Sunday, October 26, 2008

POSTGAME THOUGHTS AND CELEBRATION


Both in the locker room and at the hotel afterward, I was a bit surprised that the team was as subdued as they were. They were happy no doubt, and smiles were found all around, but there was no over-the-top celebration going on. Maybe this was because they realize that there is still work to be done. Maybe this is because they realized that they got lucky and were still deep down disappointed with their play. Or maybe they just didn't know how to act.

Here are some post-game comments:

Jason Kreis on his thoughts on the match: "I thought we played poorly tonight. To be honest I thought this was one of our worst games all season, and to see the guys stick with it and continue to believe. I kept telling myself on the bench - it's gonna come, it's gonna come - but I'm not sure all of me believed that. Having Andy Williams involved in that goal for me was just unbeleivable (the coach is visibly overcome with emotion at this point).

Jason Kreis on why it was so special to have Andy involved: "well it's been a very difficult year for Andy (as his voice is cracking with emotion). There's so much going on in his life, and he's continued to work hard. He's somebody that showed so much commitment and dedication to work as hard in the offseason as he did. And then to have him come in in the last 2 matches when the game turns...and to have him involved in that goal was just absolutely special and that's the stuff history is made of."

Jason Kreis on the second half subs: "The biggest choice we had was whether or not to make those subs at halftime. We talked about doing it right at halftime but sometimes if you make those subs too early someone can get hurt and you are hamstrung. And I think it was the right decision."

Jason Kreis on the results: "I think that's the first goal that we have scored that late all year. And I think that's the first point that we've picked up all year that I would say we probably didn't deserve."

Jason Kreis on why his team got off to a slow start in a big match: "I really believed that no matter how much we preached that we were going to go out and be aggressive - I really believe they felt like we're going to keep numbers back. We were just keeping too many numbers back. The midfield at times - they were running over us because we had too extra guys in the back. We are a team that has to go out there with confidence and vigor and when we don't do that we get outplayed."

Yura on the goal: "All I thought was Andy's in the box and I knew that either he's going to score or the goalie's going to give it back to me. Fortunate enough for me the goalie saved it and was able to put it back in."

Bomma on the win: "It's not over. We'll go enjoy it tonight. We'll head back home and start to face Chivas next week."

Bomma on Kreis' emotions after the game: "When I saw after the game I saw his eyes full of water, and he made me start crying too and we just hugged after the game. We've been here from the beginning and I can't explain it seriously. It just means so much to us."