Postgame Quote Sheet
LA Galaxy 0, Real Salt Lake 0
Wednesday, May 6, 2015 – 6:30 p.m. PT
MLS Regular Season
Rio Tinto Stadium – Sandy, Utah
LA GALAXY HEAD COACH BRUCE ARENA
On the match overall:
“You know the game wasn’t crazy, it wasn’t very good. But it wasn’t crazy.”
On His feelings on the defensive performance of his team:
“Yes for the most part but at the end but with some fatigue and we made some mistakes so that wasn’t good. The guys fought for 90 minutes. It was a tough night with all the circumstances around the conditions. Nothing great. We’re not going to market this one.”
On the game’s ending:
“We’ll take the point and get out of here.”
On if he was disappointed with Juninho missing the penalty:
“Whatever.”
On Omar Gonzalez’s performance:
“Omar did well; we had a bunch of guys playing hurt. We’re missing a lot of players so to come here and battle while dealing with the altitude and conditions, and to get a point, I can’t complain. We’ll get a couple guys back for Saturday, and I expect the same kind of effort.”
LA GALAXY DEFENDER OMAR GONZALEZ
On the way the game ended:
“We basically have a chance to win it. Olave tackles me in the box, Juninho hits a pretty good PK and Nick Rimando, who is amazing at PK’s, happens to do what he does best. He came up clutch for Salt Lake and kept the point for them.”
On just earning a single point:
“I’m pleased we managed to get a point here where it is always tough to play. But disappointed because we were that close to getting all three points.”
On the defensive performance:
“I thought everyone kept a good line. Salt Lake was trying to beat our line and failed countless times. We played strong. They have two big guys up top who are very physical and I think we matched them up well. They had possession in the midfield but they didn’t really have that many good solid chances. And the ones that they did have were deflections and Jaime [Penedo] came up big on those. On the night I think if we would’ve made the PK we would’ve deserved to win.”
LA GALAXY FORWARD ALAN GORDON
On earning a point despite missing a penalty:
“I think all things considered this was a good result for us. This is going on a string of games where we’re playing multiple different people in multiple positions. We are obviously missing some key players; we’ve talked about that. But we continue to get results. And sometimes you need to grind out these tough games. It’s not an easy place to play and so to give ourselves a chance to win at the end, we’ll take that.”
On how the match began with the thunderstorm:
“It is difficult. But we all were professional about it and got going. Maybe it had a factor on the game and maybe it didn’t. But we stuck together as a team and that’s the most important thing. We’re going to Dallas unbeaten in five games and we’re going to try and get three points.”
REAL SALT LAKE HEAD COACH JEFF CASSAR
Overall thoughts:
“To sum it up, it’s improvement from last week. I thought that our possession was good tonight. I felt that we made good choices on the ball under difficult circumstances. Overall, really pleased with tonight. Obviously, the aim is to get three points at home, and I thought we pushed, but came up just a little bit short on the points, but not on the performance.”
On switching back to the diamond midfield:
“We drew it up differently. Attacking-wise, we were in a different formation, but defensively we dropped into that, and that was just to make sure we have cover. It wasn’t necessarily a diamond. It might look like that at times, but that’s not what it was.”
On what the team does to stay focused during weather delays:
“We just make sure that they [the players] are properly hydrated, getting focused, and then making sure that they have the right foods in them, because they had to wait another 50 [minutes]; that pushes the time back. We were just making sure they were hydrated, bananas, protein bars, whatever.”
On what the atmosphere in the locker room is like during the break:
“We kind of just let them have a mental break because we didn’t know exactly when we were going to be going out. Some were playing darts, some were listening to music, and then when we knew we were going to go out, we knew 15 minutes before, and that’s when we started to refocus.”
On if he got an explanation on the PK call:
“I didn’t get an explanation, but he did say he did foul him. I have to look at it; I haven’t seen it. Let’s hope it was. He called 10 offsides on us in the first half and then a PK in the 90th minute – I’m sure he didn’t get them all right.”
On having Nick Rimando as a keeper for PKs:
“It’s just a tremendous amount of confidence in him. I think that teh other teams don’t have confidence when they face him, and that’s a big thing. This save wasn’t routine either, it was a fantastic save.”
On Jordan Allen’s performance on the night and over the beginning of the season
“He’s just dynamic, and he’s willing to take people on. He’s responsible defensively as well. He just brings energy. I love to see him play because he’s aggressive in his mind, but responsible defensively as well.”
On how he approaches the scoreless streak:
“I think we put ourselves in positions to score tonight – and that’s what I’m going to talk about. If we continue to put ourselves in those positions, we will score. We have quality players – quality strikers, midfielders. It’s coming. We just have to keep trying to do the right things.”
On if he’ll rest guys in Chicago:
“I think we’ll have to get the staff together, find out how everybody came through this game. It looked like a couple players took some knocks there – [Alvaro] Sabo[rio], [Elias] Vasquez, even [Jamison] Olave looked like he had a little bit. We’re to have to try to get as many fresh players out on the field as possible, but still going there trying to get three points.”
On Luis Gil’s play filling in for Morales:
“I thought he had a good game – I really do. It’s tough playing against two defensive midfielders that were really sitting in there. I thought his movement was good. I thought he was bright, and I thought it was a “nearly night” – it was nearly really good.”
REAL SALT LAKE GOALKEEPER NICK RIMANDO
On saving the penalty kick:
“Try to save it. Try to stall a little bit. I tried to ask the referee what was going on, tried to figure out what the call was all about, then just focus on the ball and I was lucky to guess the right way… The center ref had no idea. I kept on asking him, and he wouldn’t say anything. He said it was a PK when I asked him.”
On the overall play tonight:
“A lot better. Definitely a step in the right direction. A change in the formation a little bit. As you saw, we had a lot of chances this game, a lot of attack in the offensive third. A lot more than the previous games and our coach was saying a lot, but I thought that tonight we were really inches from scoring a goal and getting things moving, but if we would have lost this game I would have been so proud of these guys the way they fought tonight. Just a different game all around. Attitude, fight, commitment on the field and if we continue that, then you will see some positive things for us.”
On LA Galaxy Goalkeeper Jaime Penedo:
“He had a great game. I think his last game here he had a great game as well, and I think this year he’s been having some of these games a lot and helping them get some points, so I tip my hat to Jaime for this game tonight, because like I said, we were so close, but he made some big saves.”
On his track record on saving PKs:
“Maybe there’s intimidation with the players knowing. My track record with the PK’s, maybe it’s me? I don’t know. There’s some study going on for sure, there’s a feel, there’s last minute decisions, and a lot of them go against me, but it was for me and I’m happy, because I don’t think that we should have lost that game tonight.”
On Jordan Allen:
“He’s a hungry kid that when given an opportunity, he grabs a hold of it. I’m not the coach, but he’s definitely making the coach have a tough decision when game time comes. He’s putting in his work on defensively and offensively he’s getting his chances. He’s getting to the line, crossing the ball, he’s shooting, he’s everything we need in that position.”
REAL SALT LAKE MIDFIELDER LUKE MULHOLLAND
On Rimando’s PK save:
“I thought the referee went this way, then the linesman was like, no let me give you a penalty just to liven the last three minutes, then I was like, Rimando’s got it. You kind of get surprised every time, but it shows how good the goal keeper is and he has such a good spring on him as well as psyching out the penalty taker, and that’s the reason why he’s the best goal keeper in the league.”
On RSL’s rhythm of the game compared to previous games:
“Yeah, better rhythm than the last couple of games for sure. Maybe because of the playing conditions the referee let us play more compared to the last game, so that was good. We’re just more careful with the ball and we didn’t give it up as much in the first half. I thought that Jordan Allen had another great game. Going forward Luis and Saborio’s work ethic as well even after winning back the ball for us, I thought he had a stellar game tonight. Usually he gets luck graces when he’s standing there in the middle waiting for the ball to come to him, but where the two players up top tonight, both of them working hard, Saborio and Devon both working hard.”
On the lightning strike during the anthem:
“I had plenty of games where we got delayed and delayed, but not a time with the lightning was uh…nothing as scary though. As soon as that finished then the referees called it and I grabbed the little kid that I had and run inside. (So you picked him up?) Yep. I was like, come on we got to go.”
REAL SALT LAKE DEFENDER TONY BELTRAN
On the explanation on the foul call:
“I have not watched it yet. I tried to pull it up in the cold tub. A couple of the guys said it could have been a PK, but it’s tough to comment until I see it. All I know is I have no idea, someone crushed me from behind. My calve is going to be sore tomorrow, but I have no idea why the foul was called or what happened.”
Thoughts while Nick Rimando is about to save PK:
“Always going to save it, always. I mean, the guy is incredible. He’s clutch. He must be the…he must have the most PK saves of all time in this league. (42 of 66) Really? That’s insane. Hands down he’s the greatest keeper to play in this league and it’s a pleasure to play in from of him. Every time someone steps up against him, I’m always thinking about, alright get in position, Nick’s going to save it, get in position.”
On the quick turnaround to Chicago:
“I think we just have to focus a little bit. The intensity tonight was great. I think this could have been our best performance of the year. I think midfield particularly was very effective. It looked like RSL where there was a lot of tight passes in there, a lot of triangles, so I think again, if we can up the intensity, up the focus every game and do the right things defensively especially on the road. The goals are going to come for sure.”
On Jordan Allen:
“Everything stood out about Jordan Allen, I mean when he was training with us four years ago I knew he was going to be incredible. He’s got it all. He’s fast, he’s strong, he’s technical and I think most importantly he’s hungry. He’s a very hungry young man and he’s got a good head on his shoulders. Sometimes it’s tough to deal with that kind of talent when you’re that young and you know the pressure, but he continually does the right things here in the locker room and outside of the game and that’s why he’s getting his chance on the field. Credit to him.”
