New England Revolution head coach Jay Heaps

It was a tough game for us.

On the red card to Matt Reis …

I had no interaction with the referee at all. I felt that there was no explanation and it was disappointing … that’s what I think was the most disappointing, just the overall demeanor toward us. That’s what I feel upsets us the most.

We’re not going to quit. I think we practice these situations. You don’t practice them for 90 minutes’ worth of down-a-man, but I thought we did well. We actually practiced stuff where you get a red card, give up a goal and you’ve got 30 minutes to get back in the game. So we did for the first half, but obviously it’s tough to battle the whole time. For us, it was a great effort from our guys and credit our team, but credit Montreal. (Marco) Di Vaio finished two chances and they were brilliant.

We’ve been through (the red card/goal scenarios) a couple of times. You do it with film. This is our second time having a red-cardable offense early in a half. You work on who takes what and where you can press them and how you can break through, and just about when there is going to be the numbers advantage. You sort out if one guy can take two, then everyone else is man. We did a good job of that, unfortunately it was 1-v-1 and the one guy beat us.

(Marco Di Vaio’s first goal) was a great goal. It hurt us. We fought hard, but we needed a little bit of luck to go our way and it wasn’t going to happen tonight.

New England Revolution defender Jose Goncalves

On how the early red card changed the game ...
A lot. For me, I think it was a bad decision from the ref. I don’t see why he should give the red card. I think Matt (Reis) went for the ball and even if Matt dodged slightly – (Marco) Di Vaio played well but the ball was not going into the goal. It was going outside, so it’s a smart play for him but it’s a harder red card.

On second penalty kick …

You can see that Felipe (Martins) was flying everywhere on the field when someone touched him. The referee should be aware of that and I think he didn’t consider this as a trait for the game and he gave the penalty straight away the second time and I was very surprised.

I just told [Felipe Martins] he must stay on his feet and just play the game and not dance around the ball. That’s it.

We want to win on the field and try to do our best. With one man down, we know it is going to be very difficult but we kept believing, playing the ball and try to create some space behind the back. When they scored their third goal, it was a difficult one and to get back into the game, 4-2, with 10 minutes left, it was a short amount left, so we tried but at the end it was not possible.

No, I think it’s not because of the penalties, but it’s because of the way he started the game. The referee must calm down the game and that’s not what he did. The first chance he had, he gave a penalty and red card and Felipe was diving on the field, so he must punish him and give him a yellow card. That’s something everyone can see and everyone gets frustrated. So, from that point on, I think everyone was very frustrated and was difficult to concentrate on the game.

New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis

On the first penalty kick and his ejection …
The ball got played through, and [Marco Di Vaio] tried to hit it first-time and it got caught up in between his legs, and at that point, I made a play for the ball and I touched him, but I didn’t touch him very hard. He went down and looking at the replay, it looks like he kicks the ball out of bounds. So for me, if he wants to give the penalty, fine, but I completely disagree with the red card. It’s the letter of the law, but it’s also up for interpretation.
I think it’s harsh, it changes the game four minutes, five minutes into the game. It’s not that clear-cut, if it’s a ball that he touches around me. I come through and I clean him out, fine, but it’s such a quick bang-bang play, and if you want to award a penalty for that then fine, but for me, you have to give Jose (Goncalves) a red card then for his challenge – it’s the same exact thing. You can look at it and say he was the last defender and he’s taken away a clear-cut opportunity, so by the letter of the law, then that should be a red card too. It’s one of those things and it’s tough to swallow.
You could see it; you could see the frustration for us, and hats off to the guys playing down to 10 men for as long as they did. To get two goals and to work as hard as they did was something that we can look at and be proud of.

Montreal Impact head coach Marco Schallibaum

I think my team was ready from the first second. Also after the penalty and the red card it is a little bit helpful for us. I felt it before the game and also when we start of the game. It was a little easier, players had a bit of sight. I think we were ready. They played very well. We turned the ball very, very quickly and very good. So we made it also this victory. It was very important also when you see the standings to have a little break. The race is long far away, for the players. For us the moral and psychological side, it was very important to have these three points.

Every game is very difficult. I think on the road, also. We show this face, also we can win on the road. We won in Seattle, we won in Portland and in Kansas. Because it is a good team, New England, with 10 players, they make nice things, the pressure. Again it was very important to get these three points.

Inside (Marco Di Vaio’s goals) is very important in the dressing room, but also on the field. He is an opportunist. He is a goal-maker, he is a machine, like a terminator. I told him before the game he was a terminator and we need him again. He is crazy, but I am very proud to have this guy, but not only on the field is he an example, it is also in the dressing room. He is very very fit for 37, 38 years. So I am very happy to have him.

Montreal Impact midfielder Patrice Bernier

Yeah, we started off well. We tried to play. We know it’s a young team. They try to move the ball, but we got a penalty. We got off, I think we got complacent a bit after that goal. They equalized and then we got a second penalty, and then I think that’s when we started stepping on the gas and we managed to get a 3- and 4-1 lead. They came back, maybe a fluke goal. I must say: give them credit, they kept hustling even though with 10 men they tried to push. They never stopped. Good for them, but for us it was a great result to have three points and to distance ourselves from those fourth and fifth places. Now it’s the top three teams that are really going away.

On his approach to taking penalty kicks …

Same as last year, I had to take three against them. For me now, I’m in good confidence because it’s going in the back of the goal. It’s just (being) level-headed, and not thinking too much and just putting it in the back of the net knowing that it gives your team the lead also.

The thing is, you sometimes think you need to hurry because you are one man up and you can go to goal easier, but sometimes it just to move the ball and make them run and create that space, create that advantage. And on those two goals from Marco (Di Vaio), that’s what happened. We moved the ball and then a great ball by Hassoun (Camara) that got on top and isolated Marco on one-on-one, and one-on-one, we know he’s one of the most lethal strikers in this league.

Look, Marco (Di Vaio), he’s one of those players when he plays like a striker, it doesn’t have to be in the build-up and touching the ball 50 times. He is used to it. He is paid pretty much to score the goals and make the difference. He has been doing it tremendously for us this year and I think he is the leading scorer now. I think [Chicago Fire midfielder Mike Magee] caught up to him, but now he’s back to first place. He has scored some key goals and been a key element, especially up front with his finishing sometimes. Guys like that, it’s one or two chances and they put it in the back, and that’s what you need when you want to go further in this league and go to the playoffs.

Montreal Impact midfielder Felipe Martins

I think it was a penalty – not a caution. I think it was a penalty, and that’s it. I feel we did well, and have three points. That’s the most important thing.

On the Impact’s playoff chances after tonight’s result …
Very good, very good, because now we’re eight points ahead of the other teams so we have to keep going the same way.

On Marco Di Vaio’s two goals …

Good, good. He helped a lot our team, but the team is not only him. The team is all the players that did well tonight. I think we did very well, and three points is very important.

Referee Sorin Stoica
(Questions posed by pool reporter Kyle McCarthy, Fox Soccer and MLSSoccer.com)

Question 1: Did you determine Matt Reis (NE GK) denied a goal scoring opportunity when he fouled Marco Di Vaio (MTL #9) in the 5th minute?
Response: Yes

Question 2: If so, how did you determine the opening constituted DOGSO (denying a goal-scoring opportunity)?
Response: All the requirements for DOGSO were met.