CHICAGO FIRE 0, REAL SALT LAKE 0
CHICAGO FIRE HEAD COACH DAVE SARACHAN
On the game:
"You just want to try and catch a break here and there. I would assess [the game] this way: from the beginning to the end for the most part we followed a good game plan, had possession of the ball and made the attempts. This is a situation where the opposing side says there probably should have been a penalty. I thought it was a penalty on Justin [Mapp]. We didn't get that call. Sometimes [the calls] go for you, sometimes they don't. We're in a period of time when it's not falling for us. We made a great push at the end. We had a makeshift group tonight. We had about six potential starters not available tonight. We had to dig a little deeper into our roster, which we're not afraid to do, and I think most of those guys got good marks tonight. We didn't get three points at home which is the ultimate goal at home, but it wasn't for lack of effort, wasn't for lack of competing. With a little break here and there, we win this game. So I was pleased with the competing part and now we just heal ourselves and get ready for the next game."
On the play of defender Bakary Soumare and forward Jerson Monteiro:
"Bakary didn't have a lot minutes, but made good plays in the short amount of time he was on the ball. And Jerson was active. I think if Chad [Barrett] looks up on that last play, he gets a tap-in. Honestly, [Monteiro] put himself in a great position and Chad tried to score from a tough angle. Overall, it was good. It was good to get them minutes."
CHICAGO FIRE DEFENDER JEFF CURTIN
On his first start:
"I got my first opportunity [to start]. Yesterday, [Coach] told me I was going to start. So I prepared, watched some game film and did what I was supposed to do. I was injured a lot last year, so I had to take advantage of the opportunity. We got a shut out, but we would have liked the win. You can't win every day."
On advice his big brother, Fire defender Jim Curtin, gave him before the game:
"Yeah, it's his seventh year in the league and he knows almost every player. He gave me a couple of tips and it worked out pretty well."
On the play of the defense:
"I thought we had control of the game. It's a shame we couldn't get a goal. [Real Salt Lake] packed their defense in. It's tough. [RSL] was here for a tie and they got it. They got their result. We're playing to win. We're not holding back anything. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out that way."
REAL SALT LAKE HEAD COACH JASON KREIS
On the game:
"I'm extremely proud of the guys, to be honest. We set out a game plan today to be more defensive and keep our team compact and organized and I think they executed that game plan. Obviously to walk out of here with a good crowd at the game and a team that's wanting so badly to get a result like we are, to walk out of somebody else's field with a draw and a shutout is very important for these guys mentally and I'm quite pleased with it."
On Alecko Eskandarian's play:
"He was awesome. It was truly awesome. There will be people who will want to look at the stat sheet and see that he didn't score but he did many, many other things for me. He was chasing down lost causes and trying to get back and help defend and have a lot of good touches where he involved other players. I was very pleased."
REAL SALT LAKE GOALKEEPER NICK RIMANDO
On being tested often late in the match:
"I think we all have it in our heads that we want to get three points as the game was going forward, but we try to be defensive as we can so that let some gaps in the back and it was good that I was able to come up with some of the saves. Everybody in front of me was solid, all four backs were solid today."
REAL SALT LAKE FORWARD ALECKO ESKANDARIAN
On his first start with Real Salt Lake:
"It was good. Obviously it was pretty hot out there and playing on the road obviously is not an ideal setting for us but we came out, we worked our butts off and we got a point out of it."
On fitting into the team's style:
"It will take some time for sure. But I thought we linked up all right and soccer's soccer. No matter where you go, you're going to try to play the same way and get good combinations. It'll take time to get used to everyone's tendencies but I thought for the first game it was pretty good."
