New York Red Bulls Head Coach Jesse Marsch
On Columbus stifling the Red Bulls' attack:
Yeah, I mean, two teams that know each other really well. They did a good job of clogging the middle and not allowing us to get our rhythm of play going. We showed a little bit of impatience early and as the first half went on I thought that we grew into the game. You know, credit to Columbus they did make it hard on us and it wasn't easy to find chances. We made a really good push at the end of the game, it's almost - it's painfully unbelievable how that game ends. But I'm proud of my team, proud of our guys, proud to be their coach. You know, we talked at the beginning of the year - one of the first conversations I had with them was about emptying the tank at the highest level, and, you know, I couldn't have asked for more from this group of guys and I know how bad they wanted it. It hurts - the locker room is in pain right now, just because it means so much to them. Yeah.
On the game plan over both legs:
You know, it was interesting because neither team, I think, really played their classic style of play. You know, Columbus didn't often get into their rhythm of play and you know, for us, you know they were doing things to counteract what we like to do and we were doing things to counteract what they like to do, so it was often a stalemate. You know, obviously, some of the mistakes we make in Columbus were the ones that really cost us. But overall, I thought our guys laid it all out there in both games, and, you know, I couldn't have asked for more from them.
On whether he would have changed anything:
No, no. I think it was always going to come down to "how now can we win battles on the field and how can we do what we do more effectively than them trying to do what they do," and again for me the series in a lot of ways is a stalemate of styles and attempts to, you know, commit - each team's trying to commit to how they play but also trying to mitigate how the other team plays, and we're in direct contrast with some of the things we do. So for me, the tactics of the game, the commitment of the players from each team, the way of going after the game and trying to be, you know, the identity of who we wanted to be but also deal with who they are - pretty high-level game that even though it wasn't always the prettiest it was both teams trying hard to figure out ways to gain an edge. That's how I look at it.
On the team talks before and after the game:
Before the game was just to have, you know, urgency but patience and, you know - one of the phrases we use is "play fast but don't rush." You know, we knew that it was important to get after the game right away but also to not let the game slip. We get a little bit lucky, Luis [Robles] makes a couple of huge saves in the first half, in the first twenty minutes to make sure that we're still alive. And we, you know - again, as we settled into the game I thought we found ourselves getting more and more into our tempo, more and more into our attacking part of the field, you know, and now trying to find ways to create a little bit, to be a little bit more dangerous and create a few more chances. After the game, I just told them I was proud to be their coach and that they have so much to be proud of, and that this is no question a successful season.
On the first game of next season:
Well, you know, the off-seasons are never easy. This team will never be together as it exists now and it's hard to know that, because I love this team, I love how all these players have committed themselves to the mission of what we've tried to accomplish, and now it's important for each guy to now think about - you know, I've asked these guys at suck a high level, to think about the team first. Now when the offseason comes, it's time for the players to now think about their own personal situations. So you know, there's a lot of delicate situations with different players and we have to figure out how to keep the nucleus of this team together, retool it, and then get ready to give these guys a little bit of break and then get ready to ramp it all up again for next year. So it's a very daunting task at this time, but, you know, right now I'm so much more focused on just thanking these players, thanking this organization, thanking or fans - in every way this has been a magical season and you know, it was an inch, two inches, I don't know - you tell me how far it was away from having a real chance to be something even more special.
On Columbus shutting down Lloyd Sam and Mike Grella:
Yeah you know, I made the switch in the second half to try and see if the matchup for Lloyd and [Harrison] Afful might help out, and Mike going against [Waylon] Francis - you know, clearly they had zoned in on dealing with those two. You know, they had done pretty well in that matchup so you know I thought when we made that change it helped the game. Again, you know, Columbus really tried to change and disturb the way that we try to do things, and they accomplished it in a lot of ways, and we tried to do the same for them and we accomplished it in a lot of ways. So, what everyone would have thought would have been a shootout turned out to be an actual defensive contest. Again, it was a stalemate in many ways. But Columbus wound up making a couple more plays than we did and they wound up surviving.
On the decision to bring Anatole Abang into the match:
He's been hurt. We've challenged him to get himself back going again. He's been pretty sharp in training. If it's a game where we are feeling like we have to push late and we'll be putting balls into the box, that's where Abang is a threat. He's effective and he's strong. I thought he did very well when he came in.
On the similarities with Columbus' playoff team last year and New York's gained experience:
Clearly, Columbus used the experience from last year to benefit them this year. We are in the middle of our own process. I think we were a good enough team this year to have a real legitimate shot to win MLS Cup and I think we proved that throughout the season and throughout the playoffs. The reality is that we are in the first year of our process. We're very hopeful to keep this group together as much as possible and continue the process next year. We want everything that we went through this year to make us stronger for next year. It's hard to talk about that right now. Talking about next year is not something we want to do. Right now, we want to thank them all for this year.
On what this year, on and off the field, means for the Red Bulls organization:
I think there's a new direction. It's obvious to everyone with the way we play and the commitment of the organization. You can start with Mr. [Dietrich] Mateschitz but you can talk about Oliver Mintzlaff, Marc De Grandpre, Ali Curtis, myself, and down to the players, we're all united. We're all moving forward in the same direction. This is clearly something unique in our league with its own identity. We're in the initial stages. Our goal is to put ourselves in these kinds of games and situations every year, to grow every year, to invest in our youth and youth academy, and create something that has such a big identity that everyone in the community wants to attach themselves to it. The first year, in that sense, has been an overwhelming success. If we can make this kind of progress, year in and year out, we'll create something that I think can be really special.
On the physicality in the first half and its effect on the team's gameplan:
One of Columbus' tactics was that any time we got out on the break they wanted to foul us. I mentioned in Columbus that I didn't think the referee did a good job of mitigating that and I would point to that again in the first half. I felt like the referee let too many physical challenges from Columbus get away. Smart move from them, right? We can be dangerous on the move and we can be dangerous in transition so it's a smart move for them to try and slow the game down. The only way to deal with that, as a referee, is to start to give out yellow cards for tactical fouls for slowing down the game. It didn't happen enough in either game so that tactic wound up being successful for them.
New York Red Bulls Midfielder Dax McCarty
On his reactions to the match:
I would just like to start off by saying I apologize to our fans. They were fantastic all season-the ones that stuck by us. I really appreciate them supporting us when it was a tough time and they didn't have to come back, but they did, and I think they were brilliant, and they deserve more. I think for the most part, we just didn't play well, this entire series.
On the team's late push towards the end:
Of course, we're never going to give up, no matter what happens. Obviously we needed to push the game from the beginning and I think we did that but like I said Columbus defended well and they made it really tough on us. Columbus didn't play the way the normally play. They played very direct, they played a lot of long balls, they didn't try to play out like they normally do...for the most part, they held us in check.
On the last chance from Bradley Wright-Phillips:
I saw what everyone else saw. We were inches away from taking this to extra time. For as bad as we played throughout the whole series, that's how thin the margins are. We just didn't have any good fortune or any good bounces and that's how the game goes.
On if the playoffs were successful or not:
I think if you look at it as a whole you could probably say that. For me it feels like a failure just because the MLS Cup was our main goal and we did so much great work in the season to set ourselves up to host MLS Cup and to let ourselves down in the conference final for the second year in-a-row is disappointing and the playoffs feel like a failure.
On his thoughts on the season:
I think if you look at the season as a whole you could say it was a success. Obviously a new system, new coaches, new players. Nobody really expected too much from us. I thought we gave a pretty good account of ourselves all year. To fail in the playoffs again in the two biggest games where we just weren't good enough...we just didn't play well.
On keeping the squad intact next season:
I think it's important. We proved that we're a good team in MLS and had success. Winning the Supporter's Shield certainly says something, but the way that we play and the system that we play, definitely took a little time to get used to. This is MLS things change all the time. This locker room is going to be different next year...hopefully we can keep a lot of the same players around, that'd be nice, but I'm not on that side of fence.
New York Red Bulls Forward Bradley Wright-Phillips
On Columbus stifling the Red Bulls' attack:
Yeah, I think the first half was always going to be like that. They've [had] a two-goal lead to protect. They're not going to come out guns blazing.
On his last-second header narrowly missing:
For a second it looked like it was going. It's irrelevant. It didn't and we're out.
On this season being a good building block for the club moving forward:
Yeah, I guess in two weeks when I feel like that. I'm not really thinking like that [right now]. I'm devastated to have lost that game and to that team.
New York Red Bulls Goalkeeper Luis Robles
On the overall series against Columbus:
[In the first leg] to give up that goal late, makes the task all the more difficult, and if we could have came home 1-0, maybes it's a completely different game, but we can't play the 'what if' game. We have to own up to our mistakes and the way we play and I thought for the most part we put ourselves in a good position tonight, and we just got a bit unlucky.
On the season a whole:
It's difficult to assess right now because there are a lot of emotions. I came in 2012, we lost in the first round to D.C., 2013 we won our first piece of silverware, unfortunately we don't get past the first round, but it looks like we're building. Last year, we're really one goal away from getting to the final, and we don't have any silver ware, and this year we're one goal from the final and we got silverware so I feel like we're heading in the right direction. This offseason will be good for us because we'll be able to add a few pieces to an already strong roster.
On the matchup tonight against Columbus:
They knew as soon as we got the ball they had to drop back, because they couldn't give up an early goal because if we scored early, the run of play would be ours, but who knows. More than anything, maybe they break down so they did a great job of frustrating us in the first half. I feel like the guys also did a good job of adjusting in the second half...At the end of the day, we played well, and congrats to them. They're a well coached team.
New York Red Bulls Midfielder Lloyd Sam
On Bradley Wright-Phillips' last-second shot:
Yeah I mean I hoped it was going to go in, but unfortunately it hit the post. It's strange that we've come that close after not scoring the whole game, and we could've scored two in the last minute, but it wasn't meant to be.
On Columbus' high pressing the whole game:
Yeah, yeah, I felt that they did a good defensive job as a whole. It was a difficult game for us to play.
On the physicality:
It seemed more physical than any other series. It was probably more physical than the D.C. series, they were up for the play. They turned up for the play.
On how 2014 ended:
It feels similar. It feels very similar, but at least - I guess we can say we've got the Supporters' Shield this year, so - but it feels similar.
On the year as a whole:
Definitely a successful campaign. Definitely a success. We got a new coach, a new regime and a new style of play and we win - over the year, we're the best team on stats, so that's got to be successful.
Columbus Crew SC Head Coach Gregg Berhalter
On what he was thinking in the final moments in the match:
Yeah, and to see it potentially all fall apart, but the guys hung in there, give them credit. Give both teams credit for a well fought match. It was a lot of give and take, a lot of different opportunities for the teams and you saw what our intentions were from the beginning we wanted to score a goal and unfortunately didn't do so and then we let them hang in there and then they get the goal in the 93rd minute and hit the post in the 95th minute, that's soccer, but I'm proud of my team, I'm proud of the way the guys managed this game, but we're not finished.
On the tactics of beating the Red Bulls:
Well you saw how we played, it wasn't the typical performance by us, but we identified their strengths and we wanted to turn that against them and you've got to give the Red Bulls a lot of credit; they had a fantastic season and the way they play it works perfectly, they create chances off of their pressure and we wanted to eliminate that and I think we did a good job.
On how much last year's playoff experience has helped them this year:
If you guys have been following our team the last eight weeks I've been saying the same thing: we're tested and we're ready, not only because of last year, but because the end of the season the games we had to play and they're very difficult games, a lot of them away from home and we came through them ok so that prepared us for the playoffs.
On hosting MLS Cup next weekend:
Well you guys know Portland, the best team in the league away from home, so they've been good and it's going to be a very difficult game. They have some good players, I think I like [Diego] Valeri and [Darlington] Nagbe in the middle now working together so it's going to be challenging, but what I'm most proud of is that we get to bring the MLS final to the city of Columbus.
On if the last few minutes were the only moments he felt his team was in danger:
We played well, we didn't give them many good looks, many good opportunities, great defensive effort and what I was missing was the finishing touch on the goal, you know I've been telling you guys all week that I want to score and we wanted to score a goal so maybe that we could've been better, a little bit cleaner in front of goal, around goal, but I think by in large we controlled the game well and that's a good team Red Bull, they should be proud of their season that they had, but we did a good job tonight.
Columbus Crew SC Forward Kei Kamara
On what he thought on the Red Bulls' chance in the 95th minute:
It was definitely one of those moments where I was saying, 'that's impossible, they cannot happen. There's no way they can get another goal.' Ref already said four minutes of overtime so there's no way another goal could come and then that ball hit the post.
On if he felt completely in control of the game before the Red Bulls' goal:
It was back and forth in the game, I have to be honest. They wanted to press us so they sent a lot of bodies, but we had our transition going forward because we know we're a possession type of team and we controlled the ball so much better than them.
On the importance of playing physical against New York:
It's good, it's funny because that's not our game. I played in Kansas City where it was really about being physical and going off the team and here it's about playing really good soccer and that's what we want to do, that's what we've done all year and they came in they wanted to be physical. We had to keep our composure and just be focused because we wanted this, we wanted this celebration. That's what we wanted more than anything else.
Columbus Crew SC Midfielder Justin Meram
On the end result:
Defense was incredible for what, all 89 minutes, or whatever it was, so things like that happen. Give credit to them, they were fighting for it until the last whistle, didn't want to give up. So that was on their part. But you know, we held our ground and we're going through.
On Columbus' low key celebration:
You know, we took care of business, what we needed to do here, but you know the ultimate goal is not there yet. So there's no reason to celebrate, you know, we're going to stay humble through this win and next week is when everything you've played for, everything you've trained for, every game leading up to it - this is when it counts. Eastern Conference Championship - yeah it's good, but MLS Cup is when, as you said, the champagne will be out.
On whether Columbus felt any nerves after controlling most of the game:
No, [the last few minutes] was it. The defense was incredible, the midfield controlled the tempo and, you know, we kept them to minimal chances. I think we had better chances than they did in this game.
On momentum going into MLS Cup:
Of course, you know, we're pleased because we're going on. So it doesn't matter if it's the ugliest win or the prettiest win - or well, it wasn't a win, but it gets us through. So to come here and put us in a position for MLS Cup at home, and we did that.
On playing Portland:
You know we played them once, at home, and they had the better of us, but we're two good quality teams that play good football so it's going to be interesting. It's going to be an interesting match and we're excited as much as they are.
On Columbus' flexibility of play:
It helps us because we can switch from one identity to the next, you know. We're going to keep it on the ground and when we need to go long to Kei [Kamara] we'll go long, and so we're excited. Can't wait to be home with our fans.
On how last year's playoff result impacted this year:
It helped us a lot because, you know, we had an unbelievable stretch at the end of the season and that's what we had the year before and we knew, well, we can't be too high on that. We put ourselves in great position being the third seed last year and we're like alright, here we go, and we came out with a stinker. This year, we do the same thing, put ourselves in the same position and we knew that all that's behind us. Now it's time to really focus and you know we played against two really incredible teams.
