FC DALLAS 1, REAL SALT LAKE 0
FC DALLAS HEAD COACH STEVE MORROW
On scoring late at Salt Lake:
"I think that was the third time we've done that here, score late in the game. But to be honest, I think it was just exactly what we deserved. We had a few good opportunities to score in the first half and we didn't take them; and we came in a little bit disappointed at halftime that we dominated play so much in the first half. We passed and moved the ball very well and created good opportunities and should have come in a few goals [ahead] at halftime. Sometimes it takes that long in the game to get the goal; we got it right at the end but I thought it was justified."
On missing some key players:
"We've had a lot of bad fortune already this year. We've lost [Kenny] Cooper, [Carlos] Ruiz, and [Roberto] Mina - three big forwards for our team. And also Adrian Serioux, a big part of our defensive plans. It's been very tough on us, but we said from the start of the season that we had a deep roster and that everybody would play their part. And Dominic Oduro, and Abe Thompson, and Arturo [Alvarez], people like that have stepped up and contributed very well to this team. I always knew that they would. I have great belief in all of the players here, especially some of our younger talent and they all stepped up and played their part tonight."
On getting the team's first shutout in 19 games:
"That was the biggest cheer going into the locker room after the game. It's been a long time coming. Like I said before, we defended well in games and the most important thing to me is getting three points in games. But it's an extra bonus to get a clean sheet."
FC DALLAS FORWARD DOMINIC ODURO
On his game-winning goal:
"It was a great chance. I guess I just finished my work as a striker. It was played forward from Dario [Sala] and got a nice flick from Marcelo [Saragosa]. I think it was just the end product of some great teamwork. I give all the credit to my teammates."
On getting the road result:
"It's always hard playing away from home. You want to at least tie the game or win, and we did so well to soak up the pressure and at the end we still believed. It was a tough game, nice competition, but at the end of the day I feel we were the best team and we deserved the win."
On not having fellow forwards Kenny Cooper or Carlos Ruiz to draw attention:
"In a way I think Abe Thompson plays the same way as Carlos Ruiz. Carlos is good at keeping the ball and releasing it, but at the end of the day Abe Thompson did his job. It all comes down to the same thing, it doesn't matter who plays, it matters on how much work you put into the game."
FC DALLAS DEFENDER CHRIS GBANDI
On FC Dallas' first clean sheet in 19 games:
"It feels pretty good. We had some games where we played pretty well and we gave up some pretty bad goals. Today we didn't feel we played as well ... Dario [Sala] made some good saves for us and then we end up getting a clean sheet. It's just a matter of getting a little lucky here and there."
On FCD scoring multiple stoppage-time goals at Rice-Eccles Stadium:
"We were just talking about that. I think Abe [Thompson] had one last year, I had one, Carlos [Ruiz] had one, and obviously [Dominic Oduro]. I don't know ... I guess there's something about the water out here.
On the game:
"It's a tough place to play with the turf and the team that [RSL head coach] Jason [Kreis] put out there. In the second half I feel like they had some chances to put the game away and they didn't take advantage of it. Then we got lucky there at the end ... Dom made a good goal and we can walk out of here with the win."
On his goal-saving play near the end of the game:
"I kind of anticipated that Alecko [Eskandarian] was going to get by Alex ... just being in the right place at the right time. Obviously if I miss that Chris Klein puts that in the back of the net. I think Dario made some saves, I made that save and then obviously Clarence [Goodson] with the little push off on Atiba Harris. I think everybody's just working hard together and we're just gelling in the back. Anytime you get a clean sheet it's good for the team."
REAL SALT LAKE HEAD COACH JASON KREIS
On the difference between RSL's play in the first and second halves:
"I was displeased with the first 45 minutes, to be honest. I thought that our team didn't come out with the right mentality and I felt that looking at the first 45 minutes I would have said that Dallas looked like the home team. So I was obviously very displeased with it, and I was quite clear about that at halftime.
"Then we shifted our formation at halftime and brought Andy Williams in. I think both things helped us out. In the second half I was fairly pleased with what we did. We created a few good chances that I thought we should have taken. And obviously I'm unsure about what happened at the end of the game."
On allowing another last minute goal against FC Dallas:
"I believe [the players] have done what I have asked them to at the end of the game, which is to push for the win. We were at home and we felt the onus to win. We are always going to and, obviously, we do because of our situation in the early part of this league as well. I haven't seen the goal, but I would imagine that we had some players out of position because we were pushing for a goal."
On the non-call involving Atiba Harris:
"Obviously it's something that I felt very vehemently about. I felt very strongly about it and I think my actions showed that."
On the play of goalkeeper Nick Rimando:
"It was outstanding again. Nick Rimando, by my count, probably made four incredible saves for us and really kept us in that game. So obviously for him I'm the most disappointed because I think he had another special game and deserved better."
On whether tonight's result feels like a step backward:
"I think mentally this is another tough situation for the team because we have felt like we've built so much going forward. We have felt like we have put in a lot of good work over the past month to avoid situations like this."
REAL SALT LAKE GOALKEEPER NICK RIMANDO
On the match:
"It's frustrating. We come out and we want three points and we're at home and we're pushing the game. We need to get more opportunities and get some better chances and definitely not give so many chances up. [FC Dallas] had a lot of shots on goal and defensively, we can't do that. The result speaks for itself; we didn't get the result we wanted. We didn't get one point at home and we have to do that."
REAL SALT LAKE FORWARD ATIBA HARRIS
On the match:
"I thought, we didn't come out as aggressive in the first half, but in the second half we played much better. Unfortunately, we gave a goal in the last minute."
On the challenge by FCD defender Clarence Goodson toward the end of the match:
"Yeah, he definitely fouled me. I'm not going to just dive, because I could have gotten to the ball."
REAL SALT LAKE CAPTAIN EDDIE POPE
On RSL's push for the game-winner in the second half:
"We took some chances and that wasn't an issue at the end. We didn't finish those opportunities so then it becomes dangerous at the end. Anything can happen."
On the Goodson/Harris non-call:
"From where I was standing it was sort of hard to tell. It looked like a foul, maybe the referee was in a better position than I was, I'm not sure. But for me, I'm looking up at the screen and it seemed it was probably a foul.
"But again, if we finished some other chances maybe that's not even an issue. You get caught up in [blaming referees] too much and you forget to focus on yourself, and I think there were some things we could have done better."
On his future plans with Real Salt Lake following today's retirement announcement:
"I plan on at some point, whether it's sometime down the road, during the season, or at the end of the season, sitting down with [RSL owner Dave] Checketts and having a conversation with him about that."
