NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION HEAD COACH JAY HEAPS
On winning the Desert Diamond Cup…
“It was good. There was a good competitive spirit. The guys wanted to win. It was by far not our best game in the tournament but I thought we battled really well and didn’t give away any real, clear chances at the end there. That was something that, 10 or 12, 15 minutes left in the game, you want to make sure you lock it down and I thought we did a good job of that.”
On the team’s defensive performance tonight…
“I thought in the first half we had a goal called back, a couple of good chances. For me, the reality was we weren’t quick enough to get out defensively in the first 15 to 20 minutes of that second half. They had a lot more possession than us and that’s something we don’t like seeing that much. In terms of chances, it felt like everything they got was floated balls in or shots from distance, which we dealt with all right.”
On his overall takeaways from the preseason…
“I thought for two weeks and all four games, we did some good stuff and we did some stuff that we have to get a little bit better at. Overall, we got better. I think that’s more important than who started this week or two weeks ago. We have a plan in place and winning games is part of it, but also trying to progress the group and I think we did that. The byproduct was winning a championship.”
On players who stood out during preseason camp…
“I think Teal [Bunbury] has been great. You talk about him as the MVP. He also scored goals from a lot of different places. He had them at center forward and [we] played him on the right wing. His versatility I like right now. We had Je-Vaughn Watson in camp as well. I thought he had a great night tonight. He just joined us on Wednesday and he was excellent tonight.”
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION FORWARD TEAL BUNBURY
On winning the Desert Diamond Cup…
“We’re happy. We were able to win this tournament, we were able to win this game, and I think this was just a great performance from the team. I’m just very pleased we were able to finish preseason on a high note and now we can look forward to our first game against Houston on Sunday.”
On winning tournament MVP…
“I don’t like personal things to be honest with you. I got to give thanks to the lord above that I’m able to play this sport. I’ve been through a lot of different things, different situations. I’m mostly pleased with the guys. It’s been a tough preseason for us and we were able to get some results here and there, build as a team on and off the field, and I think we have a great chemistry going forward.”
On his aspirations for the upcoming season…
“The ultimate goal is an MLS Cup championship, but also we want to win the Supporters’ Shield, we want to win every game, we want to be a force to be reckoned with at home games in front of our fans, we want to go on the road and get results as well. This year, I want us to more so kind of focus on building throughout the season and not having maybe a stretch in the summer where we’re not as sharp or not as strong. I think this year consistency is going to be a huge thing for us.”
On playing extended minutes on the wing during the preseason…
“I feel like it hasn’t changed too much. I think [Jay Heaps] is kind of referring to maybe this season playing a little more center forward, which is a position I’d played my whole career before coming to New England. But now, playing out wide, I end up being that target winger. Kind of learn some new things. Learning how to make my runs properly. It’s just a different kind of feel.”
On the team’s growth during the preseason…
“I think we were able to build from beginning to end. Initially, when you come in, you’re not as sharp technically maybe, but throughout each game and each training session [it improves]. The facility here is great. The workers around are always helpful. I think we just gained a lot of composure.”
On this year’s team compared to last year’s…
“It’s pretty close to preseasons’ past. The chemistry with this group is always there, really. We’re able to have fun and we always have a good time. That’s huge because it correlates on the field as well. We want to play for each other. We want to work for each other. Most of all, we want to win.”
