Photo and video: Daniel Gajdamowicz

John Hackworth’s postgame press conference

Postgame locker room interviews with Ray Gaddis, Jack McInerney, and Michael Farfan

Philadelphia Union postgame quotes

Team Manager John Hackworth

Opening Statement

On a day like today I think hopefully we have won a little respect. It is just one game so we have to keep it in perspective but Red Bulls are a very good team having the kind of game we had regardless of what happened with them…we started here well put the game on our terms and still even being up a man it is awful hard to beat a team of the quality of the Red Bulls so I’m very happy for the players and the team and this organization.

On the importance of controlling the game for 90 minutes

I think it was everything for us because we said we needed this kind of win, we needed to beat somebody above us in the table, we needed to really make sure we played a complete game in all ways. Look I am not saying that was a complete game, but the proponents and what we did for that 90-plus minutes was really important for this club. For a young team to have the kind of experience and do it against a quality side, it is a big step for us.

On Conor Casey

Yeah I have always thought Conor was going to be what we saw today and I think he has done it sneakily all year long, but today was obviously a huge day for him, quality in every way and he does so many little things for our team that makes us better so very happy for Conor.

On beating NY and being in second place

It means that hopefully we are going to be a team all year long that is going to fight, play some quality soccer and hopefully be there at the end. Again it is just one game, but it was a really important game under the spotlight. For this club it was huge. I think for this city it was big. I had a guy come up to me at Wawa this week and he didn’t say hello, didn’t introduce himself, he just came up to me and “Hey, you better beat NY.” And that is how it’s been all week long. That is just one of those kind of stories and it is the truth so it is important to this city.

On defeating the Red Bulls with some key players missing from the line-up

I think we have to keep the focus on the guys that are going to be on the field. It is hard to prepare sometimes when you know some players are not in there and see who they are going to roll out eventually. So I still think that roster today was a very good roster. I think anytime you have Henry on the field literally anything can happen. I mean he is a world class guy in all ways and in the 70th minute we were still 1-0 and you could tell that he was trying to get his team to say “look all we need is one chance to get back in this game” They weren’t panicked, they were composed so I still think we had to be the quality side today to do it and that was what our preparation was for all week.

On players scoring that weren’t Jack McInerney

Well Robles robbed him on the one save, it was unbelievable. That was great and we could all tell because at that point we all thought it was going to be 2-0. Jack, as long as he does the work, as long as he plays his role on this team, he will get chances. Goal scorers are going to have times when they are getting their chances and they are finishing them. Today, unfortunately it wasn’t his day to find the back of the net, but he did a lot of work and he helped the team and it was huge for us.

On the red card

I haven’t looked at it, but I am going to go back and look at it. I thought it was a hard challenge. I thought there were two guys definitely laying their bodies on the line. I have not seen it to see what it looks like. It does change the game I am not going to argue that fact at all and Danny is feeling it. Danny is so important to our team, he epitomizes some of the energy we talk about, some of the attitude, some of the Philly toughness, just pure Philly toughness. I think on that tackle he showed that. I hope he can recover and be ready for next weekend because he is so important to us.

On building off of today’s win

You just got to keep things in perspective.  We got Dallas coming here next Saturday, they are at the top of the table, I think they are second right now, but I think this is going to be a tough stretch. We do NY and Dallas at home would set the tone in a big way. Two teams that were above us on the table and so just got to keep it in perspective, not get too high or too low.

On this being the Union’s first win against NY since 2011

I think we put in on even terms. The way we approached it within our team is our goal this year, trying to make sure that we are competitive in these little series and so now it is even. I think the last game of the season against them is going to be a huge one.

Danny Cruz

On the injury he suffered in the first half…

It’s swollen. I have five cleat marks on the side of my leg, but I’m excited right now about the result, and about where the club is. I’m really happy about that.

On the challenge that resulted in the red card to Lloyd Sam…

I slid in with my foot down. I thought I could get to the ball first. I felt like I did. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that it was a red card, and I think the guys on my team felt the same way.

On the matchup with Brandon Barklage down the left flank…

I felt confident. Keon (Daniel) and (Brian Carroll) did a really good job of getting me isolated, and I felt good. I felt really good. As you guys already know about me, I’m a pretty emotional person, so when a few things were starting to go my way, I was starting to feel a little more confident. I felt that I had a call that didn’t go my way, so I got a little bit heated, but I think it was good for the group. It was good for the team. Obviously, you see a 3-0 result against a team like that, and we’re climbing up the standings.

Further discussion of the foul that resulted in Lloyd Sam’s sending off…

I felt like it was a red card. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind. People are going to say what they feel like, and they’re entitled to that, but my leg feels otherwise. I know that he wasn’t hurting at all after the tackle, but I certainly was.

On if he thought Lloyd Sam was going for the ball or his leg…

No, I don’t think he was trying to hurt me or anything like that. I just think he came in—I know he came in, I watched the replay already, he came in with both his studs up. I came in, I kept my right foot down, I tried to swoop the ball, and I got the worst of it.

On his injury and if he will be fit for next week’s match…

We’ll see. Tomorrow I’m going to go get everything checked out, get all my tests done. It doesn’t feel good right now. They want me on crutches, but me being me, I probably won’t be using those. I’ll wake up in the morning and hopefully get it taken care of.

Conor Casey

On if he feels like he has something to prove…

For sure. Every day, you’re trying to get better, regardless of where you’re at in your career.

On his multi-goal game and what it does for his confidence…

As a forward, obviously you want to score. The most important thing is to put the work in. Jack’s been on fire all year, and it’s good for some of the other guys to kind of get in there and take the load off of him as well. It’s good for a lot of different reasons.

On Jack McInerney possibly missing time due to a potential Gold Cup recall…

I just have to keep doing what I’m doing. Try to improve every day, go out there and work hard, and try to make the most of my opportunities.

On the Union’s dominating performance tonight…

We came out well. When we played D.C. (in the U.S. Open Cup), we didn’t come out well at all, and that’s something that we wanted to correct this week. We did. Unfortunately, once they went down a man, we kind of eased off for a little bit. Luckily we came out in the second half and put our foot back down.

On Jamison Olave’s absence and if it changed his approach…

Certainly. He’s one of the hardest defenders in the league to play against. It was an opportunity that we had with both him and Cahill out, and we had to take advantage of it, and it was a good thing that we did.

On the approach changing because Olave is absent, or because the pairing of Heath Pearce and Markus Holgersson was new…

I don’t know. Obviously, (Olave) is a very good player. Regardless if he is playing or not, we’re going to go out there and try to do the same job. But, certainly, the 3-0 result was what we had in mind going in.

On his disallowed goal and if it was a positive or a negative early in the match…

It’s good, because we’re getting chances, so it’s a good sign. Obviously you want it to be a legitimate goal, but we had a lot of chances throughout the game, and that’s good. Being up a man, or not up a man, as long as we’re creating chances, that says a lot about the direction of the team.

Jack McInerney

 On his overall play tonight…

I thought I had a pretty good performance, other than not scoring, but my performances are kind of based on if I score or not, and I didn’t do that today, but overall, I’m pretty happy.

On if he has heard about a Gold Cup recall and if this was his last game with Union for a time…

Well I haven’t heard anything, but I know just one more game, the Dallas game, and then (I would miss games) if I do get called in.

On if this match was an audition for Jürgen Klinsmann…

Yeah, I kind of got a heads up that (a potential recall) would be based on this performance this weekend, so I should hear something this week.

On if, based on that, he was disappointed that he did not score…

Obviously it would have helped to score, but I’ve obviously proven I can do that, so I just had to put in a good performance like I said.

On when he will hear about a recall…

 At the beginning of this week.

On if waiting to hear about a recall is an anxious situation…

 It is. Obviously I would like to make it, and I’m looking forward to it, but if I don’t make it, it’s not like I will be let down or anything.

On his teammates taking the pressure off of him tonight…

It’s good for the team, it’s good for the team’s confidence. Obviously, I would like to get on the scoresheet. For me, my performances are based on if I score or not, so for me, it’s not good that I’m not on the scoresheet, but the team played really well today. Conor (Casey) and (Antoine Hoppenot) both deserved their goals.

On the result…

It’s huge. We knew we were capable of doing it. Being on national TV, and jumping into second place in the East, we just sent a message to the rest of the teams around the league.

On his first half-chance that resulted in an outstanding save by Luis Robles…

When the ball fell at my feet, I thought that it was going to be an easy one. He made an incredible save. There’s not much I can do with that.

On how the Union’s game plan changed with New York going to 10 men…

It didn’t change it too much. We still wanted to put a lot of pressure on them, and in a way, it kind of made it tougher for us. Usually when a team goes a man up, they kind of drop their level of play, and I think that happened to us right away, but we picked it up in the second half.

Zac MacMath

On snapping the team’s losing streak against New York…

It feels great. Personally, I haven’t beat this team. For me to get a shutout, and for our team to get a big win, especially to bump us up into second place and tie them in the standings, it’s massive for us and for our season going forward.

On if it was important for the team to make a statement tonight…

You know, not really a statement to anyone, but just to prove to ourselves that we can beat some of the best teams. Obviously they were a bit shorthanded, and with the red card and everything, but we outplayed them in the first 15-20 minutes when they had a full squad. I think that it proved something to ourselves, and the next 5-6 games are really important games that we need to win.

On his confidence after two straight shutouts…

It feels good. I don’t remember the last time I had two shutouts in a row. Obviously there was a little bit of a break in between. It feels good. It’s good for the defense. I think that today, there wasn’t a shot on goal, so a lot of the credit goes to them for the shutout.

On the homestand and if he can record a third consecutive shutout against Dallas on Saturday…

 I don’t remember the last time this team won three games in a row in the league, so that would be a big milestone for our team, especially against a good team like FC Dallas.

On what it takes for the Union to sustain a high tempo for 90 minutes…

Fitness, and playing games together. Obviously this is our 16th, 15th game—whatever it is. It took time, and it took time for this team to start to gel, and I think we’re finally starting to find that. We have to find that balance with the summer heat, and being able to pressure teams for 90 minutes, knowing when to go, and when not to go.

On the signing of Oka Nikolov and if this shutout helps his confidence…

Obviously, regardless of who the team signs, or who is in the locker room, we want to get the shutout as a team. We want to get the win. That’s what most important—the three points. I think that the guys did a really great job today, and it’s really important that we can continue to play the way that we did today.

New York Red Bulls postgame quotes

Head Coach Mike Petke

On the red card

I think it’s a coin flip especially in this league, I don’t think he got it wrong he made his decision and he made the call he thought was right, I do agree that he went hard but for the ball.

I thought second half we did very well for being a man down, at times I think the final pass killed us and set them up for the counter.

On half-time substitution

The idea was to play 3 in the back with Kosuke playing forward but tracking back so he becomes a winger.

If we would have come and lose 3-0 with 11 men I would look at it in a different way, all our guys are angry because they are competitive and its obviously not a good result but we have to look forward to what is coming.

Lloyd Sam

Were you surprised about the red?

The ball was in front of me I’m not really sure how to go for that ball, but I would like to see the replay, until then I can’t really say.

What were your feelings when you saw the red?

I felt I let my team down. It was already a tough game with 11 so that wasn’t easy.

He had a bad touch and we both went for the ball which is something that happens in soccer all the time but you have to go hard or you get hurt yourself.

Thierry Henry

Not to look for any excuses but going down to 10 man is always going to be difficult, although like I said I am very critical and there was things we didn’t do, and, well, going to try for the win you let yourself exposed and 3-0 it happens. But being 10 men and down I thought we created a lot. Obviously we took the defeat I don’t think it was as bad as the score will tell you. There are things we can take from this game.

I don’t think the long break without playing had anything to do, I felt fresh to be honest, we just have to give them credit they did it better than us.

It’s difficult to judge this game, I don’t like to look for excuses but I would like to have seen this game 11 v 11. Hopefully we can react to this game and get back on track.

Luis Robles

I felt like we were very organized the first half, we were unfortunate to get that red card. Casey did well, he obviously created problems for us, but we have to give him credit. He has gotten where he is for a reason.

Did the long break between games affect the team’s performance?

I don’t want to sit here and say the break is the reason we loss that would be unprofessional, during the break we went back to the drawing board and talked about things that we needed to accomplish, unfortunately this wasn’t the start we wanted.