REVS HEAD COACH JAY HEAPS
About the team...
I think this is the kind of result, if we’ve done it earlier in the year, we probably don’t win. Everyone played as hard as they could to get every inch tonight. We scored a set piece goal at the end. This is a good way to build on that kind of maturity, but it’s also a good thing for identity purposes. Meaning guys like A.J. and Darius really stepped up big. That becomes our identity if they can do it in big games on the road. That place was loud. And at the end of the game, when they were pushing on us, our guys didn’t back down, they stepped up huge.
About the game...
In the game plan, we wanted to play a little bit with a trap and kind of try to win the ball in the midfield. And we did that, defensively, but we didn’t keep it when we did it. That was the problem. We did a little bit better against Chicago at home, but tonight we can see that we were 2 or 3 passes and then we gave it back. We want to win it and keep it a little bit. Then, we’ll get forward and if we don’t, we drop back and play hard defensively. But tonight, when the ball is not going your way, when it’s not working, most teams give up, especially where we are. It’s a good step for us to end this way, but we have a long way to go.
About the win...
This was a good result because it wasn’t our best game and we still got the three points. This year, during the season, we played some really good games and didn’t get anything. For me, it’s developing the habit of winning. Guys got to know that they can do it and repeat it. When you can repeat these kind of performances, it starts to become your identity and then you know where to find it when the moment calls for it.
REVS MIDFIELDER CHRIS TIERNEY
About the game...
It was tough for us tonight, there’s no doubt about that. They are good at home. It was a classic road performance; they had the majority of possession obviously. Credit to our guys in the back, they really did a job for us tonight. We didn’t pass particularly well, but what we did do was we got the lucky bounce we needed that we haven’t gotten this year. We were committed for 90 minutes and we’re happy about that.
About the win...
There are plenty of games this year where we felt we played the team off the field in terms of possession, in creating chances and how we played. It’s good to know that we can win when we have to dig in and grab one out. You got to win this way in this league. It’s just the way it is. You’re not always going to have your best stuff but if you can dig in and find a way like we did tonight, you’re going to win games.
REVS DEFENDER A.J. SOARES
About the game...
They obviously came hard; we absorbed all their pressure and defended really well. There wasn’t one guy not working out there. Bobby did a good job in goal, Darrius next to me was phenomenal and Clyde right in front of me, he really runs the show. He keeps the team together, he’s really leading us. We got the one chance and I put it in. It was cool to celebrate; our fans were there, so it was a perfect little game for us.
About the goal...
Basically, if I score, it’s Chris (Tierney) putting a perfect bender under my head and I just closed my eyes and put my head on it. It was a perfect ball. I just had to give the guy half a foot of room, jump up, get my head to it and it was going in. The service was perfect.
IMPACT HEAD COACH JESSE MARSCH
About the game…
We did enough to deserve the win. It’s incredibly frustrating when you give up a goal that late in a game that you completely dominated. But the thing is that despite that frustration, I am very proud and thank the players very much for all they put into this season. The future looks very bright for this club.
On Patrice Bernier being named team MVP…
Very deserving for Patrice…He’s been an important player for us in so many ways. What a great way for him to come back to Montreal. After a great year in Europe, to come back home and have such a great year and help this club and then named MVP is very deserving, rewarding and accurate.
On Eduardo Sebrango’s possible last game…
As a group, we are all very appreciative of what kind of guy Eddy is and what he’s achieved in his career and what he puts into his daily work. He is a really good man and everyone looks up to him.
FORWARD EDUARDO SEBRANGO
On getting a chance to play…
It was exciting to get involved in the game tonight. It felt great to be on the field, but unfortunately it would have been better to help the team win. It was a close matchup. It came down to one corner kick and they get a lucky bounce and that was it.
On the fans giving him a standing ovation…
The fans have always supported me and they were great again tonight. They have always made me feel good since the very beginning. The come up to me on the street and no one has ever had a bad thing to say. It makes you feel like you’re part of the city; that you’re at home and I am very appreciative of them for that.
MIDFIELDER PATRICE BERNIER
On his season and being named team MVP…
It’s nice to get recognized tonight with that award. It is the icing on the cake of a good season for me and for the group collectively. It was because we played well as a team that we got close to the playoffs. I am pleased with what we did this year. For sure, we would have preferred to win the game tonight, but unfortunately couldn’t score. We created a lot of chances but couldn’t find the back of the net.
On how the game reflected the season…
On don’t know if we tried to have a replay retrospective on how our season went. We get a lot of chances, can’t score, and the other team gets one or two and then ends up scoring late. Now we have a few months to work on all the small details to get ready for next season.
