REAL SALT LAKE 3, KANSAS CITY WIZARDS 1
REAL SALT LAKE HEAD COACH JASON KREIS
On the effect of RSL's early goal:
"In this league we are getting to a point where it is more on parallel and on level with the world's game. An early goal like that can change the entire outlook of the game. It becomes extremely difficult to break teams down. I think we did a good job of that tonight. What led to that goal and what I thought was really special was how we went right off the kickoff. We played an extremely good ball. Chris Brown and Kyle Beckerman get it and then take it to the top of the box. To start that way to give us that corner kick, which we then score, is a very good sign. I will reiterate that I believe that this team has started extremely well for a very long time and been unlucky not to score early goals in quite a few of the games we've played lately."
On the play of RSL's recently added Argentinian trio of Espíndola, Mantilla, and Morales:
"Very, very nice. I think all three of them had very good games. All three of them contributed in ways other than the goals. All three of them showed that they have some special ability and it's obviously exciting to see where it can go from here. Obviously none of them have a whole lot of experience in our league, so I know there is an adjustment period."
On the addition of Mantilla to RSL's backline:
"The most interesting thing about Matías Mantilla and him being with us is that I went down to Argentina with not even a thought in my mind about picking a defender up. And the agent that I was in contact with -- who was the agent for all three -- asked me if I had any need for center defender, and my first response was no. And then I thought about it a little longer and I thought yeah I do, but next year.
"And so when I saw both his highlights DVD and game DVD, I instantly was trying to figure out how I was going to get all three players because I feel that he is that special. He does a lot of directing, a lot leading; there is a lot of vocalization going on, and so I left feeling that we had to get him. When I came back and showed Robin Fraser the DVD, who as we all know is one of the top three defenders in this league of all-time, he was equally as convinced as I was. We are very happy so far with Matias -- when he played in the reserves game last week we watched him and he didn't turn it off the whole game. And that's what you need, you need somebody in the back that's going to be directing and vocal, and we feel that he can do that."
REAL SALT LAKE DEFENDER MATÍAS MANTILLA
On his goal 40 seconds into the match:
"I am very happy with the goal; you don't think about scoring so fast. I am happier that we won."
On RSL's effort tonight:
"I think it was a really good effort by the whole team, and the way we played tonight we are going rise up a lot from where we are."
On playing in Major League Soccer:
"Well, I have only been here one month, but what I can tell you about our team, we don't deserve to be in last place."
REAL SALT LAKE MIDFIELDER JAVIER MORALES
On his game-opening corner kick assist:
"I am happy with it because it was my first game in the league. Above all else our team got the win."
On the competition of the league:
"It's good. It's better than I anticipated. We came here to help this team move forward and that's what we are striving to do."
On playing on the artificial turf at Rice-Eccles Stadium:
"It is the hardest of all (to play on) being artificial turf, but I am happy how things unfolded and I hope we can continue in this form."
REAL SALT LAKE MIDFIELDER ANDY WILLIAMS
On his game-clinching 50-yard bomb late in the match:
"The ball just kind of popped out and I shot it. I knew pretty much that if I got one I was going to hit one; whether it was in the 60th minute or the 89th minute, I was going to hit one. I knew it was going to get over [Wizards 'keeper Kevin Hartman], but I thought it was going to swerve at the last minute. But then it straightened up."
On scoring early:
"We've had chances to in the last few games. If I remember correctly, Robbie [Findley] almost had one the last game (at Chivas USA) in the first five minutes. [Kyle] Beckerman said 'On the first chance we're going to score,' and it happened to come on the second chance. We came out and put them under pressure and the ball snuck in for Matias."
REAL SALT LAKE GOALKEEPER NICK RIMANDO
On getting the early advantage:
"It takes a lot of pressure off us and puts more pressure on them; we can drop back and it gives us more room to step up. I was expecting one a little earlier. Kyle had one before that Hartman made a good save on. I think we could have had three goals in the first 10 minutes, but we ended up with three, and that's good. At the end of the day we got three points, and that's what's important."
On the play of the Argentinian trio of Espíndola, Mantilla, and Morales:
"I don't think you could ask for a better start for those three. [Javier Morales] crossed the ball, [Matias Mantilla] scored and [Fabian Espíndola] scored up top, and that's what we're asking them to do. [Matias] in the back was awesome today. He played well, organized, and was strong in the air, and that's what we needed at the end of the match."
KANSAS CITY HEAD COACH CURT ONALFO
On starting out slow and playing well in second half:
"We started very slow, didn't have a good first half. Obviously, giving up a goal in the first minute really puts you under pressure, and the 42nd minute seems to be our Achilles heel and we give up another goal. But the positive is the guys, I thought, rallied and gave a good effort in the second half. We got it to 2-1 and I felt like we had enough chances to get it to 2-2, but unfortunately a savvy play by Andy Williams put the game away."
On the three new RSL Argentines - Espíndola, Mantilla and Morales:
"We knew the central defender (Mantilla) was a solid player. We had watched enough of Espíndola to know that he was a good player and we didn't know (anything about) Morales. I thought they played a fairly good first half and I thought we played a really good second half."
KANSAS CITY FORWARD EDDIE JOHNSON
On his second half goal:
"It was one of those goals that Curt Onalfo talked all year about, scoring scrappy goals if it comes from staying with the run of play and capitalizing on the defense's mistakes. It was one of those where the ball was bouncing around, I guess the ball came into Sasha (Victorine) and came off Sasha, hit one of the defenders and came to me. I knew I was in the box so I just hit it. I was hoping to catch the 'keeper off guard, and I did. I needed it."
Thoughts on the game:
"It was one of those games where it was tough, I knew it was going to be tough. I just challenge myself every game when it's like that, to mentally stay into it. It was one of those games where I stayed into it, I was positive. When you're working hard and you're in tune with the game for 90 minutes, sometimes the ball pops your way and you can have a chance. Sometimes that's all it takes is a half-chance as a forward, and I took it well."
KANSAS CITY DEFENDER JIMMY CONRAD
Thoughts on K.C.'s slow start:
"We're having a real mental block when it comes to set pieces, we've been real soft. It's just punished us this year. We need to get a little more, I don't know, dastardly, I don't know what the word is. Just be harder to play against, make sure we get an arm on somebody, just make it tough like teams do against us. I think we always come here and play pretty well, but sometimes we don't have the results to go with it. Once they get the early lead, teams do what they do best, they just sit back and it's just harder to break them down. Salt Lake did a really good job of that, but it's hard to know what the game really would've been if it would've stayed 0-0."
On the effects of giving up a first-minute goal:
"I don't know if it's as much the defense as it is a team thing. You say a lot of stuff prior to going out, you say a lot of stuff in the team huddle, and then to give up a goal in a minute, it kind of makes all that stuff null and void. It's something that we need to address. I think this is the third game in a row that we've given up a goal with less than five minutes before halftime. It's just a concentration thing. If we want to reach the goals that we set before the season that stuff has got to stop."
