were quite even until the end there. Both teams had game plans that were working but we had created more chances, more chances on goal and more possession, more dangerous play. We just unfortunately gave up a goal. The final product has to be there and I firmly believe if we put ourselves in these situations the players will come through. I love our attacking players and the way they play, the chances that were created and from several different ways which is why teams fear us. Bono made a couple nice saves but we can hit the target a little bit better and force him to make a few more saves.”
On Joao Plata:
“He’s fantastic, I love him! I love all of our attacking players but he is somebody we feed of as his energy level is so high. He’s exciting, the fans love him and he’s creative. This year he has been fantastic!”
Forward Joao Plata
On finishing games:
“We played well but they took advantage. The games are 90 minutes and we need to train hard for a couple days and get ready for Saturday.”
On the frustration of the game:
“Ya, I mean, I had a couple of chances and misses but that’s soccer. Sometimes you can make a goal and sometimes no. But this one, to be back in Toronto and to see the fans it is always nice.”
On getting back on track at home on Saturday:
“We have to be strong. We’re backing tomorrow to Salt Lake, Friday a little session training and the focus is on Saturday. We need to win this game to get the three points.”
Defender Aaron Maund
On facing Giovinco:
“Ya, I mean, we knew it was going to be a tough match. Our focus was to make it obvious what he (Sebastian Giovinco) was doing and try to keep him at bay and I think we did that… Overall I thought it was a good performance, besides that one play I thought it was a good performance.”
On playing a solid game but still losing:
“Yes, I think we’ve been solid for a good stretch of games here and we’re going to continue to keep working and iron out the kinks. So hopefully it keeps getting better and better.”
On not being able to capitalize on early scoring chances:
“It’s tough to look back on the game and say shoulda, woulda, coulda but at the end of the day we just didn’t get it done. We got a big one on Saturday against Chicago and we are going to look to get our three points there.”
Toronto FC
Head Coach Greg Vanney
General thoughts:
“Yeah, I’m pleased we got the win, we got the 3 points. It happens over the course of the season, we fought, we battled, we stayed together, we built situations and got the one we needed to win the game. For me tonight was one of our games in hand, so by using it appropriately we were able to move up the standings.”
On a substitute scoring:
“Yeah it’s nice, sometimes you get it right and sometimes you don’t. Tosainte gives you full heart, really committed runs. He tries to get to goal and he has incredible pace. We got guys who can get the ball in the right places and it worked out so I was pleased with him because he should’ve had one in the last game, he was upset that he hit the post. For him to get himself started here in Toronto is fantastic for him, I was pleased with the group tonight.”
On Alex Bono:
“Alex was great, quick to get off his line and deal with some things behind us when we were a bit porous at times but he was always there to bail us out. Yeah he was excellent. I thought his distribution by a marge was pretty solid as well. I thought he had a good night early on when he came in for the cross and got himself out a little bit earlier, but he bounced himself back throughout the rest of the game. That’s the sign of a kid who is maturing; he is really starting to get comfortable in his skin being in the goal.”
Forward Tosaint Ricketts
On redeeming himself after hitting the post last week:
“I’m waiting for those chances. Just those balls that get behind. I couldn’t sleep for a few nights after hitting the post a couple of weeks ago and I just wanted to make up for it. It felt great.”
On emotions of his first goal:
“It felt like my first goal for Canada here at BMO. This is a special place for me. I love to play here.”
On getting a home win:
“It’s massive for us. As players are getting healthy and back in the lineup we need to keep it rolling. This is a crucial time in the season and these home games we have to pick up points every chance we get. It’s great to get three wins here out of the four so far.”
Goalkeeper Alex Bono
On getting a shutout victory:
“I thought it was good and solid. It was where it needed to be for us to get three points and that’s the main goal for everybody, do the job you need to do for the team to be successful.”
On getting nine shutouts as a team this year:
“That is the main talking point, as a team we have nine clean sheets. Clean sheets to me are not a goalkeeper’s statistic. It’s something that a goalkeeper can’t earn on his own. It is a whole team effort from start to finish. For us as a team to have nine clean sheets and have that be a team record is fantastic and now we are going to try and raise that bar for teams in the future to try and aim for.”
