Union head coach Jim Curtin
Opening Statement

Obviously a very disappointing result, we let a huge opportunity slip through our fingers tonight. I don’t think we played particularly well in the first half but Chaco scored a very good goal in the free kick. From there, the only thing that was good was that we didn’t give up a shot on goal in the first half even though they carried the play and did better with the ball. When the second half started, we had some okay moments but we couldn’t get a good chance for a second goal. They’re a good team and given time on the ball they started to pass well and broke us down for two goals. We got beat on the one out wide and the second one was actually a miss kick by the goal keeper. It was a punt that we let bounce and then from there it’s a scramble. It’s a poor result, again, at home. It’s not the way we wanted things to go obviously. We have to pick ourselves up and look forward to Columbus.

Why Brian Carroll over Ethan White?

Well, Ethan White is a center back so they play different positions. Brian Carroll is a holding midfielder that we brought in with the thought of knowing Chaco, going into the game, was only going to give us around 60 minutes. He gave us 30 last game and to make the jump to 90 would have been difficult. The same thing with CJ.  I talked to CJ at halftime and tried to get 20 minutes more and we pulled him about 3 minutes prior. So those two came out with the idea of Andrew giving us 30 minutes on legs that I knew were tired, but I thought he gave us a good 30 minutes and pushed things. Brian Carroll had nothing to do with the goal. Ray gets beat 1 on 1 in a spot where he never gets beat 1 on 1 and today he did. So to put that on him is ridiculous and if you want to put it on me that’s fine but at the same time, I knew going into the game that I was subbing those two guys around the 60 minute mark. With the thought of three games in nine days, it didn’t work out. Obviously they scored right after the subs were made so that’s what everyone is going to point to, but it was a one on one play that, as a defender, sometimes you get beat. We learn from it and have to move on.

On Sebastien’s free kick to CJ

Jim- He timed it well and it was up in the air. I just think he didn’t get his head well across the goal. They pulled two off the line at the end and there were a couple scrambles but again, it wasn’t our best day. It wasn’t a great performance from us.

On Pfeffer’s performance

Jim- It was a newer spot for Zach to play a little more defensive. But at the same time it was a game where I thought we would have more of the ball then we did, to be honest. We weren’t on it and when we were on it, we were sloppy with it. I think we put an attacking lineup on the field with Pfeffer and Chaco but we still didn’t master being clean with our passes and being sharper on the ball. Zach had an up and down game. He had some really good moments and then he had moments where we lost some sloppy balls. Michael (Lahoud) was putting in a lot of fires for us. It was a matter of us not doing a good job. I thought when Jermaine came with the ball, he was a great passer. He played balls through our lines and that gave us a problem, especially in the first half. In the second half we did a little better of a job but it was a situation where I thought we would have the ball more than we did so Zach had to defend a little bit more. He made some good plays defensively and then also so it’s a learning experience for him and I still think he had some good moments.

Did you see communication issues on the field?

Jim- No, they’re trying to talk through a win and I think it was mainly when Jermaine went against the ball. Again, he’s usually a midfielder so he’s comfortable on the ball. When he would come forward with it we didn’t do a good enough job of running at him and making him give it up. To his credit, whether it was the 60 yard diagonals that he hit or the 30 yard balls on the ground that played between our lines, he was very good on the day and defensively, he was also great in the air. He did a good job for them.

When does possession become an issue?

Jim- We have to pass better. We haven’t passed well in a lot of our games and a lot of sloppy turnovers and lack of confidence trying to play in tight spots. Whether it’s swinging the ball around our back line a little bit more confidently just to make the other team do a little running, it’s about finding a balance there. The score does dictate sometimes when you’re up 1-0, the team is going to come at you a little bit but again, we have to find a way to play the game more on our terms and that does involve being better with the ball and doing better with possession.

Do you have an extra challenge this week keeping the team confident?

Jim- Of course, we only have one win. Again, if we win today we’re in third place. It’s a fine line. If we lose, New England jumps up so again, we missed a huge opportunity tonight. Luckily, the Eastern Conference is tight. We have to get on a run and that’s something that we haven’t been able to do this year. We need to put really good performance together and get three points because at home you can’t afford to drop all three points.

Any thought of playing out of the back?

Jim- We can talk about it but it doesn’t really suit us to play like Columbus does, for example. It’s a combination of guys wanting to be on the ball more and getting comfortable on it. But I don’t think that suits our current personnel.

On Fernando and Sebastien

Jim- I think there’s still a little bit of learning for each other’s strengths and tendencies. For different reasons, Fernando hasn’t been able to train with us, whether it be the broken hand or the quad that’s been an issue. I talked about that with him the other day and it’s about finding a balance with his teammates, when to run with the ball, when to pass. His teammates can do a better job of staying wide and being an option wide. He does a good job holding the ball but sometimes there’s no one there for him to lay it off to and he gets isolated a little bit so it’s still a process and we have to get better.

Why was Vincent not on?

Jim- He hurt his ankle against New York City FC so he has an ankle injury. That  kept him out of the game today.

Union midfielder Zach Pfeffer
On playing for the national team this week

Any time getting called up to the national team is a huge honor, so we’re getting in crunch time leading up to the world cup so we only have about a month left. So this is really the last camp before Tab Ramos picks the team. It’s an important camp for me and I am excited.

How important was it to yourself in this game knowing you’re not going to be here next week?

Yeah, any time you step on the field you want to show yourself, and help the team and do as best as you can. That’s always my goal. I thought I put in a pretty good shift tonight. Disappointed with the result. But now my focus is for this next week with the national team, and then come right back here and get back to business.

A little different position for you today than the way Jim’s used you in the past, tell me about that, is that something you’re used to, that further back role?

Yeah, I was sitting a little deeper today but I’m comfortable in any spot really in the midfield or the attacking third, on the wings. I was comfortable there I had no issues with it at all. Again, if I’m on the field I’m happy. I will play wherever the coaches need me to play. We had to work out some kinks here and there but overall went pretty well, obviously it can always be better.

I know you said in the past the defending part is a part of your game you want to keep working on, and I guess this role forces more work on that like a game like this, what was that kind of like?

Yeah absolutely, there has been more running involved, more like that box to box midfielder so I had to try to get myself in the attack. I had to give support to the attacking guys. The first responsibility was definitely try to take care of my defensive duties, so that was most important.

How does much of the communication change when you are playing back D and playing next to Mike instead of Wenger?

Yeah, you know you have to communicate at all times, always have to be checking your shoulders and helping each other out and telling guys where they need to cut off the passing lane or if the guy is on their shoulder, here, there or wherever it may be. You have to communicate that’s a huge part of the game. You see guys screaming at each other because it’s hard to hear in the stadium, but that is a huge part in order to play that defensive role.

Where does [U-20’s head coach] Tab Ramos say where he wants you to play in order to go to the Olympics?

Honestly I’m not sure where I’m going to play yet. In previous camps I’ve played out wide in the 20s and the 23s. I’m not going to beat against the market but I’m going to guess out wide. I think Tab has been watching me in every game this season and I’ve been playing centrally, so you know that could definitely be an option so we will see when I get to camp and take it from there.

Union defender Maurice Edu:
A lot of people have seen improvement in the back line, overall, what have you seen and what is your comfort level with this?

I think I’d still be happy if we gave up less goals. If we keep clean sheets and put ourselves in a good position, we should push and win games. Today we gave up a goal on a counter attack, which we try to score goals on counter attacks, so to give up a goal on a counter attack it’s a little bit disappointing for us. It’s been a hard week. We’ve played 2 difficult teams. We don’t want to harp on that but it did take an early toll on us and now all we can do is put this game behind us and focus on the game that’s coming up in Columbus. We have a good week to focus on that.

It seemed like a couple times today, you and Steven and some of the mid-fielders feel there was a lot more harping on communication, were there adjustments that had to be made with Zach in there and some changes. Were there adjustments in the communication?

I think Zach’s more comfortable in a up tempo play, and you just have to talk and communicate more with the guys around him and to help him out a little bit. Overall, I think that the team was more vocal. Everyone takes it upon themselves to be more vocal which helps the whole group collectively. It helps everyone stay more in tone with the game because you are seeing things around you and that is the only way you can know and help the guy next to you. So, I think collectively we can be a little bit more vocal as a group moving forward.

In this game there are 4 subs that come in and then there are 2 goals they score. How did you sense it on both sides? The subs kind of changed the face of this one.

I don’t know it was a funny game. I think the guys that come off the bench. They try to create a spark. Try to lift the team and try to go off their guys who came in. Ultimately, I think we just came up short today. I don’t think we could be as sharp as we could be. I don’t think we created as much as we can and ultimately going forward we have to keep clean sheets and that puts us in a good position to win games.

Is there any worry with New England having picked your poison a little bit, when they play both centrally and with wings?

No, I don’t think we really focus on that, or where there are threats. Ultimately, we just worry about us and go out there and control a thing we can control and that’s how we play. That is how we try to approach every game. I think if you are overly worried about your opponent then you’ve kind of taken a step back of how you are approaching the game. You can be aware of what threats they have but ultimately you just need to worry about your own game.

Revolution head coach Jay Heaps:
Ever have that kind of success that quickly from your bench in your game?

Jay: I mean, look, we really felt like we had good options off the bench in the lineup that we didn’t want to sit on too long. I thought all three of them contributed really well and changed the game in our favor. We felt the game was going there, but they just even added another element.

What was the message at halftime?

Jay: You know to be honest I think it should have probably been 0-0, but it was a great free-kick that for me, I was just so disappointed we weren’t taking our chances well. We were getting little things here, but in the end, that pass wasn’t there and so to be honest with you halftime wasn’t the best halftime. We were disappointed with the organization on the set piece goal and we were disappointed with how we were playing. So it was not a flowerly – flowerful – halftime – put it that way.

How comfortable were you with sliding Jermaine back to that center back spot because you had to make some changes to the backline?

Jay: Very comfortable – I mean, Jermaine is the starting center back for our national team most games. So it was an easy move and we’re still trying to get Jermaine minutes – I don’t know if he’s 90 minutes fit in the midfield, but as center back I thought he organized well, led the group – you know his voice at halftime was well-received and I thought he led the group in the second half, even from back there, he was on his game.

Taking six points from the last two away games – how does that set you up with two games at home back to back coming up?

Jay: You know, it’s one game at a time for us, and if we maintain that philosophy, then you don’t get ahead of yourself. We knew Philly was coming off a tough week, it’s never easy to play Thursday and Sunday, so we wanted to get here and put a little pressure on them, but I thought they came out and managed the game well. Jimmy does a great job at setting up the group. They were hard to break down – it wasn’t just what we weren’t doing, it’s what they were doing in the first half. And then the second half we did feel like the wind was a factor as well and we were able to get more pressure on them and our guys really came alive in that second half.

Knowing that Philly has blown leads, does that factor into your thinking of the game?

Jay: No, I mean you aren’t really concerned about that – we needed to play. I think for us, halftime was more about us than it was them. We like to score in bunches – unfortunately this season has been either 2 or 0 – so if we score the first one we feel like we’ll get the second one.

it’s your first non-penalty goal in the second half all season - what changed or what has been the problem?

Jay: Yeah, I think our spacing at times has been a little off. I thought tonight in the second half we started to get that out when we’re not on top of each other. We’ve had a couple guys coming back from injuries – Teal and Lee – so I think our guys are just finding the rhythm and you know it’s good to get on grass and to play outside because we’ve been in bubbles and on turf all preseason in Massachusetts because of the snow so I feel like we’re starting to get our mojo back a little bit and unfortunately it’s in the game so you don’t have much time to prepare but at the same time, we’re getting there and I liked the way our guys prepared tonight.

Revolution midfielder Teal Bunbury:
Have you ever made that big of an impact coming off the bench in your life? I mean you get an assist and a goal…

Teal: I mean I’m not quite sure, to be honest. I know all the guys, whenever their number is called, they want to go in and do the best they can whether it’s working defensively, scoring, whatever it may be – we have a lot of heart on this team and I feel like all the guys worked their tails off today and we deserve the three points. Philly players definitely had a great game, but coming off the bench I wanted to make an impact, and whatever that was I was going to be happy with. Getting three points is crucial on the road.

Was your plan to go through his legs or does that just happen?

Teal: Just spur of the moment, you know.  You try to take what you can, and Charlie made a great run in the box and I just tried to slip it across and he buried it.

And what about your goal – talk about that.

Teal: Diego made a great-run, we made eye-contact, it was all Diego. He looked up and saw me, took another touch, looked up again and I just tried to get in front of my defender and he put it there on a platter for me and it was easy to just tap it in.

Six points from two games on the road, how does that set you guys up going home for three weeks or so?

Teal: It’s huge for us. Getting points on the road is so crucial in this league and now that we have a couple games at home we have to maximize those points, as well, and push ourselves above the rest and boost our confidence.

A lot of defensive changes for you guys on the back line, what can you say about those guys who shifted and the effort they put in today (speaking specifically about London Woodberry and Jermaine Jones).

Teal: A big congrats to London. His first start back there – he was unbelievable to me. He was the man of the match, nonstop winning balls and playing great balls out of the back. And everyone knows JJ can play the center back position – he’s the maestro back there and had a solid game as well.

What was said at halftime – what was the mood and feeling?

Teal: The feeling was that we could go out there and do a little bit better. We could execute a little better and I feel like we did that in the second half. (Interviewer asks about Philly’s tendency to give up goals late in games). We don’t focus too much on other teams while we’re playing, we really try to focus on ourselves. When we’re playing, we’re knocking the ball around and keeping possession and guys are working for each other, that’s when we’re at our best and that’s when we’re able to beat teams.

Revolution forward Charlie Davies
Did you need any type of clearance to wear that jersey?

Charlie: Probably not – a simple message happy birthday to my wife – I don’t think there’s any approval needed for that. I just planned it because it’s my wife’s birthday today, I did it because she’s someone extremely special and I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for her. When things were really tough, she was the one to pick me up everyday. I wanted to make this a special birthday for her.

Was there a wink involved too for her? I saw it on Twitter but didn’t see it in the game.

Charlie: Yeah, there was a little one. I was just extremely happy and filled with joy to be able to do that for her. It really meant a lot to me – obviously the win is extremely important, but being able to score a goal for her on her birthday meant a lot to me.

You don’t care what type of goal you score as long as you score – but it seemed like that type of goal where you just get in the box, you get in the right place, and you’re there to perform.

Charlie: Teal and I actually talked about this for the past week – we have such a good chemistry going. He’s a player that can read exactly where I want to be and I think that kind of happens off the field as well. Our friendship and our bond is so close and it’s developed into a great friendship and he can finish some of my sentences sometimes and I think that kind of is helping our chemistry on the field and it definitely showed on that first goal. He’s definitely been very positive and helpful to me since I’ve been here.

All three of the subs come on and have a big part – that’s the impact you want from them.

Charlie: I mean, it’s a team-win. I think today was the definition of a team-win. I couldn’t be more thrilled and happy for the team – every guy stepped up, I was most impressed with London Woodberry – to come in and really dominate the right-side – you know, no one was even nervous with him on the field, he did a fantastic job for us. It’s unbelievable when you have players who can just show up and you know you can count on them. And Diego came in, Chris came in, Teal came in – and you know, we have a really deep team. I think we can be a really special team when everything is working for us and I’m very excited for the future with this team. We still haven’t put it together and that’s the scary part – how good can we get.