NEW YORK RED BULLS 2, REAL SALT LAKE 2
NEW YORK RED BULLS HEAD COACH BRUCE ARENA
On Claudio Reyna's injury:
I don't know what's going to happen, I haven't had a chance to talk to anyone yet.
On not getting three points against a struggling road team in Real Salt Lake:
Disappointing, because you always want to win at home. It's very frustrating. We had our chances, and we had our opportunities but we couldn't put the ball in the net.
On Ronald Waterreus's positioning on the first goal:
I didn't really feel that it was a big reason for the goal or anything. Our marking was very poor on that play. There were a number of white jerseys that could have made a play and picked up or marked someone there.
On the story of tonight's game:
To me, it was simply a few miscues and poor finishing. We had a chance to score more goals than we produced tonight. We had a lot of missed chances that started from the opening kickoff to the end. To begin, Doe had a great chance, and we had an unbelievable lapse on the goal in a half that we dominated, which put them up 1-0, and we were able to create chances. But give them credit on the second goal. We had chances to get the third one. We simply didn't finish off the chances we created.
On Eddie Pope and his career:
A great career and a pretty classy guy on and off the field, and he knows when he's done, he doesn't want to play one more game than he has to, and he wants to go off on his own terms. There are times when players don't leave the game on their own terms, and Eddie wants to do that and leave with the reputation and memories that he left us, and I am hopeful he can remain in the game with Salt Lake or elsewhere.
NEW YORK RED BULLS FORWARD JUAN PABLO ANGEL
On breaking the club's all-time single season goal record:
I'm happy but today was about a playoff spot. It was about winning the game. It wasn't about breaking the record. I'm more concerned about doing well as a team. It's about the team. It's about winning together and that's what we're here for.
On the overall play of the team for the last 4-5 games:
We're going forward and playing well over the last four or five games. We're getting more solid going forward and we're creating chances. But, we have to try to get more clean sheets. If you want to go somewhere, we have to start it from the back.
On the play of Francis Doe:
I think Francis is doing a terrific job. He scored a goal today...and I'm sure he is going to get better.
NEW YORK RED BULLS GOALKEEPER RONALD WATERREUS
On the first goal scored:
Sometimes you get surprised by situations but what can you do?
On the game's end result:
You can lose those games. We should have won but in the end I think in hindsight it's maybe the best we could do today and we still didn't lose.
NEW YORK RED BULLS DEFENDER DAVE VAN DEN BERGH
On the game overall:
We gave up two easy goals and it's tough to win a game if you always fall behind in the scoreboard. We're always chasing a game. It's been like that for the last two weeks. On the other hand, we created a lot of chances. It's tough to win a game if you concede two goals every week.
We're in a fortunate position that we've got a couple of really good forwards and a good attacking mid. We create a lot of chances. We need to convert just a little more of them and stop giving up foolish goals.
I think in the last three games we showed that we can play really well, but like I said, we can't keep giving up two goals in the playoffs. Teams will pound on us for that. For making those mistakes they'll punish you.
NEW YORK RED BULLS MIDFIELDER DEMA KOVALENKO
On the game overall:
It's disappointing; playing at home we should have got three points. We didn't lose, that's a positive thing. We need to get better and correct those mistakes. We can't give up goals. If that happens in the playoffs it's done.
REAL SALT LAKE HEAD COACH JASON KREIS
On whether he was disappointed with the draw:
"All in all, yes. To have a lead twice in that match you feel that you should do better and that you should walk away with three points, especially when you have the lead late as we did."
On RSL's struggles this season when playing with a lead:
"I would hope that they're learning. We've had enough games now where it feels like I've come in and said that we just didn't do enough with our lead, and I would say that it's the same case tonight."
On the penalty kick call that led to New York's second equalizer:
"I just didn't have a good view. There were so many people in between where I was standing and where the foul happened. Judging by the reaction of our players, I would say it must have been pretty questionable."
REAL SALT LAKE GOALKEEPER NICK RIMANDO
On positives to take away from the draw:
"I guess there are positives there, because this is a tough place to play. We're going up and we're not chasing the game, but there's some negatives at well - we give up a penalty kick, we give up an early goal in the second half. It's tough because we get a rhythm going, but then we give it back. But again, we got a point coming out of here and we have to feel really good about the way we played tonight, even though I think we should have gotten three points."
REAL SALT LAKE MIDFIELDER KYLE BECKERMAN
On whether RSL was frustrated with the result:
"We did enough to win that game and felt we deserved it and it kind of got taken from us. It was frustrating, but I thought we did a lot of good things tonight. In different circumstances, if it were earlier in the year then we'd be happy with it, but we needed a win to stay in the playoff race, or at least to be considered for it, so that kind of hurt."
On Real Salt Lake's turnaround since the All-Star Break:
"I think it's really good for next year. We're starting to really to jell together, getting results on the road and starting to get wins at home, and we're starting to become a hard team to beat, which is a good sign. If we continue that for the rest of the year and go into preseason with that mentality for next year then we'll be a playoff team next year for sure."
REAL SALT LAKE MIDFIELDER ANDY WILLIAMS
On being disappointed with the result:
I think so. The second half, we kind of sat back a little too much. We got the go ahead goal on a great buildup and I think if we kept attacking more in the second half, we probably could have gotten another goal or put more pressure on them.
I think it a soft call on the PK, but that's the referee's job to call and he called it. We played well and if it was earlier in the year, we would have been pretty happy with the result.
On team's recent form:
Since the All-Star break, we've been playing completely differently. The addition of the three Argentineans has been a plus for us and I think we're finally jelling right now. Unfortunately, it's just a little too late.
On his play during this stretch:
My job is to possess the ball as much as I can, to slow down the pace or pick up the pace. With Carey (Talley) and Kyle (Beckerman) in the midfield, it's been great. We've been playing well and hopefully we can keep on building on that.
