New England Head Coach Jay Heaps
General comments on the match…
"I think we fought hard. Unfortunately, the first half is what did us in. We didn’t play real well, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. We tried to get our bearings but credit to a good bunch of players on that team. I think they’re a good group of players. I think that’s a player led team."
On improved performance in the second half…
"It felt good. We started to move the ball better. Scotty made a good improvement, so tactically we made a little shift and we found a goal. A bing-bang play and then they go back and tie it again on the aggregate side. For me, it’s a really disappointing game to a really good group of guys in our locker room."
Heading into extra time after expending so much energy during regulation…
"We tried and I felt we had a couple chances here and there. We were hoping to get to penalties because we were hanging on and we thought we had the advantage there."
New England Revolution defender A.J. Soares
Thoughts on the match...
"It was a fun game to play in. It was a fun atmosphere. Both legs were awesome and it was great to be a part of it. Obviously, we are disappointed that we lost. I thought we did enough to win. We played really well over both legs. We had little spots where we were excellent and they had spots where they were excellent. It was a good battle. We went back and forth and at the end of the day, they came out with it. So I'm just really proud of the guys. The work rate, the commitment to winning over the last couple months has been phenomenal. It was a great team to be a part of and I'm really proud of the guys."
On Matt Reis...
"That's been the story the last couple months. Matt Reis has been phenomenal. I'm really sad to see him go down with that injury. Hopefully, he can bounce back quickly. He's a stud and really led us into the playoffs and through that last stretch of games where we needed to win all the time. He was that backbone, the guy we leaned on all the time and when we needed something to be said, a veteran presence to come in and let us know how it was going to be done, he was the guy. When we slipped up in the back, he was the guy that made the save. He was great and tonight he was great again and I'm just bummed out he went down with that injury."
On tired legs going into overtime...
"I wouldn't say we went into it tired. You have to keep in mind that they, in the first half, had to expend a lot of energy to get that first goal just to bring it even. So we knew going into the second half that they had just gone full out and that they had just put everything on the line to get that goal. It's not 0-0 in our minds and we have 45 minutes to play the game. We went out there, we did what we need to do and then we let a goal in, obviously. And then at the end of the day, they just got one on us."
Reflecting on the season...
"First of all, you keep in mind the feeling of losing. That sucks and you don't want to feel that again. It's not fun. Everyone feels terrible about not getting the result. But now we know how to win. We know how to win crucial games on the road. We showed that and everybody is young on this team. We can go forward learning, having been in a playoff series now. That experience is always huge going forward."
New England Revolution defender Darrius Barnes
Thoughts on the match...
"The effort was there. The effort was definitely there. It's just a difficult game. It was pretty much what we expected when we came out here. They were going to come out in waves. They were going to come out flying. That's what we predicted and that's what they did. They came out flying and put us under pressure early. They didn't really let us get in a groove the whole first half. They put their stamp on the game early. That definitely bothered and affected us in the first half. They had a couple chances in the first half and scored the one at the end of the half.
"Then in the second half, I thought the game opened up and we could play and found a couple of chances. Dimitry [Imbongo] makes a terrific finish on the set piece and that point we are feeling pretty good and comfortable. Unfortunately, we gave up that second goal that kind of took the wind out of our sails a bit. We hung on and played a bit until we got to overtime. They got a goal at the end of overtime and that's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes. You have to give credit to Sporting. I think they are a quality side and that they will make a big run in these playoffs. Big ups to them."
Thoughts on the overtime...
"Going to overtime, we were still confident. At that point, the game was completely open, it could have gone either way. The way they played, they had the majority of the ball, but we definitely had our chances. Especially on the break, we were able to get some good possession going forward and hit them on the counter. We had some chances as well, we just didn't put them away. Unfortunately, they buried the chances they got. Like I said, the overtime was a completely open game. It could have gone either way and they took their chances."
On the season...
"It's another one in the books. I'm extremely proud of this team. At the beginning of the season nobody thought this team would be here. This team showed a lot of resiliency, a lot of character. Everyone this season improved dramatically. We improved as a team and individually, and I don't think this is the last you will see of this team. This team is going to be back here next year, in a more dominant position ready to make a run at this thing. With the talent, and the young guys, and the experience we have on this team, next year could be a pretty big year for this team."
