Philadelphia Union postgame quotes

Interim head coach Jim Curtin

Thoughts on the game

I thought we were organized defensively; we dodged a bullet or two in the first 15 minutes. We thought it was important to get through the first 15 without giving up a goal. This is a very dynamic attacking team that New England has so if you let them get started they’re a handful to deal with.

I thought our team played good defensively all night, from front to back. Our forwards defended well and our center backs did a good job, the whole backline did well. So, good, I was happy with the performance.

On the offense

We mentioned at half time — one of our assistants mentioned — trying to counter their counter attack. So they would try to counter us, and they would really throw numbers forward aggressively, and it was just a matter of us connecting that first pass, and then maybe have a guy actually turn and go at them, like you saw on the Cruz goal.

On the importance of Sebastien Le Toux continuing the run that led to the goal just before the half

Exactly. That’s one of those you do it nine times, you make that hard run after Connor flicks it, you know, that one he finally did the ball actually came to him. I think there was a little mistake from them, but you have to assume the worst is going to happen, so, it was a good play from Sebastien.

On the team performing well given the recent coaching change

Yeah, they did good. It has zero to do with the coach. It has nothing to do with the coach; it has to do with players. I have good players. I would say that the first half of the year, we had a lot of very good players that had a poor first half of the season. This is the second half of the season; it’s a new start for them. And, again, like I said, it has nothing to with me, it has everything to do with our players. I’m really proud of the effort tonight, and they played really well.

What have the past few weeks been like for you?

It’s been a whirlwind. I mean, I’m from Philadelphia, so there’s lots of phone calls you’re dealing with. It’s an exciting time, but at the same time, kind of grab it, and run with it , and do the best you can with the interim tag, and leave the club in a better place. That’s the goal — make the playoffs — that’s the goal.

What are the benefits of flipping the positions of Amobi Okugo and Maurice Edu?

Amobi did a great job in center midfield, he broke up a ton of plays, connected his passes. You saw Mo in the air, athletically, he can compete with anybody. Mo’s a soccer player. I’ve said it before, he can play any position on the field, he’s that gifted. He was our captain tonight, he led us, and the guys bought into him holding things together back there. He did a good job, and he can pass out of the back, so it’s a very good thing.

Sebastien Le Toux

Thoughts on the game

We tried to be very organized first as a team because we knew the quality of New England, they beat us at home last time we met them. They usually tend to play a possession style game – so we tried to keep our line pretty together and always moving together. It was kind of like our strategy through the start. We watched footage of the game against New York against New England a few weeks ago before the break, and we tried to play the same thing because New York, they kind of play in the same way. It worked pretty well tonight and we hare happy that we got a good win.

On the first goal

Usually I try to run onto the flick off, but on this one I saw he didn’t really touch it and Goncalves kind of going easy on it and tried to head it back to the keeper. I tried to anticipate and definitely he didn’t put too much power on the header and I was able to slip my leg on the ball and luckily it went into the net. It was just trying to get the feeling of the play and, right now, I’m in good confidence and I’m lucky it goes my way.

On how he’s feeling after scoring two goals in each of the last two games

It feels great, especially knowing I was injured for a long time  before. I got back spasms for probably a month and I was playing on it and I was not really feeling good playing. The fact that I feel  a hundred percent going into the game, it feels great. I just want to continue to feel a hundred percent physically and, if I do, I know I can bring more things to the team. The fact that Jim maybe put me more as a forward next to Conor [garbled]. He heard me and I like the confidence it gives me on the field. You can see on the goal I scored that the confidence was more.

Amobi Okugo

Strategy going into the game

Our strategy was to keep things compact. Our coaches stressed that New England likes an open game because they have the players that are good on the run, good with finishes. We were focused on keeping a compact line, a compact unit unit, and break when we could, and we did a good job doing that.

 On success of frustrating New England

Lee Nguyen, Kelyn Rowe, Fagundez, Teal, Neumann when he came on, they’re all great players on the ball, and that was our focus, stating compact in the midfield, making it hard for them to get those little tight passes that they like, and we did a great job of doing that.

 On the importance of Le Toux’s goal just before halftime

It was very rewarding. The hard work he put in, the front line  — him, Conor, and Cruz — he read the play, he pounced on the play, he had a great finish. Then he had a great finish late in the game to relieve a little bit of the pressure

What have the past few weeks been like adjusting to a new coach?

It’s been fine. Luckily, we had the Open Cup games to help us move forward, and we had a friendly with Reading to help us move forward, and Coach Jimmie, Coach Sorber, they’re all doing a great job just keeping us to move along and start fresh with the new (half) to the season.

On the importance of the Open Cup games helping the team

It was good. Coach Curtin tried some new ideas and for us to get adjusted to them, for us to not come into the league game with a little bit of rust, I felt like those two games helped us tremendously for this opening game.

On playing in the midfield rather than at center back

It’s good, you get more touches on the bal. I fell like if I’m playing I just got to help the team as much as I can wherever I’m playing. I’m glad I play midfield because I’ve played there plenty of times, so I’m just happy to help the team.

New England Revolution postgame quotes

Head coach Jay Heaps

On the game

Disappointing result, disappointing lack of finishing in the first half and I just thought, obviously, it was an awful goal to give away before half. So there’re a lot of things that go into a game, so there’s a lot of things that need to be looked at and it starts with me.

You can say it was an off night, you can say it wasn’t our night but that’s the easy way out. I think we had chances to score goals and I think that one of the first chances with Patrick Mullins getting a good shot on frame, wasn’t all of it though, it was ok. And then Teal (Bunbury) had a shot that was blocked and then Diego (Fagundez) missed and three of our best finishers all had cracks at a shot that I would’ve liked to see one of them put their foot on it.

On Brad Knighton starting

I think we’ve talked about this … we brought Brad (Knighton) in to compete with Bobby (Shuttleworth). We want to keep pushing each other and keep angling. I thought Brad looked really, really sharp in the Open Cup games and that’s what it’s there for, and that’s why our three subs went the way they did, because of the sharpness of Open Cup. So, I think it’s always a tough conversation. I think Bobby’s been really good this year and I think this decision was more based on sharpness.

On the opening Union goal

I don’t think (Philadelphia’s goal) was the shape of the back four, I think it was just a miscue and a mistake.

On the substitutions

I thought Saer (Sene) was very good. I thought our two subs did a nice job before (Steve) Neumann came, I thought (Kelyn) Rowe, Saer did a nice job of changing the game and getting us back into it. The second goal was really a dagger because I thought we were getting momentum. We were starting to play like we know how to play and I thought you’ve got to credit Danny Cruz and it was a great finish, a great goal. But after we made the subs, I thought those two guys in particular — and Neumann, too — but the three of those guys really impacted the game and changed it.

On missed scoring opportunities

I thought we should’ve taken our chances in the first 15 minutes. I thought there were probably two chances we could’ve finished and then I thought we were second best, quite frankly. The bad goal was the final straw of that first half. I don’t think we were good enough all the way through and so that goal really hurt us and I think halftime was a pretty fiery halftime. No one was happy with what had happened in the first 45 minutes, including myself. I wasn’t happy with, whether it’s my preparation and whether we as a staff weren’t getting our guys ready. But we had ample chances to score, we didn’t. At the same time we didn’t play our best stuff either. I thought in the second half it was much more our type of energy.

Chris Tierney

Thoughts on the game

I actually thought we started the game well, created some chances, but just couldn’t take them. We were just missing that little bit of sharpness right now that’s the difference between winning and losing games. It’s that final ball, it’s near misses that were going in for us when we had our good run of games earlier on, and they don’t seem to now. Then we had to chase the game, giving up a couple of poor goals and couldn’t get back in it.

 On the first Union goal

(The goal at the end of the first half) hurt. I know how important it is (to score) the first goals in this league. First goals are so important and we always talk about starting well and scoring the first goal and we didn’t do that. We dug ourselves a hole by conceding and then we got to chase the game and got away from original game plan, didn’t make the adjustments we need to and just not good enough all around. As individuals and as a team, we’re going to take a long look at this one and try to be better for Salt Lake.

 Jose Goncalves

On giving up the first goal

It’s very frustrating (to give up the goal at the end of the first half), especially when we are playing well, moving the ball, creating chances. To give up a goal, it’s always difficult to accept, but we have to react very fast and that’s what we did in the second half, but we couldn’t find the net. Saer (Sene) came in scored a great goal, put us back into the game but the third goal killed us a little bit.

 On what caused the mistake that led to the first goal

I don’t think it was because (the defense) did not play together. I think the backline, we have enough experience to adjust ourselves each game. It was just a miscommunication. It’s difficult, in the last few games we concede some goals like this, a misunderstanding or communication and it’s something we have to better in, starting with myself.

On the backline we shall speak a little bit more, maybe louder, but it’s something that happens very fast in the game. We’re a little bit late to react, the ball was right into his feet, Brad (Knighton) had nothing to do with this goal. It’s my mistake and I take the responsibility.

 On moving forward from the loss

We had two weeks off, we discussed about the last mistakes we did in the last few games, tried to adjust and tried to be better. It was a good two weeks, we did a lot of stuff and of course when you come back here and get to another loss it’s difficult. But we move as a team, we lose as a team and we win together. It’s not only a one-person show. This team, we cannot forget, is growing, we have a lot of new players. We are playing now to stay up with the league and that’s what we are doing every week. It’s a matter of time and we are progressing and I don’t see any team we cannot put our head down. We have to stay up and play the next game, like every game is the final. That’s our motivation.