QUOTE SHEET
Real Salt Lake 1-2 Columbus Crew SC
Mapfre Stadium; Columbus, Ohio
June 30, 2018
Real Salt Lake
Head Coach Mike Petke
On making halftime adjustments:
“We made an adjustment with Albert [Rusnak] and Damir [Kreilach]. I felt that they were playing both flat and a little too high. We needed one to pop in and one to stretch back their center backs. I thought that [Jefferson] Savarino and Joao [Plata] to start the second half stayed a bit higher as a starting point to come in instead of coming back too early a lot in the first half which just congested things. Our ball movement was much better in the second half. First half it was very sloppy. Those things happen. So, it was just a combination of those things.”
On the chances created by Real Salt Lake:
“That’s been the story for us a lot of games this year. We’ve created a lot of chances, but we’ve had our issues converting enough of them. Tonight, again we had chances, it was a good goal we had. I thought there was a questionable PK [penalty kick] perhaps, not only the one they called for them [Columbus Crew SC] but maybe we could have had one as well. But again, we had our opportunities and we just didn’t put it away.”
On what’s different about playing on the road:
“Not winning. Home field advantage is huge in a league like this. We had a double legged flight coming here and we have a double legged flight going home three days before our second game. Travels like that amongst the humidity the team hasn’t really played in this year. That could have played a big role in tonight but our last four games on the road we’ve dominated the first half and posted a second half in all three losses. This one was a little reversed. We didn’t dominate the first half, but we played well enough in the second half and it’s just one of those things. We have a young, somewhat inexperienced team in certain positions and the more experience they go through like this we are going to be better off for it.”
Midfielder Kyle Beckerman
On the Real Salt Lake’s second half performance:
“I thought we had a good reaction in the second half. [It was] a bit unfortunate not to tie it up.”
On the team’s road struggles:
“That’s a question you could ask any MLS team. It’s just MLS. We flew to Minnesota, and then we came out here. It’s different climates, it’s not like Europe where you’re just driving to the next away game, and that’s just kind of the history of the league. Nobody’s really crushing it on the road. We’ll keep working on it, but the main thing is to take care of home.”
On some of the positive takeaways from the match:
“I thought there were lots of positives, especially, I thought we could have gotten something from the game. I’d like to see a replay of the PK they [Columbus Crew SC] got, because just 5 minutes in, that’s a bit…it put us behind the eight-ball. We’ll try to improve for next game.”
On the team’s quick turnaround:
“We’ve been doing well at home. We got to continue that. We got to make sure we’re focused and get our legs back as quick as possible. Even though it hurts to lose here, it’s an Eastern Conference team, and now these next two - Sporting Kansas City, FC Dallas - are Western Conference, so it’s important that we get back to winning ways at home.”
Columbus Crew SC
Head Coach and Sporting Director Gregg Berhalter
On whether tonight’s result was encouraging:
“Yeah, absolutely. The response will be very similar to last week when we say we just want to keep improving. We’ll analyze the game in the same way and hope to keep improving and getting better in all areas of the game. I really have to credit the guys for digging in because it was hot out there, man. I mean you guys were there. You saw the amount of energy both teams were putting out on the field. It was a good effort by the group.”
On if he adapted his game strategy for the heat:
“I think so. The message was ‘dividing the game into four quarters’. We knew there were going to be two water breaks and managing through those quarters. We got the guys together in each of those breaks, kind of reorganized and went forward. But again, proud of the guys, proud of the effort working through some pretty tough conditions.”
On Eduardo Sosa’s performance:
“Eduardo [Sosa] deserved an opportunity first of all, and he showed why we brought him here. He showed glimpses of things that are very difficult to teach players. I think when you talk about his ball processing, when you talk about him turning in tight spaces, he really gives us another dimension. Running with the ball is excellent. So, I think overall, he played a good game.”
On Real Salt Lake’s second half:
“I think they did a good job in the second half. When I think about the amount of possession they had in the second half… it was excellent, and they made it difficult for us. Because of the conditions, it was difficult to get out and press, and it pinned us back a little bit. But I think our penalty box defending in the end was enough but give them credit for really pushing hard in this game.”
Midfielder Eduardo Sosa
On getting his first MLS start and scoring his first goal:
“I was very anxious to play. It was a big responsibility, but I wanted to step up because I knew that we were missing Pipa [Federico Higuain] and the team hadn’t won, so we wanted to make sure we did well.”
On scoring the game-winning goal:
“Yes, it felt nice to get the game-winner, but at the same time, it’s just nice to score and help the team get the win. Now, I’m ready to play whenever, so whether the coach wants me to play as a starter, or as a substitute, I am happy to contribute however I can.”
On the play leading up to his goal:
“I saw they switched the ball over to Harry [Harrison Afful], who headed it over to Pedro [Santos], and I know the quality that Pedro has, so I knew he could get the ball to me. I saw some space, so I ran into the space, and I was lucky enough to hit the ball well and score the goal, so I’m happy about that.”
Forward Gyasi Zardes
On scoring at MAPFRE Stadium:
“I always give the coaches all the credit, they sacrifice a lot of time as far as getting us prepared for our opponent but also “Wolfie” [Josh Wolff] spends a lot of time with me helping me exploit our opponents.”
On fighting through matches:
“Piggybacking off what Gregg said, it was really circuital that we really fight through this spell of games because we are playing difficult opponents and also the table is really close. As the top tier teams are trying to pull away we have to make sure that we grind out wins is very important.”
On the importance of seeing the ball hit the net:
“It is extremely important as a striker to see the ball hit the back of the net because you want to try and catch a rhythm, find that rhythm and keep it going. So, it was great.”
