QUOTE SHEET
Real Monarchs 2-1 El Paso Locomotive
Zions Bank Stadium; Herriman, UT
November 9, 2019
Interim Head Coach Jamison Olave
On the feeling:
“I don’t think there are any words to describe how we’re feeling right now, in the locker room and after the game. Everyone is happy for what we’ve achieved and what we had in front of us to play for.”
On the halftime message:
“I tried to instill confidence. El Paso created two chances in the first half. One from long distance, and the second was the goal. So the message was, “Don’t lose your mind. Keep calm.” We were playing well. They didn’t break us down and we had good things that we could do in the second half. That’s what we did. We made a couple tactical corrections that in the second half we did very well, and we got the result.”
On the mental toughness:
“The players know that it doesn’t matter what position we are in during the game, we have the team to come back. In a perfect world, it would be better to score first but we are very mentally strong to come back when we concede.”
On David Ochoa:
“I think there is a big future there for the club. Ochoa has a lot of quality. He helped a lot during the regular season and then in the playoffs. He has been doing so good. Putna has also helped a lot during the season. There is work for everyone. The quality that Ochoa has shows that he has a big future.”
On the defenders scoring goals:
“I scored a couple goals when I was playing. The whole week you train to defend, so it’s a special moment in the game if you see Erik Holt or any center back score. When they score - because we’re not used to that - we don’t know how to celebrate. I feel very happy for center backs when they score.”
On the upcoming week:
“We want to enjoy today and try to process what we have achieved today. Tomorrow, we start preparing for the week, watching Louisville and how we can hurt them and the strengths that they have. Monday, when we come back to training, we’ll have a plan for that big game.”
On watching the other conference:
“That’s going to be hard work. We don’t play against them so we don’t watch them that much. We prepare week by week, but right now, we have tomorrow and Monday to watch and come up with a plan to go and play there.”
Midfielder Jack Blake
On the feeling:
“I literally can’t describe it. The feeling that we had last week in Phoenix was indescribable, and this is indescribable times 10. I’m so proud of the boys and what we’ve achieved this season. Everyone around the league didn’t fancy us winning it. We were underdogs throughout the whole season pretty much, so to come out and get the win in the last minute of extra time, it’s fairy tale stuff.”
On the difference tonight:
“I think it was the fight to keep going. The belief as a team to get the equalizer early on in the second half. We knew in that moment that we were going to go on to win it. We made it difficult for ourselves going down one nil again. I’m so proud of the boys and the fight we showed. El Paso is a very difficult team to break down. We knew that they were going to possess the ball, and we wanted to possess it.”
On takeaways for Louisville:
“Tactically, they are very well set up. They have a very good coaching staff. I’ve worked with their coach before. Defensively, they’re very organized and very difficult to break down. Even when they went down to 10 men, you probably couldn’t even tell they were playing with 10 men. Credit to them for doing that, and pushing us all the way. There was no stopping us in the end, and we got what we deserved for the effort we’ve put in this season.”
On two defenders scoring:
“Those boys are like strikers in the box. Kalen turned to me when we got the freekick, and said, “Shall we put it in the box?” and I said, “Yes, of course.” They’re lethal in the box. The chance that he got wasn’t an easy chance. Kalen took his chance really well and Holt showed such determination to win that header. So proud of those two and the whole defense, Konrad Plewa, (James) Moberg, (Noah) Powder stepping in, Tate (Schmitt), and (David) Ochoa. The whole defense was fantastic to see that one out.”
On Ochoa:
“He brings a calmness. To have someone as young as him along with the trust that he has from the team, we trust him to make the save. At such a young age, he has a bright future ahead of him. He just has to continue working hard, and doing what he does day in and day out. He’s a special player”
On the halftime message:
“It was the same message when we went down at Phoenix, to stick it out. We knew we were going to create more chances. The message was to stay the same, not let them get any opportunities. I don’t think they caused us any problems from open play. They’re big guys, so set pieces are always a danger from them. We’ve been in this position before. Earlier in the season, we went down to San Antonio two nil and we came back to win that 3-2. I’ve never played with a bunch of lads who have the same determination and desire to come back and win games. We did it today.”
On what it meant:
“It was very special. The regular season is one thing, but the playoffs are separate entity. To give the fans the trophy, that’s our way of thanking everyone for coming out. The support was incredible today. We heard it. The performances that we put in, I think we deserve to have more people come out to games, and that’s exactly what happened. Thank you to everyone who came out.”
On Louisville:
“The job’s half done. We want to go and represent the West really well. That’s our goal. We’re already talking and thinking about next week. If there’s any proof in the pudding of the strength and character of the team, we’re already concentrating on next week.”
Defender Erik Holt
On the goal:
“I can’t even put it into words, to be honest with you. This team has gone through a lot this year. I think at one point we were in 14th place and for us to come back as a team, I’m just so proud of the team and how we fought all season. It’s not about me, it’s about the group. I’m super happy for the group right now, and I can’t wait for the Championship.”
On the recent run of form:
“Our buy in to the team. Everyone is buying into their roles, both on and off the field. There is not an individual that’s winning the game for us. Everyone is stepping up when they need to, so I couldn’t be more proud of the group.”
