NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION HEAD COACH STEVE NICOL
At the end of the day, we scored a good goal. We started off kind of timid. We made sure we didn’t make any mistakes, and I think as the game grew, we got better. At times we threatened to score. The important thing, in the defensive third, we really didn’t give them an awful lot. We didn’t give them any encouragement, we stayed with our man, and we made challenges that 99 times out of 100 turned out to be decisive. We put the ball in, and just built from there.
Well, (Marko Perovi?) has scored every game so there’s not an awful lot wrong with that. He’s got talent, and we’d like to find more ways of trying to show his talent more with our team. We’re hurting pretty bad – we had 12 (field) players tonight – but you saw the determination and the quality at times that we showed, and he’s a huge part of that. You take him out of it, and it shows. He’s been great and scoring goals.
We were already in the semifinals, so it was crazy (to play guys on caution). The guys that we had to play – we played (Joseph) Niouky and Kenny (Mansally) – are both on yellows. Obviously, Shalrie (Joseph) and Sainey (Nyassi) were both on yellows, too, so we had to decide who sat and who wasn’t. We had no choice. We have so many hurt that we couldn’t leave the four of them out, so we had to decide which two (to sit) and it just so happens it was those two.
It’s good to win, but certainly it means more games. But the fact that we’ll be home gives us more juice for the MLS games.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION MIDFIELDER/DEFENDER CHRIS TIERNEY
We were a little lackadaisical in those couple of performances that we had where we struggled. We really just focused in training and made sure we did the little things right. I think the combination of a little boost in our effort and just being a little bit smarter has yielded better results.
We just want to carry the momentum that we’ve built over these last four games now - I think it’s four in a row we’ve won. We’ve done things well and, best of all, we haven’t conceded a goal in four games. If we keep getting shutouts, we’re going to put points on the board and that’s what we’re looking to do.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION GOALKEEPER MATT REIS
Before the Los Angeles game we got together as a team and sat down and talked about a lot of things. We knew going forward we had to play solid defensively because we’re not scoring a lot of goals and it’s really important for us not to give up goals. I think, as a team, you can see that we have done that well and that we’ve played really good team defense. It all starts up with the forwards and it comes back down to myself. We’re all very committed to try and keep the chances at a minimum and the ones that do come are relatively easy.
It’s always good to play and test yourself against other opponents, especially the teams from Mexico. It’s always interesting, and unfortunately they are in their preseason, so they are really trying to get all the kinks out before the season. It’s fun and we have done well in the SuperLiga, and it shows.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION MIDFIELDER PAT PHELAN
I think we sat down and had a team meeting before the LA game and we responded well. We’re just trying to keep that momentum going. We’ve been off from league games for a little bit but we’re going to get back started up next week. It’s just huge for our confidence to be playing well. One-nothing, you know they’re not always going to be pretty, but we’ll take them. It worked for Spain, so hopefully it can work for us.
MONARCAS MORELIA HEAD COACH TOMAS BOY
Pienso que el resultado no dice absolutamente nada. Creo que cometimos un error muy grande. Teníamos que haber jugado un partido perfecto y no equivocarnos. Creamos las oportunidades, creamos el juego. Pero se ve que ese es el estilo del Revolution, esperan el error del adversario y les funcionó.”
I think that the result does not reflect what really happened on the field. I think we made a huge mistake. We should’ve played a perfect game and not make any mistakes. We created chances, we had the control. But, you can see that that’s the style of the Revolution, they wait from the opponent’s mistake and it worked out for them.
El torneo es importante, pero debería jugarse cuando todos estamos en competición, porque nosotros estamos en pretemporada y el Revolution está en la mitad d su liga. Eso crea una serie de desequilibrios. Los equipos norteamericanos cada vez están mejor.
It is an important tournament, but it should be played when everyone is during their respective competitions. We are in preseason and the Revolution is in the middle of their league play. That creates and imbalance. The American teams are getting better and better.
Es el séptimo partido de pretemporada para nosotros. Se nos mezcló este torneo y lo hemos jugado muy seriamente. Nos hubiera gustado terminar mejor pero creo que vamos a pasar a la siguiente ronda, a menos que pase algo extraordinario en Chicago.
We’re in our seventh preseason game. We got involved in this tournament and we are taking it very seriously. We would’ve liked to end it on a better note, but I think we’ll make it to the next round, unless something extraordinary happens in Chicago.
MONARCAS MORELIA FORWARD MIGUEL SABAH
Creo que quedó claro que el equipo propuso pero los goles no llegaron. Ellos estaban esperando un error nuestro y desgraciadamente pasó faltando poco para el final del segundo tiempo.
I think that it was clear that the team came out with a purpose but the goals never came. They were waiting for a mistake from our part and unfortunately it happened towards the end of the second half.
No fue un resultado justo para nada. El fútbol es así, el que mete los goles es el que gana y creo que tenemos que trabajar en ese aspecto.
It was not a fair result at all. But that’s soccer, the team that scores is the one that wins and I believe we have to work on that aspect.
Monarcas en el primer tiempo fue muy superior, pero en la última parte de la cancha nos está faltando mucho el toque. Trabajaremos en eso. También se le dio la oportunidad a los jóvenes. Tenemos que esperar al resultado de Chicago y Pumas y sabremos si estamos en finales.
Monarcas was superior in the first half, but we are missing the final touch in the last third of the field. We’ll work on that. We also gave the opportunity to the youngsters to play. Now we have to wait for the result between Chicago and Pumas and then we’ll know if we make the finals.
MONARCAS MORELIA DEFENDER MAURICIO ROMERO
Dominó Morelia, el resultado es mentira. Nos equivocamos en esa jugada. Hicimos un mal despeje y es un equipo que quizás juega del error del rival. Morelia dominó el juego, quiso jugar la pelota para abajo, intentar jugar por afuera, tratar de terminar la jugada. Creo que tuvimos mas situaciones nosotros de gol. Creo que el resultado es injusto, pero el fútbol tiene este tipo de poder. De cosas, de circunstancias. Pero, hay que resolverlas cuando se presentan.
Morelia dominated, the result is a lie. We made a mistake on that play. We made a poor clearance and that (New England) is a team that plays off of errors of their opponents. Morelia dominated the game: we played the ball down field, attempted to play outside on the wings and tried to finish the plays. I think we had more opportunities to score goals. I think the result is unfair, but soccer has that power, of circumstances. But, we have to resolve them when they present themselves.
El Revolution no es un equipo vistoso a la hora de jugar fútbol, pero se prioriza defenderse bien. No es fácil hacerles goles porque juntan mucha gente en la parte defensiva. De todas maneras, nosotros hemos tenido tres o cuatro situaciones claras que podiamos haber sido más preciso, y no lo fuimos. Los equipos aquí se defienden muy bien y cuando por ahí convierten, se cierran aún mas en su campo y es más difícil anotar. De todas maneras, hay que apretar el juego de cada uno y mirar hacia adentro para en el futuro mejorar.
The Revolution is not a flashy team when playing football, but defending well is a priority. It is not easy scoring goals against them because they put a lot of people on defense. Anyway, we have had three or four clear opportunities that we could have been more precise, and we were not. The teams here (in the U.S.) defend well, and when they convert on a goal, they close up more and it is more difficult to score. Anyway, we each must tighten our game up and dig deep to improve in the future.
MONARCAS MORELIA GOALKEEPER JESUS URBINA
Pues, fue un partido difícil, estaba muy apretado. Sabíamos que iba a ser un partido de un gol y el que cometiera un error… ahí iba estar el partido. Nos tocó a nosotros cometer el error y lo aprovecho New England, y esta marcado en el reflejo del partido.
Well, it was a difficult game, very tight. We knew it was going to be a one-goal game, and whoever committed, that was the game. We committed the error and New England took advantage, and it is reflected in the result of the game.
Pues la verdad es que los dos estabamos ahí, a lo mejor ellos con un poquito más de…tirar balones largos. Justo o no justo, así es el fútbol. Pues el que las mete…
Well, the truth is that we were both in a position to win. Perhaps they had a few more long shots on goal. Fair or not, that is soccer: whoever scores.
