IT'S TINO TIME!
(More pics at the end)Real Salt Lake flex home muscles -> MLSnet/John Coon
Tino Nunez helped Real Salt Lake finally grind the rust off of their offense Saturday night to extend the club's unbeaten streak to a team-record five games.
Nunez's first MLS goal lifts Real Salt Lake -> USA Today
Rookie Tino Nunez scored his first MLS goal and Real Salt Lake remained unbeaten at home with a 2-1 victory over the New England Revolution on Saturday night.
Nunez, who entered the game in the 41st minute after Robbie Findley was injured, scored the winning goal in the 60th minute for RSL (5-5-4). Javier Morales' shot deflected off a Revolution defender right into the path of Nunez, who one-touched the ball past goalkeeper Matt Reis.
REAL SALT LAKE DEFEATS RED-HOT REVOLUTION 2-1
(courtesy RSL Communications)
With Win, RSL Leaps to Second Place in Western Conference while Extending Undefeated Streak to Five Games
RSL FW Tino Nunez's First MLS Goal at Hour Mark Propels Salt Lake to Victory
SALT LAKE CITY (Saturday, June 21, 2008) – Real Salt Lake FW Tino Nuñez picked the perfect time to notch his first professional goal, as his tally at the hour mark would stand as the game-winner in a 2-1 RSL victory over the New England Revolution tonight in front of 11,965 fans at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The Revolution would get on the board first thanks to an opportunistic finish from FW Adam Cristman eight minutes in, but RSL would counter quickly with a goal of its own just three minutes later, when RSL MF Javier Morales’ corner kick was deflected into goal by Revs DF Jay Heaps. With the win, Real Salt Lake (5-5-4, 19 pts.) matched the longest undefeated streak in franchise history at five games (3-0-2) while at the same time ending a seven-game undefeated streak for the Eastern Conference-leading Revolution (8-4-3, 26 pts.).
For the full MLSnet.com recap of tonight’s match, click on the link below:
http://web.mlsnet.com/news/mls_news.jsp?ymd=20080621&content_id=167572&vkey=news_mls&fext=.jsp
RSL MATCH NOTES
Tonight’s result moved Real Salt Lake to the .500 mark, making this the latest point in any season that the club has had at least a .500 record. The three-point result also tied RSL’s all-time record in League play at Rice-Eccles Stadium (19-19-17) and kept Salt Lake as one of only two undefeated teams (with Toronto FC) at home in MLS this season (4-0-4).
Thanks to a wild 3-3 draw between Columbus and Los Angeles, Salt Lake now sits in second-place in the Western Conference, just two points clear of the leading Galaxy (6-4-3, 21 pts.). Tonight’s win marks the latest point in club history that the side has been in second place in the Western Conference standings.
RSL GK Nick Rimando saw his goalless streak come to end at 283 minutes after Revs FW Adam Cristman scored just eight minutes into the affair. Rimando was able to eclipse his own club record in the category (278 minutes), but fell just short of collecting the League’s longest streak of the 2008 season (Hartman – KC, 286) and about a half hour shy of breaking his own personal best (309 minutes in 2003 with D.C. United).
RSL FW Robbie Findley left the match after suffering a mild concussion in a collision for a loose ball late in the first half. It was Tino Nunez, the scorer of the eventual game-winner for RSL, that replaced Findley in the 41st minute.
New England Revolution (8-4-3) vs. Real Salt Lake (5-5-4) June 21, 2008 -- Rice-Eccles Stadium
For the full MLSnet.com recap of tonight’s match, click on the link below:
http://web.mlsnet.com/news/mls_news.jsp?ymd=20080621&content_id=167572&vkey=news_mls&fext=.jsp
RSL MATCH NOTES
Tonight’s result moved Real Salt Lake to the .500 mark, making this the latest point in any season that the club has had at least a .500 record. The three-point result also tied RSL’s all-time record in League play at Rice-Eccles Stadium (19-19-17) and kept Salt Lake as one of only two undefeated teams (with Toronto FC) at home in MLS this season (4-0-4).
Thanks to a wild 3-3 draw between Columbus and Los Angeles, Salt Lake now sits in second-place in the Western Conference, just two points clear of the leading Galaxy (6-4-3, 21 pts.). Tonight’s win marks the latest point in club history that the side has been in second place in the Western Conference standings.
RSL GK Nick Rimando saw his goalless streak come to end at 283 minutes after Revs FW Adam Cristman scored just eight minutes into the affair. Rimando was able to eclipse his own club record in the category (278 minutes), but fell just short of collecting the League’s longest streak of the 2008 season (Hartman – KC, 286) and about a half hour shy of breaking his own personal best (309 minutes in 2003 with D.C. United).
RSL FW Robbie Findley left the match after suffering a mild concussion in a collision for a loose ball late in the first half. It was Tino Nunez, the scorer of the eventual game-winner for RSL, that replaced Findley in the 41st minute.
New England Revolution (8-4-3) vs. Real Salt Lake (5-5-4) June 21, 2008 -- Rice-Eccles Stadium
Scoring Summary:
NE -- Adam Cristman 4 (unassisted) 8
RSL -- Own Goal (Jay Heaps) 11
RSL -- Tino Nunez 1 (unassisted) 60
New England Revolution -- Matt Reis, Chris Albright, Jay Heaps, Michael Parkhurst, Amaechi Igwe (Wells Thompson 62), Steve Ralston, Jeff Larentowicz, Pat Phelan, Sainey Nyassi (Chris Tierney 77), Kheli Dube, Adam Cristman.
Substitutes Not Used: Sam Brill, Argenis Fernandez, Chase Hilgenbrinck, Brad Knighton, Brandon Manzonelli
Real Salt Lake -- Nick Rimando, Chris Wingert, Nat Borchers, Jamison Olave, Tony Beltran, Kyle Beckerman, Dema Kovalenko, Javier Morales, Andy Williams (Matias Cordoba 84), Robbie Findley (Tino Nunez 41), Kenny Deuchar (Kenny Cutler 71).
Substitutes Not Used: Ian Joy, Matias Mantilla, Alex Nimo, Kyle Reynish
Real Salt Lake--------------------------------- New England Revolution
total shots:
19 (Andy Williams 5)---------------------------14 (Sainey Nyassi 4)
shots on goal:
7 (Kyle Beckerman 2, Javier Morales 2)---------6 (Adam Cristman 3)
fouls:
14 (Tino Nunez 3)------------------------------12 (Adam Cristman 3)
offsides:
4 (Andy Williams 2)-----------------------------2 (Adam Cristman 1, Kheli Dube 1)
corner kicks:
4 (Javier Morales 4)-----------------------------7 (Steve Ralston 7)
saves:
4 (Nick Rimando 4)------------------------------6 (Matt Reis 6)
Misconduct Summary: NE -- Jay Heaps (caution; Tackle from Behind) 20
NE -- Steve Ralston (caution; Reckless Foul) 66
RSL -- Kyle Beckerman (caution; Reckless Foul) 76
referee: Kevin Stott
Referee's Assistants: Paul Scott; Peter Manikowski
4th official: Feliciano Palomino
time of game: 1:52
attendance: 11,965
weather: Clear -and- 97 degrees
All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial
REAL SALT LAKE HEAD COACH JASON KREIS
On the victory:
“A huge win. What’s most pleasing about the win tonight is the way we handled ourselves when we had the one-goal lead. It shows that we’re learning and improving. We finished that game off the way a good team does.”
On equalizing quickly after New England’s 8th minute goal:
“That was hugely important that we had a quick turnaround there, because if it had dragged on a lot longer until halftime it would have been a difficult thing to come back from mentally for the guys. It’s the first time that we’ve scored off a corner kick or free kick in awhile, and I think we need to be more dangerous on those so it was very good to see that happen tonight.”
On the performance of FW Tino Nuñez:
I’m very, very happy for Tino. I thought his performance was fantastic again. He’s just a guy that gets in there and works really hard and takes a lot of pride in the way he holds the ball up for the rest of the team. He did that well tonight and it was nice to see him rewarded with a goal.”
On the improvement of his RSL squad:
“I believed for a long time, and I think everybody in that locker room believed and has believed for a long time, and I think we’re beginning to see the fruit from all of our work and talk. I think tonight we saw an improved team in a couple of areas.”
REAL SALT LAKE FW TINO NUNEZ
On taking advantage of his recent playing time:
“Everyday I just come into training and work on every aspect of my game and try to be ready to take any opportunity that’s given to me, and that’s my main focus right now. Any little chance I get, I just try and make the best of it. It’s going well so far.”
On having to enter the match after FW Robbie Findley’s injury:
“I didn’t get a proper warm up, so you’re kind of warming up as you get going. But you just have to be ready any time you get called.”
On his reaction after his first MLS goal:
“My eyes just opened up really big; I didn’t know what to do. I’ll think about it more next time.”
REAL SALT LAKE FW KENNY DEUCHAR
On his performance tonight:
“I’m getting on the end of things, and that’s the most important for me. I thought it was going in and when it hits the post, you hope it bounces into the goal rather than come back out, and that’s unfortunate. If I keep getting possessions and the ball keeps coming in, then that’s good, and if we win the games, then it’s fine. But it’s when you start losing games to goals, that comes back to haunt you. If I keep getting in the possessions, then the goals will come.”
On teammate Tino Nuñez:
“I’m really pleased for Tino coming in and getting the winning goal. He deserves it; he’s worked hard in training and he’s done well when he’s been called upon so far. And that’s something, for a young lad to come in and score a winner, especially against a team with the best record in the league.”
REAL SALT LAKE MF DEMA KOVALENKO
On RSL’s performance:
“We had to get the win. [New England] is a very good team, but we are a very good team at home. Teams come here and don’t want to be here, so we just have to come out and play our game. Like Jason [Kreis] has said, ‘We don’t adjust to anyone, they adjust to us.’ So we came out and the first half was okay, we made a couple of mistakes. The second half was a lot better and it showed. We played some defense. Tino [Nunez] comes in and gives us a lift, and the winning goal. That’s why we said it’s important that everybody has to be ready. All the guys played well, we fought, and the most important thing is we got three points.”
On his injury:
“I tried to just push the ball and the guy came in and just hit me with the knee, right in the muscle. I had this injury before and couldn’t play for three weeks, but I hope it’s not the same, and I know it’s going to be sore tomorrow. I want to be there, I want to help the guys win, and that’s what we did. It’s hard to get me off the field; I was going to be there.”
NEW ENGLAND HEAD COACH STEVE NICOL
Overall thoughts on the game:
“You just have to win the battles and win the second balls and hopefully you get a bounce here and there. You know it was tough playing Wednesday night and then traveling 12 hours to get here. That’s not easy to do, particularly when you have the altitude and it’s a lot warmer than we are used to. We won’t be sad to see the back of this place.”
On whether travel had an impact:
“Yeah, absolutely. Mentally, we were behind them, but as usual we fought and stuck at it, but unfortunately we came up short. We just didn’t have enough in the tank.”
On FW Adam Cristman’s early goal:
“It was a great opportunistic goal from him. Again, it goes by this field, but all credit to him getting in and timing his run well.”
NEW ENGLAND FW ADAM CRISTMAN
On the influence of the artificial turf at Rice-Eccles:
“It is a tough surface to play on, and it is a tough trip to fly out here and play in the dry heat. It is definitely different, but no excuse, we weren’t sharp tonight.”
On what kept the Revolution offense from clicking:
“Throw all those factors (heat, surface, travel) together, and it is our third game in a week, and the end result sometimes is maybe a lackluster performance.”
NEW ENGLAND MF STEVE RALSTON
On New England’s performance:
“It wasn’t a good performance. I don’t know if it was the tough game on Wednesday or the travel, but we have to give them credit. They made it difficult to play. The field doesn’t really allow for a whole lot of good passing, and we were second tonight to everything, but we got out played tonight. There are no excuses there.”
On Adam Cristman’s goal:
“It was a great effort. A lot of guys would have given up on it. He is always working and he stuck his head in there. He could have gotten whacked, but he ended up scoring a nice goal. It was good because we were getting hammered pretty good. I don’t think we had had many touches in their half, and we got that goal, and it took a little pressure off us in that moment.”
