HOUSTON DYNAMO 4, REAL SALT LAKE 3
HOUSTON DYNAMO HEAD COACH DOMINIC KINNEAR
On the game:
"I think the heat affected us in the second half. We found the energy to go forward, but in the back we were sometimes in position but not active. Excellent stuff going forward. Congratulations to Nate [Jaqua] on his first hat trick with us and to Corey [Ashe] for his first points with us. Three great crosses by him, and Nate was attacking the ball great tonight. I think they had a hard time handling our forward tonight. In the first 60 minutes we were a handful and more. It's nice to get a win. I think the guys were a little disappointed with the way it sort of ended. It's three points -- a much needed three points."
On giving up late goals:
"We really should've made it not as interesting as it was. We'll learn our lesson from that -- how to take better care of the ball. It was bad to give up the second goal on a set piece to make it 4-2. We kind of started to give the ball away at times. You're kind of putting unnecessary pressure on yourself. Then they got the third, but they didn't get much after that so I was happy. Don't get me wrong -- my heart was racing for like the last eight minutes."
HOUSTON DYNAMO FORWARD NATE JAQUA
On the hat trick:
"It feels great. It's even better since we got the win. We made it tough on ourselves at the end, but we were able to get out of there at the end. Getting the hat trick is neat. I'm happy to do that."
On giving up late goals:
"I think we did let down a little bit, and you can't do that. They'd kind of quit playing a little, and then we'd kind of quit playing. Then they got that goal. We can't do that, especially against some of the other teams we'll be playing later on. 4-2 was a wakeup call, and unfortunately they were able to get that third one. We got the win, and that's the most important thing."
On coming back from sitting out last week:
"It was tough sitting up in the press box watching last week. It's great to get out there, but getting the win is the most important thing."
On performing in home games:
"We came out tonight with a better attitude. Unfortunately we let up a little bit. We would've liked to win this 4-1 or even 5-1 or 6-1. We had some other chances, but the win is what matters."
HOUSTON DYNAMO MIDFIELDER COREY ASHE
On his assists:
"I guess I was in the zone, but before I take any credit a lot of it goes to my teammates. They back me up week after week. The coaches keep me positive. Luckily this was my day. I'm happy that with my three assists we're back in the winning column."
On team play:
"We were definitely motivated because Dallas and Chivas are right behind us. Today the atmosphere in the locker room was great. We wanted to put our will on them and dictate the game. That's what we did."
On giving up late goals:
"Unfortunately I think we did take a mental break. The humidity started to kick in, and they crept back into it. Before we knew it the score was 4-3. That's what happens when you let your guard down. We were able to battle back and keep the lead."
On working with Nate Jaqua:
"Every week we work on crosses. Luckily it finally paid off. I'm not going to say we were running specific routes. I got lucky. I was hitting them in the box, and luckily they got to him."
REAL SALT LAKE HEAD COACH JASON KREIS
On his team's performance:
"I think the guys came out with a good spirit, I think they were into the game. Maybe a little bit too much, though, because there were just too many technical breakdowns in the first half; we gave the ball away too easily. Against a team like Houston, they're going to punish you. I thought we gave away too many silly free kicks and corner kicks, and they're going to punish you on those, too."
On the comeback:
"Full credit to Houston -- they showed us what a good team they are -- but I think the one thing we can take away from this game and feel good about is that our players showed a lot of character. Going down 4-1 to get themselves back into that game with the chance to draw it at the end, I think that speaks volumes about the character of this group."
On his defense:
"I couldn't speak too knowledgeably about it, so I tend not to, but there's got to be questions about why there are guys running completely free in the six-yard box on our goal."
On his team's offensive improvement:
"I wouldn't put any of the credit on me, really. I'd put the credit on the staff and the whole group, every person who's involved in the team. That's something we've really been focused on: how we're going to score more goals. We realize that we haven't scored enough over the first three-quarters of the season, so we have been trying to figure out how we're going to get players forward and how we're going to get them forward quickly."
On Fabian Espindola's goal:
"It was a scrappy effort, there. I think Javier Morales was close to that play, as well. It looked like it knocked off a few players' shins. Fabian stayed with it like he does on a lot of plays. He stayed with it and struck a good ball for the goal."
On his substitutions in the second half:
"In these conditions, I think you have to rely on substitutes coming in and making a difference. All the guys that came in tonight, I think did that."
On Kyle Brown's improvement:
"I think it's big. We've seen that his level keeps increasing and increasing. Whether it's in a training session or in a game, we think he's coming along really well. His experience is paying dividends."
REAL SALT LAKE MIDFIELDER KYLE BECKERMAN
On getting to know his teammates:
"I knew a couple of the guys on the team from earlier teams, and the coaches have made practice really intense and we're playing a lot and I'm getting a lot of times with the players, so it's been really easy."
On defensive breakdowns leading to Dynamo goals:
"I think it was more our bad. We weren't keeping the ball the way we can, so that was killing us. When we would keep the ball, we would get some good chances, and when we didn't they were making us pay. It's just something we could do better on next time."
On his team's effort in the second half:
"We were never going to quit. After the effort that the coaches have put in for us and the effort they've put us through, we weren't going to quit. Guys put us back in the game with some perseverance and got us some goals. It's unfortunate that play didn't come earlier, but we got some goals and persevered for it."
REAL SALT LAKE FORWARD KYLE BROWN
On his first MLS goal:
"It felt good to finally get my first goal. It's been over a year and a half, so it felt good. It gave us a chance late to tie the game. Can't ask for much more. I wish we could've gotten another one."
On his offensive improvement in practice and reserve games:
"Definitely, even in training, I've been sharper in front of goal and concentrated more. I've been a lot more comfortable in front of the goal. I went through a little period earlier on where I couldn't put the ball in the back of the net, but now I'm feeling confident, so that's good."
On being ready:
"You've got to be ready on any day to go out and play and try to get a win for the team. We're all working our butts off trying to get a few wins and trying to get everybody going together."
