NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION HEAD COACH STEVE NICOL
I think [bad luck is] the only kind of luck going for us at the moment, ain’t it? (Steve Ralston) has dislocated his elbow and Khano Smith has done his ankle. Not exactly what we’re looking for.
I think the biggest difference was the final third. I mean, the finishing. Obviously [Wellington Paulista] is a good player. The way they are in the final third of the field – it’s something we can definitely learn from them. When we get there, we’re a little bit predictable. Whereas when they’re getting in there, you know have to really be on your toes and the movement is good. They’ve got some real quality. So I think that was the biggest difference to me, was what was going on in the final third.
On Matt Reis’s season debut in goal …
It was good. Obviously the experience (Matt Reis has) got, and the ability he’s got – it makes everybody feel better.
As I said, the biggest thing was what was going on in the final third. I think we got ourselves forward just as much as they did, but we just couldn’t produce anything in the final third. I think that the second goal was a terrible goal – we’re basically giving them it. The first goal was avoidable, but the third was just a great goal …The guy’s a good player and [Welington Paulista] is a great striker, as well. The third goal was just a great goal.
I think we competed and the score line would suggest that it was pretty easy, but I don’t think it was an easy game for them. So there’re positives to be taken out of it.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION CAPTAIN SHALRIE JOSEPH
“I think, overall, we are better in terms of moving the ball and keeping possession, which we stressed a lot this week in practice. But we gave up a soft goal, and that’s the same thing we did in Seattle and the same thing we’ve been doing in the last couple of games. [We’re] just giving up way too many goals. Tonight, [Cruzeiro] are a top-notch team. They move the ball a lot and play well together, and we just have to learn from it.
Yeah I thought Kenny’s (Mansally’s) shot) went in … there were some chances, which is good for us. We can build from that. But we just have to better about not giving up goals.
[Matt Reis] brings another dimension to our team in terms of leadership and communications by having him in the back. He’s been in the league so long, he brings that kind of stability and we need that in the back. So, having him back was really good.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION DEFENDER KEVIN ALSTON
Yea, I was trying my best Dany Alves impression out there. But seriously, I thought we were much better than we have been recently. We were better keeping the ball; minus the 3-0 score line it was a lot better.
Any time you play a team like that is all about possession, the more you lose the ball the more you have to play defense, and the more tired you get. Therefore it is crucial to keep the ball and move it forward.
Oh it was great, Matt Reis is really experienced and a great leader, a real vocal leader and it was good to have the presence and experience back. He’s a guy who has been around so long and played in this league for so long and can really help our organization as a defense.
I mean, I think it was definitely way better than the Benfica game and I think there is a lot of things we can take from tonight over the break and use in our league games.
It’s always tough when there are injuries but luckily we have this break and it’s timed pretty well where we can back healthy.
