quote sheet
at Giants Stadium
Saturday, April 2, 2005
METROSTARS HEAD COACH BOB BRADLEY:
On the game:
"Obviously it's a crazy night. I don't think anybody has played under those conditions. It's pretty difficult in terms of stringing any real good soccer together, but all in all it was a solid effort. It was good to get a shut out. We need to leave that alone and move forward."
On playing under these weather conditions:
"The wind is a factor, but there is still the ability in the second half to string some passes together. Through balls in the second half don't run away from you. You still feel like you can get a goal or two in the second half. We talked at halftime about some adjustments that were necessary. Other than that we still felt good about getting a goal."
On the MetroStars defense tonight:
"I felt the backline did a pretty solid job. Carlos Mendes has had a very good preseason. I talked about the fact that even though he is new in this league he's got a couple years experience. He did very well with Rochester (Rhinos). We're pleased to have him. I think he is going to be a good player."
METROSTARS MIDFIELDER MICHAEL BRADLEY
On playing against Real Salt Lake:
"We new they had some guys that were dangerous so we knew we had to get on top of loose balls, win tackles and win headers. We knew it wasn't always going to be pretty. For the most part tonight we did a pretty good job competing."
On Bob Bradley's advice to him before the game:
"He told everyone to go out and enjoy it. At the end of a long preseason everybody looks forward to finally playing a game. For the first time out, playing under these conditions, we battled as a team and fought hard. There is definitely something there we can build on. We will be ready to go again in two weeks."
On finally being able to play:
"It was unbelievable to finally be out there playing. It was a great experience and I'll remember it for the rest of my life. But there wasn't a whole lot of time to be thinking about that. You're looking on the field at Clint (Mathis) and Andy Williams you have to worry about those guys."
METROSTARS DEFENDER JEFF AGOSS
On his position for the game:
"I was playing forward then I came back to left back right before the whistle blew . I played on the left side the entire time. Carlos played in the middle. I am comfortable playing in either position. Whatever our needs are will dictate the way we line up."
On playing under these weather conditions:
"Obviously you have to keep your concentration no matter where you are in the game because where the ball starts is not where the ball is going to end up. You have to be ready for anything."
METROSTARS GOALKEEPER ZACH WELLS
On playing against Real Salt Lake:
"With players like Clint Mathis, Andy Williams and Jason Kreis they will try anything from anywhere so I was a little more cautious with my angles and how far I came out. My starting point was a couple yards deeper. I thought under the conditions we played pretty well."
On being more confident this season:
"Yes, definitely. In your first year you don't know what your expectations are, if you're setting expectations to high for yourself, putting so much pressure on yourself, not really knowing the speed of the game. After a year I have gotten use to the speed of the game and I've started to come around in terms of distribution. It's all coming together nicely."
On playing under these weather conditions:
"In the second half when the wind was against us we had to be a little more cautious. Our starting points were a little bit safer and deeper. That's basically the only thing. Expect the unexpected and try to deal with each thing as it came because it was so unpredictable with the wind and the rain and the wet field. I think we came out of that game with a good feeling."
RSL FORWARD CLINT MATHIS
On the weather:
"It's one of those things where you cant really predict anything, so it wasn't really surprising."
RSL GOALKEEPER D.J. COUNTESS
On the weather:
"Due to the condition of the game tonight, 0-0 result, we will be able to walk away on the road with our heads held high."
On thoughts when walking into the stadium:
"My first thoughts were 'Uh oh.' Because it is one of those games where an uh oh might happen. Both sides of the ball offensively and defensively you have to back everything up, you have to work hard and you never know what's going to happen. It's one of those games where its not going to be a clear sunny day 75 degree weather with not wind. Now for me personally, I can read the game a little bit more, now I am going to be able to take a few more steps off the line. Tonight they could have shot the ball from half field and it could have been a very dangerous shot. I had to be honest, I was reacting to every play tonight let the game come to me."
On his first shutout in two years:
"It's not me getting a shutout. It's the team getting a shutout and the team worked hard. My job is to make saves for my team and keep the team in the game. Tonight, the team got the shutout, I didn't get the shutout."
