QUOTE SHEET
Real Salt Lake 1-3 Minnesota United FC
Allianz Field; St. Paul Minnesota
September 15, 2019
REAL SALT LAKE INTERIM HEAD COACH FREDDY JUAREZ
On the match:
“Obviously not like we wanted it to, but I’ll take the blame and responsibility for it. Our team opened up too much, we found it at times to be easy in possession, and in the possession it was almost used against us where a bad pass or something happened and we’d be a little too spread out. With that said, the second goal, the collision, maybe a lack of communication, it rarely happens but they capitalized on it. The third goal, that was just a duel that I think we could’ve done better. It was just floating up in the air, we don’t challenge it as if it were for the game, and they win the duel, they push and catch us in a bad set up of organization. We had very good moments, but maybe we just opened up too much. That’s my fault.”
On if tonight was a game of Minnesota doing everything right, or Real Salt Lake needing to do things better:
“Well Minnesota is a good team, and I think they were better on the counter today and there really was a different speed when they did that. But when I look at the first half, I thought it was decent. We really only got in trouble when we gave up the ball in possession or thought there was a foul when there wasn’t. It wasn’t so much of the opponent creating. The second half, I think that instead of being a little stingier, we thought we had some control over the game and they used them not having the ball against us and then they started getting control of the game. Again, I thought the guys’ effort was good. It’s not the end of the world. Every game means something, but you also just have to put it away, learn from it, it’s not blame this or blame that or one another. It’s my fault, I have to learn from this, they have to learn from this, because we’re going to be in the playoffs, and when we are we have to be stingier when we don’t have the ball.”
One missed opportunities:
“I think we, kind of like in the Portland game, had control from the build up, got it into the final third pretty consistent, and then we get into the final third and there just wasn’t enough creativity when there needed to be. Our service wasn’t the greatest, so that’s a part of the game that we can definitely continue to grow in. We’re getting there, but now it’s just being a little bit more sharp and determined to be able to get to a cross or be willing to take a cross.”
On focusing on the next match:
“We’re looking at it as there’s four games left, they’re all important, but we need to figure out how to go and collect some points. New England is always hard to go into and collect some points. When you look at it realistically, those two home games are very important for us. We learn from this game, show the guys the recap like we do every week because the guys need to see it and learn from it, and then we get back to training and New England’s ahead of us."
DEFENDER AARON HERREA
On the match:
“First of all, credit to Minnesota, I think they came in with a game plan and they were able to stick to it throughout the entire game. They took their chances going forward. I think we sort of got that first goal and ran the play a little bit, they were sort of on us and we didn’t really take advantage to keep that goal, sort of keep the ball in that half. At the end of the day I don’t think we were clean enough on the ball and just sort of the whole team, not effort, I just feel like we didn’t stick to the gameplan the we wanted to.”
On sticking to the gameplan:
“First of all we need to get back to Salt Lake and get recovered. We’ve got another long road trip coming up so we’ve got to be prepared for that physically. And then mentally going in we’ve got to sort of stick to the gameplan better this time. All, I can’t necessarily say 11 of us, but as a team we need to sort of figure out what we need to do before the game and at half so that way we know exactly what we can do to punish the other team and sort of make it harder for them.”
On finishing chances:
“I think all our problems came from us. We were the ones that were sort of gifting them chances, they’re good on the counter attack, they have a lot of fast guys going forward so I think us being cleaner on the ball sort of limits their chances. It seemed like every time we went forward, we gave it right to them and they were just running it right back at us and then once they were able to get that second goal, sort of unfortunate, I don’t even know if it deflected or not but sort of an unfortunate finish so then we started chasing again. Then we were kind of caught out of position again so I think that if we’re able to take our chances and sort of be on the front foot than that won’t happen to us.”
MIDFIELDER DAMIR KREILACH
On the match:
“We were not on the same page and that was the biggest problem. In the first half, it was ok because we controlled the game and Albert scored a fantastic goal. Then we gave a goal up, but in the second half we didn’t react in the best way and because of that, we lost the game.”
On looking ahead to New England:
“We came here to take at least a point – of course we want to win too. At the end of the day it wasn’t our day and we have to learn and prepare for the next game against New England and try to take three points in Boston.”
