August 7, 2010 – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION HEAD COACH STEVE NICOL
Truth be told, we didn’t play well, we didn’t pass the ball well. But at the same time, the game we had midweek, I think really took its toll on us. We really didn’t have much in the legs, and obviously with Kevin (Alston) and Marko (Perovic) were missing. I think the biggest thing was we didn’t have any legs tonight. And consequently, we didn’t pass it well and we didn’t play well, but what we did do was we stuck at it and we got a goal.
We just figure we had to get (three points), regardless of where they are. We really need to try and make sure we win home games, and that’s the most important thing, regardless of who you are playing. We felt that this was as important as playing LA who is at the top of the league. And again some things can a banana skin. We’re coming off a tough 90 minutes on Wednesday and having to play a game Saturday against a team that’s always going to be up for it, after losing their coach … we got three points and in the end that’s all that will matter.
We kept them out. We did okay. They were sharper than us, but they didn’t play a semifinal on Wednesday night. So we did what we had to do. It wasn’t pretty, but we got the three points and we’ll take three points every week regardless.
If we hadn’t had them, then some guys were staying on when they’re tired. So it gives fresh pace, fresh legs. But I wish we had a choice.
(Pat Phelan) got on the end of it and put it away well. (Laughing) It’s probably his last for the season. But regardless, we’ll take it.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION MIDFIELDER PAT PHELAN
It’s better to come in a 1-0 game than a 5-0 game, I’ll tell you that. Hopefully, it’s not my last. I think it was a crucial game for us, to keep our run going for us, and to give our fans something to be excited about. I’m just glad to be a part of it. I started in an offside position and came back onside. When my man didn’t follow me, I was kind of in the middle of the goal, and just had to deflect it one way or the other. I was able to get a good read on it and it went in. It was all Chris (Tierney). I just had to not mess it up, really.
I think the fight was good. We were missing some guys, and we just want to keep on this run. Keep getting points is the most important thing.
We would’ve liked to have initiated the attack a little more and not dropped into a shell, but that’s the way (DC) play and they are effective at it. They make things difficult, they push numbers forward.
We’ve got to pick up points if we’re going to get back in this thing. We don’t feel like we are out of the playoff race … this was a huge win for us.
(Goals) have got to come from somewhere, and with guys like Marko (Perovic) and (Kheli) Dube out, we are missing some of our attacking players, so I just think we just need to step up.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION DEFENDER CHRIS TIERNEY
Basically, what you’re trying to do is hit an area. I just figure that we have some big, physical guys - Shalrie (Joseph) and Pat (Phelan) obviously – they’re always going to be trying to get across the goalkeeper. I figure if I make the goalkeeper make a decision about whether he wants to come off his line or stay, you do that by putting the ball with pace and try and get it over the first defender and it causes problems every time. You know Pat did a great job of putting his body on the line and scoring a goal.
To be honest, we struggled to create some really clear chances tonight. Sometimes that’s the way you have to win games. You have to grind out results and it takes a guy like Pat who’s willing to put his body on the line and do whatever it takes to score the goal.
Points are critical at this point. Obviously, we didn’t play our prettiest brand of soccer but at this point it’s just about putting points on the board and getting back in the playoff race.
D.C. UNITED INTERIM HEAD COACH BEN OLSEN
I’m very very proud of those guys. I thought they fought extremely hard and I thought at times, we played some very good stuff. We didn’t do the most important thing which was to score some goals and that’s been a bit of a thorn all year. But my overall thought is that tonight was a good step. The way they battled and those guys are sick of losing and unfortunately we didn’t get rewarded again from, what I thought, was a pretty good performance.
We had pretty good chances, you put them in the net or you don’t and we didn’t.
I think that, for better or for worse, we use tonight as a fresh start. (It’s) something, I think, that the guys embraced and I think we saw some good energy out there. Again, in the end it’s very disappointing for the staff and the players because there was nothing at the end of the day but me saying that it was a good performance.
D.C. UNITED DEFENDER CAREY TALLEY
I really feel that we should have walked out of here with a victory. If you look at our chances, especially compared to their really one chance, we paid for one mistake. It’s not often you see that in soccer, you see one mistake causing a team to lose … It just didn’t go our way tonight and that seems to be the theme right now. You know Pablo (Hernandez) had a few chances, had a couple of headers on goal that could have gone and tied it and maybe giving us momentum for the end, then Steven King’s shot and finally Adam Cristman’s header there at the end. Everything was just off by a hair. When things are not going right and you have to make your own luck, it really takes something powerful to do it. Tonight it just didn’t happen but I thought in terms of our effort and our coordination, we were more of a unit tonight and it’s a lot easier to fight when you know the guy next to you is fighting, too. We contested every play tonight and contested every ball and every play mattered and we gave up one on a silly free kick.
I would say it was heavy week for us and, if anything, it was more of a distraction. Ben (Olsen) and the rest of the coaching staff did what they could to rally the troops and say, “Here is what we are going to do tonight and here is how New England plays and that’s solely what we are concentrating on for the next four days.” We came in with a game plan and for the most part we executed and pressed higher up the field and it just didn’t go our way.
I think we can take something from (the game) because that’s something that hasn’t been there all year. I don’t think there have been many games that we’ve gone out, especially in a losing effort, and say that we worked together as a team. This was probably the first loss where we went in and fought as a team and every guy that came in and every guy on the field fought and we can’t say that every game.
D.C. UNITED FORWARD ADAM CRISTMAN
On our team, we are all out there fighting for each other trying to change things and change the habits we have been in. The fight was there. We played good soccer at times and we give up a goal off a set piece when we should be disciplined and organized. That’s frustrating because, in that first half, we had much of the play and better chances and had better creativity and it seemed that Matt Reis was their playmaker in the first half. We were just unlucky to give up a goal like that, in my opinion, against the run of play.
It was nice. It was a good reception. I made a lot of friends and the fans were really good to me here. It’s nice to play against your old team again and show the effort. It’s nice to feel a little appreciated in the time I spent here and it’s a real fun thing.
It was a perfect ball. it dropped on me a little but I have to take the chance better and be better with my head. It’s one of those where we my eyes got so big and I lost focus for a second. It’s one of those mistakes we have been plagued with all year.
