Some thoughts on tonights match:
- Great outcome but should have been expected. Temporarily puts us 3 games out of 1st in the West. A word of caution though - we are just starting a phase heavy on home games. We are undefeated in 5 home games this season. We NEED to win these due to the inability we have shown to pick up points on the road.
- Kreis indicated that an article in todays newspaper (presumably Michael C. Lewis' article yesterday actually) may have provided motivation for the team.
- Chris Wingert: good game getting forward and helping to create havoc in the final 3rd. Was this elevated play on his behalf or just a result of him having more freedom due to San Jose's inability to put pressure on RSL's defense?
- Javier Morales: Man of the match. Probably best match of the season. Scored a goal and an assist to put him in the league lead in that category.
- Robbie Findley: Break out game or anomoly? The goal he scored was a solid strike (although I'm a bit surprised that Cannon didn't get a hand on it. He showed decent touch and actually did something with the ball on several occasions.
- Fabian Espindola: reportedly left the game with a slight injury. Appeared visibily upset on the sideline, and was dressed and exiting the stadium within about 3 minutes of the end of the match. Is there something beyond the injury at play here?
- Kenny Deuchar and Ryan Cochrane had an emotional, heated personal battle that lasted throughout the match.
- Word on the street is that the Leo that appeared at the match was an imposter.
(click images to enlarge)
MLS POSTGAME QUOTE SHEET (courtesy RSL communications)
REAL SALT LAKE 3 : 1 SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2008
RICE-ECCLES STADIUM – SALT LAKE CITY, UT
REAL SALT LAKE FW ROBBIE FINDLEY
On the flow of the game:
“The first half was a little bit sloppy, we didn’t have a real good flow of the game. But for the second half we got a little talking [in the locker room], got us riled up and we went out and played like we wanted to.”
On the pressure to win:
“We knew we had to get (the win), but we’re at home, we’ve been doing well at home so far, so we just had to go out there and keep doing the same thing we’ve been doing and be able to hold them for 90 minutes.”
REAL SALT LAKE FW KENNY DEUCHAR
On the play of Robbie Findley:
“I’ve got to hand it to Robbie, he came into the game and started the game for us with a goal and an assist. He was excellent for us today.”
On RSL’s home-field advantage:
“It’s real important when you play in any league that your home form is good. That’s obviously five games, six if you include the Open Cup game, that we’re undefeated at home. We’ve got a lot of good wins right here as well. We’ve got to concentrate on keeping this place a very had place to come to. Teams don’t like coming here, and if they know we are good at home they’re going to like it even less.”
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES HEAD COACH FRANK YALLOP
On what happened after the good start:
“We did well in the first half and came into halftime nil-nil, which away from home is what you try to do. Obviously a goal would’ve been good but we didn’t even really look like scoring the first half. It’s just disappointing the goals that went in, the first one was a good goal, it was a good strike by [Robbie] Findley, the second one looked a little easy but I’d have to look at them on tape. It’s always a little difficult to figure out.”
On playing in Salt Lake City three times in seven weeks:
“I’m not in love with the field to be honest; it was a terrible game to watch. The first half was awful. It’s just tough for our players to come and play on it, that’s hard. We play them in a couple weeks and we better be ready for that one. We had the Open Cup and we conceded four goals and tonight three, so we need to make sure we’re ready for the next game.”
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES MF RAMIRO CORRALES:
On the Earthquakes’ performance tonight:
“I think we did a good job in the first half. We were very compact and did a good job, but I think we lost our shape a little bit in the second half and then they scored the first goal and it was pretty much over after that. It felt like we started dragging a little more after the first one, and then they got the second, and then the third, and it’s tough after that.”
On missing key players:
“I think the guys that came in for the other guys did A-OK. I don’t think it was that [missing key players], I think we just lost it a little bit in the second half.”
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES DF NICK GARCIA:
On starting strong and falling apart:
“We fell asleep. In the first half we were fortunate for Joe [Cannon] to come up big on that penalty kick, and the second half was just a luckless effort and we were punished for it. The steady slippery slope began from that point on and we were punished. I don’t think Salt Lake’s three goals better than us. We’ve given up seven goals in the past two games; the one was an Open Cup (game), so I don’t really count that, but they were the better team tonight.”
On what San Jose can take from this result::
“We’ve just got to get it going from the beginning. It just can’t be one of those things where they score a goal or two and then we get going. We’ve had a little bit of a roller coaster ride in the beginning of the season, with some wins and some ties and some losses, and for us we’ve gotta get the ship on course. We’re almost a third of the way through the season, so for us we’ve gotta get some results; whether it’s home or away we need to start winning because losing is never fun. We’ve got to get that bitter taste out of our mouth and make the most of it.”
