QUOTE SHEET
REAL SALT LAKE 2-1 NEW YORK CITY FC
RIO TINTO STADIUM; May 17, 2016
Real Salt Lake
Head Coach Mike Petke
On Nick Rimando’s record:
“I want to congratulate Nick Rimando for becoming the all-time saves leader tonight. I believe it was the last category that he didn’t dominate, so we’re very excited and proud of him.”
On Albert Rusnák’s performance:
“I saw a lot of little things, plus the big things about him taking control of the ball. I really challenged him about defensive responsibilities. I literally outlined for him where I want him defensively — in the gap, in the hole of the midfield. He has to work his butt off in that area. I really enjoyed his work rate tonight, defensively. You go to the offensive stuff - his ability with the ball. I still say I don’t think we’ve seen what he can become in this league. I think he’s still in a transition period coming from Europe to Major League Soccer which is a big adjustment. But he’s a special player.”
On the team’s response after conceding:
“We have been so specific tactically with this team from practices to walking through things. You’ve seen it. To our pregame talks, it’s very specific. And then you look through the stats through the losses, and we out-shot the opponent, we’ve out-created them, yet we give up these goals. My pregame today is usually 10-12-15 minutes of very specific stuff. Today it was three and a half, four minutes of stuff, then I turned the power point off and just talked about them being men - about going out there and owning your job, owning your passion, wanting to be out there, wanting to do anything that it takes to win. Going back to it, being men. Because tactics are thrown out the window at this point. After we’ve created all that stuff, but we give up these mental mistakes and we don’t get results, you look elsewhere. After going down early, they had a different mentality tonight. Not that they weren’t angry before when we gave up these goals, but you could see something different today in their reactions. No one hung their head, and they clawed back and got the equalizer in the first half. Halftime - we made a couple of little adjustments, and then went ahead and got the go-ahead in the second half and closed the game out really well.
On Jefferson Savarino’s performance:
“His creativity and just his instincts [stood out]. He doesn’t really know how we want him to play right now. You could just see his instincts. You could see that he’s played at a high level. You could see he’s comfortable on the ball. He must have been the most fouled player tonight, I would assume. Just like Albert [Rusnák] and perhaps more. I think this kid could be a special player. But a lot of that comes down to me and the coaching staff getting him engrained quickly into how we want him to play.”
On what went right:
“Mentality was what went right tonight. That was a big part of it. Again, I’ll go back because you could look at score-lines over the last three, four games. A lot of them, except one of them, it’s not indicative of the actual match. Their mentality was different tonight. Anytime you get back someone like Kyle [Beckerman] - he was brilliant tonight. He wasn’t clean [in the first half]. We talked at halftime. Middle to second part of the first half, he gave up quite a few balls away. He’s the one who said it at halftime. I think that’s because he was so excited and he wanted to set tones in this game. But early on, he was great with the ball, great with the tackle. It’s just the leadership, Kyle’s a special leader because he leads by example. He’s not a big barker. He puts the work in every game. With Nick [Rimando], he brings back the experience and with him breaking the record, he’s a leader as well.”
Goalkeeper Nick Rimando
On setting the saves record with a win:
“Albert said it, three points is the most important. As long as I have been playing records are going to come. Yes, it is special to me but the three points is the most important right now. We have been fighting and wanting this win, the last four games has been rough for us. We have been putting in the work so the work showed today even though we went down one zero. I saw the pride that we took and we have got to take that confidence to Seattle and not worry about that goal, like Albert said. Then focus on Seattle and get another win.”
On equalizer before half time:
“It was huge, it was huge for us, you know whenever you go into halftime the focus is whether you are down, up or tied. And if we would have gone into halftime down a goal we would have been talking about how bad we have been doing, but to get that goal back we are right back in it. We knew the second half we needed to come out with a lot of fight and we surely did. I am happy Albert got one back for us.”
On Jefferson:
“For me, he just goes. He doesn’t think about anything, you know he is confident in himself. He is a player that right away all the guys around him got confidence in him, and wanted to give him the ball. Second half that was one of the things that we said was to let him get the ball and go at these players. I thought he was clever today, I thought he was great and put his back into troubled situations. It gives us another attacking option going forward that these teams have to think about.”
On the defense in the second half:
“I thought we were tight; we were organized, and communicating out there. Mike stressed a lot during the week of keeping our center backs tight together inside the goal, not getting them spread out and chasing the corners, and keeping our two center defenders in tight. I thought both our center defenders did well staying connected in the passing lanes and anything that was thrown at them.”
Midfielder Albert Rusnák
On what was working for him against NYCFC:
“I didn’t play at New England. I got some rest so I had to step up this game you know. After the first goal we give up easily again it became a little bit harder but I guess the team spirit today and the attitude and the hard work pay off for us. I’m glad we broke the 4-0 game without and finally got a win.”
On two goals in the snow:
“Yes we won two home games this year and they were both in a kind of crazy weather I would say. It is what it is. I’m glad we got the 3 points. I could help the team with a goal and an assist that’s always great but the most important thing was the 3 points.”
Reaction after the first goal:
“We talk every week about being careful at the back and not being sloppy especially at the start of the game. The first goal is crucial in a game, it sets the tone and today we give up another one. But let’s forget about that goal. Let’s just enjoy the win. We have another game in two days at Seattle so from now on we should start thinking about that game.”
On him signaling to come off:
“My calf, I felt a bit tight everywhere but it’s nothing major.”
On Nick and Kyle’s influence:
“They have played the game for such a long time, they’re smart, and they know when to speed the game up and when to slow the game down right at the end. Nick being clever and not rushing to get the ball back into play. That’s what teams do when they come here and they get that lead. They start to waste time after 10 minutes. So we have to be smart and do the same stuff.”
Thoughts on Savarino:
“He’s a different player than what we got. He’s different than I am, or than Joel is, or than any of our attacking players. I guess it’s good to have a little bit of a combination and he did very well for his first game.”
New York City FC
Head Coach Patrick Vieira
Thoughts on Albert Rusnák:
“He had a good game today. He scored a good goal and he is an important player for Salt Lake.”
On Salt Lakes play:
“I think what didn’t go well was my team selection. I think the defeat today, was mine. It’s me who had a responsibility for the loss today because the selection of the team wasn’t good enough to compete against Salt Lake. I have taken full responsibility of the performance of the team today.”
On the team selection:
“Yeah I was thinking about the three games and of course game after game and the team selection wasn’t good. So, I take full responsibility of the performance of the defeat, and this is my responsibility yeah.”
On if the early goal relaxed his team:
“No, no, I think we scored when we created chances, it was a good finish from a goal, but then we did not play enough. We were too deep and Salt Lake wanted it more than us and that is unacceptable.”
Midfielder Alex Ring
On the game:
“Maybe we were missing a couple of percent. Not that we didn’t give it our all, but I felt like we didn’t have that edge that we usually have in the games and we could have closed down the game in the first half already, and after the 1-0 we had good chances and they score 1-1 and then we come out in the second half and that’s not good enough for us. We have to analyze the game and move on to Orlando.”
On the weight of the loss:
“I think it’s cemented. This year is just mental. Are you ready to throw yourself back into the game, or you just kind of slide in with it. I can’t speak for the other players out there. They think in their heads.
On his performance:
“I don’t want to talk about myself, I’d be conceded like that. It’s always what I go for. I try to give my all. I have to say that this result is very disappointing, because we were in a good place with the team and I feel like we threw it out easy today.”
On being a vocal leader:
“I think I say what I say what I think at a time that I think, but I don’t talk in the locker room, but I think if I say something the guys listen and they know that when it has come to that point that something has gone wrong, but I try to lead by example and not talk too much in the game.”
Goalkeeper Sean Johnson
On being up 1-0 early on:
“It’s too early to be secure in thinking that things are secure when we have a lot of game to play. I think we did well to start the match and get a goal early. We controlled an early part of the match. First 20 minutes for me was good for us, and when we have good positive possession and get ourselves in good areas and then the game is kind of back and forth and we’re still attacking in good spots. When they got that goal before the half we gave them a little bit of life and in the second half with a set piece goal, it’s disappointing to lose a goal on a set piece. We’re a team that has got to be, that has got to find a way against a team like this in a moment like this even in a tough place like this. We control the game for a good part. We have to find a way to either come away with 3 points or not lose the match.”
On what gave RSL their momentum:
“For me I think that Beckerman and Rusnak were a little more active after the first 20 minutes in dangerous areas especially in the middle of the 3rd of the field. Not much too close to the back of their line they kept the ball in between lines, getting into dangerous spots at the top of the 18 and having the wind at their back. Anything from the 30 in is a good chance, so I think they did well to change their style of play after the first 20 minutes. It was a handful for us, but for me that wasn’t a deciding factor of the match, because there was a second half to play and we weren’t good in the second half.”
On Rusnák’s goal:
“It started a little by Fred, but still a real good finish. He struck it really well and the wind behind his back, it’s a good finish for me, but we can’t allow the teams to have clear looks especially being up 1 nil at that point in the game, and if the team is going to do beat us, this is how they’re going to beat us with a moment of class, but for me, conceding a set piece goal, which we haven’t done all year, was disappointing. It’s something we take pride in, it’s something we work on day in and day out, but this one hurts.”
Thoughts about going to Orlando next:
“We have got to win. We came here to put ourselves in a position, going into Orlando scoring a goal and being able to control the match, giving away points here it’s crucial especially with how points are shaping up in the East. Starting to get to a real crucial time period where these are 6 point games, especially in conference. You got to take advantage of them and they’re on the road in San Jose and we’re on the road here. I think it’s going to come to who wants it more and more. I think we can’t really be content with anything less than a win with Orlando.”
