Portland Timbers Quotes
Head Coach John Spencer
On the win
“I’d probably say it’s the toughest (win), that’s for sure. I think we showed
after we scored — they pinned us back — and I felt we showed a lot of character after
last week (a 3-0 loss to LA).”
On the defensive effort
“I think when they started piling on the pressure we got behind the ball and hung on a little bit. I think tonight we did a really professional job, we got one-nil up and managed the game.”
On beating a previously undefeated RSL side
“Just because we beat them tonight doesn’t mean we’re better than them. They’ve got championships to show for their quality. For us, we went out and they (the players) did everything asked of them tonight. Fantastic win and we are ready to come back on Tuesday and do the same.”
Goalkeeper Troy Perkins
On the win
“Getting three points at home is crucial and now if we can just carry this over to
next week and when we go on the road we can do the same.”
On the clean sheet
“It was good, put a smile on my face. It’s still back down to Earth, we’ve got a game Tuesday and turn around and play Friday.”
On a better defensive performance
“We were organized and we believed that no matter
what we were going to fight until the end. If a goal came, it came, but we weren’t going
to give up. We’re going to fight and we’re not going to give in.”
On Real Salt Lake’s attack
“They’re a very dangerous team in the attack. They whip in some good balls from the sides. I think every chance they had was dangerous really, but I give credit to the guys in front of me, they dealt with it and made it easy for me.”
Midfielder and captain Jack Jewsbury
On the play from midfield wings (Darlington Nagbe and Kalif Alhassan)
“Both guys on the outside are very dynamic, very quick, great 1-v-1 players and that’s something we’re looking to do. Those guys are very dangerous on the attack.”
On tracking back in defense
“There’s going to be times in the game where you break down and lose the ball, but if we can get guys behind the ball and make it difficult on other teams — especially a great team like Real Salt Lake that is very dangerous on the attacking side of the ball — it’s going to be good and throughout the year it’s going to help us out.”
On correcting the mistakes from a 3-0 loss to LA
“I think the first 15 minutes we played well. We didn’t get the goal that we wanted, but at the end of the day we wanted to keep a clean sheet tonight and we knew if we did that, we’d give ourselves a chance. That’s a tough thing to do against a good Salt Lake side.”
Midfielder Diego Chara (through a translator)
On matching up with strong Real Salt Lake players
“Good, I was very calm with myself. I
think the whole team did a great job.”
On playing with fellow Colombian and friend Jorge Perlaza
“It gives me piece of mind. Both of us help each other out on the field.”
On the Portland fans
“It is very different (than Colombia). Here there is more constant
support throughout the game.”
Real Salt Lake Quotes
Head Coach Jason Kreis
On RSL’s overall performance
“I felt like there was 45 minutes of really poor stuff and 45 minutes of really good stuff. I think the first 45 minutes were caused because we still had one foot in Wednesday night. Then we get to the second 45 and our guys were really confident and aggressive, and all the things I want to see for the entirety of 90 minutes.”
On playing reserves due to recent participation in CONCACAF
“It’d be completely unfair to blame anything on any of those guys. The substitutions we made were because we were one goal down and we needed the energy.”
On team’s reaction after the loss on Wednesday
“I’m okay, again I would’ve liked to not waste 45 minutes but I think you do have to feel good about what they did in the second half. “It’s difficult, we’ve seen the end of what was a fantastic run in the CONCACAF Champions League, we see the end of a four-game winning streak, and we see the end of an 18-game unbeaten streak. But with the ending of everything comes the beginning of something new. So we need to get ready for what should be a fantastic May with a lot of home games.”
On atmosphere at JELD-WEN Field
“It’s fantastic, Portland should be proud of themselves and the players should be thrilled that they get to play in this environment every week.
Defender Chris Wingert
On playing tonight after Wednesday’s result
“It was difficult, but we still had chances to get a result. Didn’t make it happen but we had a good response in the second half and we certainly had some chances.”
“We just need to be a little bit sharper and not give up any chances. They got some momentum with the crowd but we still had the ball on their end, we could’ve been sharper with the ball and knocked it around a little bit more.”
On two tough losses in the same week
“It has been a really tough week, but I guess that’s just part of being a professional athlete. We’ve got to make sure the lows don’t get too low and keep plugging away.”
On a sense of urgency
“Urgency? Not anymore (this week) than any other week. Every week is urgent there are only 30 games and we’re looking to get a result every single week.”
On moving on from the loss
“Right now the only focus after today will be on Chivas USA.”
On the atmosphere at JELD-WEN Field
“The atmosphere is incredible, you’ve got to give credit to the fans. What a great spot and a great city but that’s not why we lost, we’ve dealt with some hostile crowds lately. “They did great and it’s great for the league but it wasn’t why we didn’t win.”
Notes:
- With Cooper’s goal in the first half, the Timbers claimed the lead over their opponent for a third straight home match. Portland improves to 3-0-0 this season when scoring first in a match and remains unbeaten (3-0-0) when leading at halftime.
- Midfielders Darlington Nagbe, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft, and Diego Chara made their first MLS career starts Saturday.
- Alhassan has logged an assist in all three of the Timbers’ home matches. Now with four assists on the season, Alhassan is tied with LA Galaxy’s David Beckham in third among the league’s assist leaders.
- Real Salt Lake’s scoreless run of 213 minutes is the seventh longest this season in MLS. The first-half goal conceded by RSL’s backline was just the second goal allowed in league play in 2011 for the club.
- The Timbers remain unbeaten (3-0-1) when wearing kit combo green jersey, white shorts and green socks.
- The clean sheet against Real Salt Lake was Perkins’ first since Oct. 16, 2010, when playing for D.C. United against the Chicago Fire.
- Earlier this week, Real Salt Lake played Mexico’s Monterrey in the second leg of the 2010-11 CONCACAF Champions League final at Rio Tinto Stadium. One step from the FIFA Club World Cup, Real Salt Lake fell 1-0 in the match and as a result, lost the championship series 3-2 on aggregate.
- Real Salt Lake was looking to become the first team to start the season 5-0-0 since the 1998 LA Galaxy.
- Portland was whistled offside only once, besting their previous season-low of three (April 14 vs. Chicago).
- Real Salt Lake midfielder Collen Warner was a member of the inaugural Portland Timbers U-23s, the development team for the Timbers, in 2009. The first Timbers U-23s alumnus to play in MLS, Warner played his collegiate career at the University of Portland.
- Portland’s James Marcelin and Real Salt Lake’s Jean Alexandre, who started Saturday, were teammates on the Haitian National Team during the 2009 Gold Cup.
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Starting RSL striker Arturo Alvarez was selected by the Timbers in the 2010 MLS Expansion Draft last fall. In a draft-day trade, Alvarez was then dealt to Real Salt Lake in exchange for a second-round pick (No. 22 overall) in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft.
