QUOTE SHEET
Real Salt Lake 1-2 Portland Timbers
Rio Tinto Stadium; Sandy, Utah
May 4, 2019
Real Salt Lake
Head Coach Mike Petke
On Portland finishing more chances than RSL:
“We weren’t clean enough on the ball tonight, we didn’t play forward soccer, we didn’t break lines, and it comes down to me in training all week. Perhaps I didn’t demand enough, perhaps some of my training sessions weren’t geared towards that. I’ll have to go back and look at it. It’s early in the season, teams go through spells. Last year, we were virtually unbeatable at home and we’ve had a bit of a slow start, dropping two at home and a couple of tough road games. There’s a long season ahead, but tonight they were more clinical than us and they were very organized and we just couldn’t penetrate.”
On Rusnak’s missed penalty kick:
“Of course, it hurts, of course it hurts. We had a goal-scoring opportunity and we didn’t score. Didn’t feel good. A little bit of momentum lost there and then they scored.”
On Sam Johnson’s offsides calls:
“Play quicker. Play quicker. The reason why Sam was offside tonight so many times is because the ball didn’t come, perhaps, when it should have It was a little bit too slow.”
Forward Sam Johnson
On processing the result:
“I’m not really feeling happy. After I scored of course it’s okay but I’m not feeling happy. I have to express myself now. I’m just doing a run around for the guys. Even when training it’s difficult for me to get the ball from them. They can see that I’m running around, and not very often I don’t get the ball. I’m just running around on the field. They have to trust me, I’m a player on the team. They have to trust me. I’m a striker for them. Unfortunately, we lost. I’m not happy about it but I think scoring is good.”
On being a fast player:
“Sometimes it makes me angry because since I came to the U.S. I see that every time – two or three times - I try and make a run, it’s difficult. So sometimes you have to be fast. When you see me going, you’ve got to give the ball, you’ve got to trust me. They brought me here and if I come here, they have to trust me. If one or two times in a game, it really gets me frustrated. I’m just trying to do my best for the fans to see what I can do. It’s been really hard for me.”
On getting his third goal:
“For every opportunity, I have to make the most of it, because in every game I only get one. Maybe a maximum of two. If I have one and get one will be difficult. Getting an opportunity from Corey – which was a very good pass. It was a service. I appreciate it a lot. Thank you, Corey, thank you very much – I found the back of the net, I think it’s good.”
Midfielder Albert Rusnák
On the speed of play:
“It's always difficult when a team comes in and sits as deep as Portland did. It was part of the game plan and they did it well. They created difficult moments for us in the game. There were moments where we were the better team and dominated the ball and moved quite well and with the pace that we should have. Once they got that first goal, that kind of hit us for about 10-15 minutes. In the second half we came out again with a better team, score was one to one. There was kind of similar scenario as the LA game where we got the goal back, now the game is tied and we’re the better team. Then we got punished. It's not even for a mistake, it’s just a deflection that comes to them. It's a good strike and ends up in the back of the goal and it just sets us back again.”
On the shift of momentum:
“I think we got the momentum when the score was one to one, but they didn't have to do anything. They just scored a goal in that was the turnaround for them, so I don't feel like after one to one that we became sloppy or anything leading up to the goal. I feel like we were creating chances and we were on the front foot. The ball deflected and came to the guy who scored a goal. So definitely the goal was the setback for us.”
On Portland taking their chances:
“It's not even that he had found the space, it just came out. There were still a couple of guys in the way of the shot or either between his legs. I'm not sure about it. The players were there, defenders were there to block the shot, but it didn't happen. I don't feel like we gave anyone time and space.”
On the frustration:
“I mean it's frustrating that we lost another game at home. We were one of the best teams in the whole league last year, especially at home, and that's where our strength is. It's frustrating to see the second loss now in four home games if I'm correct. That's definitely not good enough but it's even more frustrating the fact that they are right there in the table right behind us, and it's a direct opponent in our conference. It’s definitely a frustrating result.”
On the PK:
“It was a good save. I should have aimed a lot higher. It didn't go in and it would have been good if we got that first goal. It would have calmed us down, but we still brought ourselves back through the difficult times. And as I said, once we got that 1-1, I feel like everybody here was feeling that we're going to get a second then that's when the killer goal came from them and we did try and push for an equalizer later on but it was always difficult because they picked up the momentum after that.”
On momentum shifting after the PK:
“No, I wouldn't say the game has changed I still feel like we had the ball up until that first goal. I don't know how long it was between the PK and that goal. It definitely gave them some kind of life and brought them a little bit more energy. The two breaking points in the game were their goals and up until those moments I felt like we were the better team.”
Portland Timbers
Head Coach Giovani Savarese
Opening statement:
"We wouldn't be able to accomplish this without the work of the players, who did a great job. They really put the heart into the match and even though sometimes it could have been a little bit better with the ball, I thought that the guys just worked very hard to make sure that we made it very difficult for RSL today. It's an important win for us in a difficult place and I'm very content with the performance of the guys."
On how the team played tactically:
"We were difficult to be broken down and I thought, especially the first half, they had a lot of difficulty to find the spaces in between the lines. I thought that the guys were ready to close the spaces and I thought also the reactions to make sure that we got back and clean the spaces behind was very good. Some moments keeping the high lines in offsides for strikers was also very good in the first half. I think in the second half it became a little bit more difficult, the guys also got a little bit tired, but overall well with the tactical."
On the importance of the reaction after Real Salt Lake scored:
“It’s a different mentality that this group has now. After we spoke and sat down, we focused on the things that we needed to do and today was great. And besides that [Diego] Valeri and Seba [Sebastián Blanco] found the moments to be able to give us the two goals that gave us oxygen to make sure that we continued to do the things that we did very well today.”
On Steve Clark's performance and his two goalkeepers:
"It's great to have two goalkeepers that do all this very well. I think Steve Clark did a great job today, the PK, it was an important moment for us in the game, but Jeff [Attinella] has also done those things, so I'm very lucky to have two great goalkeepers right now, competing all the time to try and play."
Midfielder Diego Valeri
On the importance of the win:
“It was really important. We are using momentum to get these points back because we lost a lot of points at the start of the season. And it's really important on the road and we had good performances. So that's the most important for us; to keep building from those performances and then the points will come.”
On the team's defensive performance:
“I think, collectively, we are defending more compact and maybe a little deeper some moments of the games, most likely when we cannot possess the ball for a long period of time. Not allowing them to get crosses is important and being be more focused gives us confidence to keep defending in that way. Then, obviously today with a very good save by Steve [Clark], that gave us confidence too.”
On his on-field relationship with Sebastian Blanco:
“For me, it's very important. You always want that kind of relationship with great players. We know each other really well; we have been playing a lot of years, a lot of games together, and we understand each other very well. All the relationships, we want to put in to the benefit of the team. Today, luckily, we scored a couple goals, we connected well too. We didn't have a lot of chances, but we were very efficient.”
On finishing up the team's extended stretch of road games and getting back to Providence Park:
“One at a time. Obviously, we are expecting that first game in June at home, but you know, one at a time. Vancouver won this weekend and they are coming with some confidence too. So it's not an easy game. And as I said before, we'll keep building with our performances and we know that we can beat whoever we play.”
Goalkeeper Steve Clark
On the team’s current run of form, with three straight road victories:
“I think that it took us a while to get going here. Playing on the road every weekend it’s difficult, but now we are a bunch of road dogs. I feel like, specifically, when we are talking defensively, our shape, and you saw how many offsides they had, our backline has been fantastic. And I like to get on the ball out there and I think some of that fluidity on the ball has helped us as well.”
On the importance of Mabiala and Tuiloma:
“They are just on point every game and you see our line – it’s almost back to where it was on the playoffs. So, I think it took us a few games to really figure out where we are at, and I am also really enjoying playing some sweeper ’keeper, because the line is a little higher and I have some room to move back there and that’s what I love to do.”
