NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION 4, REAL SALT LAKE 1
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION HEAD COACH STEVE NICOL
On what worked for the Revs:
"We would have preferred to put the game away earlier. We were coasting at
two-nil and we stopped doing things that we were doing well. We just had to
be on our guard. As long as we concentrated and kept plugging away, we were
confident we would get another goal. Unfortunately, it took us a wee bit
longer than we hoped, but nonetheless we got it."
On Salt Lake getting back into the game:
"You're always afraid something's going to happen. At two-nil, we're in
absolute control of the game. We should have at the very least solidified
this and tried to move on from there."
On José Cancela coming off:
"We've got players in that position, and when we have strength, we're going
to use it. We'd prefer Clint (Dempsey) to be coming from the middle of the
pack. He's doing a great job for us up front while Pat (Noonan) is injured.
To freshen things up, we wanted to make sure we were solid. With Andy
(Dorman) and Shalrie (Joseph), we're solid. Clint can then go from the
middle of the pack and get in the box."
On Jay Heaps' attacking:
"We've had Jay in that position all season. It just clicked tonight. He had
good services and he made good runs. When you've got both of them together,
you get goals."
On Khano Smith's goal:
"He looked lively. He's got a great shot, which you saw tonight. I'd like to
see more of that."
On Pat Noonan's injury:
"He'll travel. We'll see what happens between now and (Saturday)."
On New England's halftime adjustments:
"To get back to what we've done the first 20 minutes of the game: pass the
ball. We started to play long balls, and against (Eddie) Pope and (Brian)
Dunseth, that's exactly what they want you to do."
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION DEFENDER JAY HEAPS
On getting the early lead:
"They were sitting back and there was a lot more space. I had time with the
ball and runners, like Rallie (Steve Ralston), were making nice runs and you have to hit
them. If we score early, it changes the complexion of the game, because they
have to release guys and get caught in tough situations. I think if we had
scored earlier against Kansas City (last Saturday) it would have been a pretty similar
result. It was big for us tonight, because we feed off each other. We're
confident in scoring goals. From a defensive standpoint there's nothing
better, because with that one goal lead we can pressure them in their end."
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION MIDFIELDER SHALRIE JOSEPH
On the Revs scoring the first goal:
"We were just trying to get that first goal, because we know when we get the
lead, they're going to put their heads down and they're not going to want to
play."
On having more space to attack:
"We created our space, and if there wasn't space, we created some with
movement off the ball."
On attacking more this game than Kansas City:
"Against Kansas City, we had a lot of crosses but we didn't finish. The
first 20-25 minutes, we wanted to get the ball wide, get the ball across and
see what Clint and Taylor can finish. Jay did well tonight with the crosses.
It was all a team effort attacking-wise."
On not getting credit for Dunseth's own goal:
"I heard they gave it to me and I was kind of happy. It doesn't matter
though, it was another goal and it helped us relax and just play a little
more."
REAL SALT LAKE COACH JOHN ELLINGER
On the game:
"I thought that after we'd scored a goal in the first half, we'd score a lot
more in the second half. I didn't know if we were going to be able to get
that tying goal and then the own goal happened."
On his team's fitness:
"Yeah, we were all hurting. Paul (Broome's) knee was hurting. We were
getting tired, definitely. New England knows how to keep the pressure on you
for 90 minutes. But you know, we had our moments. And we really need to
learn to capitalize more on them."
On Salt Lake's possession:
"We talked about this before the game ... that if the opportunity wasn't
there [for a goal] we would just need to hold onto the ball."
On the team's mentality:
"We were coming in here playing one of the best teams in the league. They
were confident, but we were coming in like, 'We can try to win one on the
road.'"
On Clint Mathis's suspension:
"We definitely miss Clint and he'll be out a little bit longer. I don't
think he's going to appeal it."
REAL SALT LAKE FORWARD JASON KREIS
On his injury:
"It just got so much better over the past 48 hours."
On RSL's next game against Kansas City:
"We are going to just try and take care of our bodies. Kansas City is a good
team, and they're a tough team to break down. "
