REAL SALT LAKE 1, NEW YORK RED BULLS 1
RIO TINTO STADIUM - SANDY, UTAH
REAL SALT LAKE HEAD COACH JASON KREIS
On the experience in Rio Tinto stadium:
"It was a fantastic experience out there tonight, and a terrific atmosphere for a big game. I think, maybe, it was too good of an atmosphere, really, for what we saw out there because the quality of the soccer, I think, was a little bit lower than what we're used to seeing over the past few weeks. I think our guys looked very, very nervous."
On what Rio Tinto Stadium means for the club:
"This building means so many things to this club. It means another item that we have in our pocket to try and bring in prospective players both internationally and players that are here. At the end of the day, we want to be a franchise that every player wants to play for."
On RSL's nervousness affecting game play:
"I don't think our possession was crisp enough tonight. A lot of that, to me, was because players were nervous about losing the ball and were making decisions a lot later than they usually do. Usually we make those decisions, we play the ball, and we move on. I think tonight we were just a little half-second delayed because we were nervous."
REAL SALT LAKE OWNER DAVE CHECKETTS
On the long journey to tonight's opener at Rio Tinto Stadium:
"Well, we had a dinner last night with I think 78 people. I call them the true believers, and they were people that, regardless of how many times this project died and was revived, they kind of stuck with it, they were great. So it was a lot of emotion last night. Tonight I was just more concerned about having everyone safe and feeding in and out and then getting a win, so it's been a great couple of days here."
On his feelings after the game:
"I think probably our guys felt a lot of pressure to win, and wanted to deliver it. It was a very physical, hard-fought game, but as I say, there are going to be a lot if wins in this stadium, a lot to look forward to."
On the atmosphere at Rio Tinto Stadium and its effect on the club:
"The crowd is just on top of them, so they had to get used to how noisy it was, and having all those people standing and waiving white flags was great. But the pitch is grass, not turf, and I think a couple of times tonight that was an adjustment for them. But I think, in every way, this was built for soccer, and it's going to help us not only recruit but keep better talent and win more games."
REAL SALT LAKE MIDFIELDER KYLE BECKERMAN
On RSL's performance
:
"Disappointing ... frustrating. We played one of our worst games tonight. The way the fans were, the atmosphere, it was just unreal, unbelievable. They were great and they deserve nothing less than our best performance and a win. And to not give it to them, I feel sorry for the fans."
On RSL's struggles:
"I think their coach had a game plan to really sit in and get some corners, get some free kicks and counterattack, and they executed well. They got their corners, they got their goal off a corner."
On moving on from the result:
"This was one of the games we planned on being a definite three points. With three games to go, [if] you win tonight, maybe next week and we're in, but we're going to have to fight some more."
REAL SALT LAKE DEFENDER CHRIS WINGERT
On the match:
"We weren't very happy with our performance in the first half, so I'd like to think that we can come out and play better. I think that Dallas, although you never know, will probably have a similar mindset as New York did so they might be difficult to break down. We're just going to have to be a little sharper than we were."
On whether nerves affected RSL at the start of the match:
"I think we had more trouble from about the 20th to 35th minute, not in the first few minutes. I thought we came out very aggressively; they were obviously sitting back and we were able to push up and down a little bit in the beginning, but then we had a little lapse where we had to weather the storm and they had some set pieces. Hopefully we can have a better first half next week."
On the atmosphere at Rio Tinto Stadium:
"It was great, it was amazing. The fans were awesome, they were loud. Everything was perfect. I thought the organization did an unbelievable job in opening, just setting everything up perfectly. The only thing that wasn't perfect was the result."
REAL SALT LAKE MIDFIELDER WILL JOHNSON
On RSL's new home:
"It's fantastic. The fans here are unbelievable. We don't need to tell you guys that, it's a given that whenever we show up that we're going to have the full support of these people behind us, and tonight was no exception. It was a special occasion, but to not get a win is inexcusable."
On RSL's difficulties tonight:
"I don't think we moved the ball well enough, or quick enough. I didn't think we were sharp enough with the ball. The movement within the whole team was not what it needs to be to win games. That being said, against a potent New York team, we were still good enough and we still had chances. We still don't take our chances as well as we need to."
NEW YORK RED BULLS HEAD COACH JUAN CARLOS OSORIO
On his approach to the game:
"We know Real Salt Lake is a team that plays attacking football, they do very well at that. We just were patient enough to drop a little bit farther, deeper into the middle third and from then make it difficult to play against us and from then go forward. I think it paid off for us, and with better decisions we would have won the game. But fair enough. It might be a valuable point, provided that we can win our next game at home. Hopefully that will give us a chance to make the playoffs."
On the play of midfielder Dave van den Bergh:
"I think David has proved this season to be very capable of scoring goals. This is his seventh goal of the season, crucial goals, and again he got on the end of a set play. He took his chance fantastically, so we're very pleased for that."
On the challenges of playing in the Rio Tinto Stadium opener:
"We talked during the whole week. We said it was going to be a great atmosphere, and electric, and it was. And [our players] had to relish in the challenge, and I think they did. They really enjoyed themselves. They have proved once again that when we play in an environment and atmosphere like that the team comes out really well. And when you compete like we did like today then we are a very difficult team to play against."
NEW YORK RED BULLS MIDFIELDER DAVE VAN DEN BERGH
On his goal, the first ever at Rio Tinto Stadium:
"It was a corner to the far post, a great ball in by Mike Magee. I think (Seth) Stammler headed it in. Beckerman cleared it off the line, and you kind of have a feeling for where he's going to hit that stuff out, so I just kind of drifted towards that spot and it just came perfect to my left foot. It's easy from there, really."
On playing in a tough environment:
"It's tough to play on the road, especially when a team is so pumped up to play for the first time in their new stadium, and the crowd gets so into it. They get the referee with them, the whole game. It's tough to get a result, but I felt out of these last three games we need to get five or six points. We get one (tonight)."
On the Red Bulls' push to the playoffs:
"We're having a tough task ahead of us. But one home game, that needs to be three points - that is key. And then the last game in Chicago is going to be a spicy one with everything that's happened between our two franchises."
On taking away a point:
"Oh, we needed a result badly. We lost three in a row. Especially with teams closing in on us, we needed some kind of a result. Although we went up on the scoreboard, I think 1-1 was kind of the run of play, really."
NEW YORK RED BULLS MIDFIELDER MACOUMBA KANDJI
On his performance:
"This kind of game, playing a different position at outside right mid(fielder), you've got to get the ball more to get inside the game. In the first 15 minutes I didn't get it that much, and then right when I get it, I got going.
On the experience of play in a stadium opener:
"It was awesome. Even though it was away, I enjoyed it. With the fans, it was a good stage to play on."
