SPORTING DIRECTOR AND HEAD COACH GREGG BERHALTER
On Kei Kamara’s fitness in the match:
“I think after training yesterday, when we spoke, I didn’t have a chance to assess the injury. So, I think it was made to be more than it was. He got stepped on and he got a bruise. It was a severe bruise but he’s not going to let something like that stop him from playing. He was ready to go.”
On his view of the potential out of bounds ball before the second Portland Timbers goal:
“I didn’t see it. I have absolutely no idea what happened. But, what I would say is in professional sports you play until either the ball is out of bounds or there’s a whistle and we have to keep playing. But, from my viewpoint I couldn’t see a thing.”
On if Crew SC was caught off guard with the two first-half Portland goals:
“I think you could see a little bit of nerves. Steve [Clark] gets hundreds of balls, thousands of balls played to him during the course of the season and he rarely makes a mistake like that and you have to live with it. We support him and mistakes are part of the game. The start wasn’t good, the start was certainly not good. What I am pleased about is that we didn’t give up. After we settled in we kept pushing and kept pushing, we saw a lot of determination and effort from the guys to get back in this game.”
On if the result was only based on the way that they played:
“That’s always a difficult question because the result is what the result is. What I would say is that we put a lot of effort into the game, we pushed the tempo and tried to attack them but they played a very good game, they really did. Defensively very solid, some decent counter attacks and when you’re up 2-0 it becomes a different game and they managed it pretty well.”
On how tough this result was at home, in Columbus:
“It’s difficult. Obviously we wanted to bring a championship to this city and we wanted them to see it first hand in our stadium and it’s disappointing. But, congratulations to Portland, they have some very good fans as well, they played a good game and they won the championship. We’ll be back though, this team will be back.”
On if Crew SC was successful enough to generate chances to win the game (one shot on goal):
“That’s the funny thing about soccer. I think that there’s chances and there’s half-chances and I think we’re close. There weren’t many clear-cut chances, that’s for sure, and give Portland a lot of credit. The last time we played them it was a very similar game where we had a lot of the ball, controlled a lot of the game but it’s very difficult to create goal scoring chances and that’s the strength of Portland. They had a good defense all year and we knew that they were going to be difficult to breakdown. We knew that we don’t have much time to get the shots off and they did a good job.’
On the different matchups of the game and on Ethan Finlay’s matchup in the game:
“I thought he played well. He’s a good player and he had a good season. It was two good teams going after each other and I think that in the end they probably won more of the matchups. But to me it was an attractive game, it was a game with a lot of passion, a lot of tempo to it and unfortunately we came up on the short end. Give Portland a lot of credit for the way they played.”
On if Berhalter thought that he got enough out of his flank play in the game:
“No, I didn’t, but that’s how it goes. I think we could have been more methodical getting the ball to the flanks and penetrating and getting crosses in. I think it’s difficult. You’re down 2-0, you want to stick to the plan and it’s difficult sometimes. Overall I think we could have moved the ball much quicker over to the wing area and got the ball in the box or looked to penetrate deep. We didn’t do that effectively.”
On if his team was true to their identity:
“I think we did. Again, you’re in a very difficult situation where you are down 2-0 in a final, seven minutes into the game. But I’m watching the end of the game and we’re still trying to find spaces, trying to find pockets of space to hurt the opponent, we’re not just launching the ball wide and to me we did stay true to our identity. We could have executed better, there’s no question. But I’m proud of these guys, I’m proud of the season they had and it’s a good group of guys. We’re going to learn from this and this is going to make us better.”
On if there was anything Portland did that surprised him:
“They’re a good team. They are good on set pieces; they created a lot of opportunities on set pieces, they have a big striker who is good and they’re up early in the game. They defend well collectively. I don’t think that there was too much that surprised us but give them a lot of credit. They executed and they played a good game.”
On the atmosphere of the game and what it brought to the city of Columbus:
“I’m proud of Columbus. I think Columbus put on an excellent show and I think the atmosphere was amazing. I’ve played in U.S. vs. Mexico games before and this is right up there with an intense atmosphere. I’m sorry to the people of Columbus that we couldn’t bring them a championship. We couldn’t bring them that trophy but they deserve it. The support we have gotten over the last month has been amazing. So, I thank the people, I thank the city for getting behind us.”
FORWARD KEI KAMARA
On MLS Cup:
“Unfortunately, we did not lift up that trophy tonight, we did that to New York here with the early goal and it kind of gets you going. It did that to us tonight and it was tough but there is not much you can really say about that. They got all three points and they got the trophy today.”
On if he felt Crew SC could come back from the deficit:
“When it’s a 2-0 lead in soccer, that’s one of the toughest leads to hold and the fact that we were able to get one in. That’s a boost right there and for us to keep going. They did really well of staying back and compacting the team, they played their game. It’s really tough for us to come in this locker room right now knowing that the season ended that way, it’s kind of tough.”
On Crew SC’s fan support trying to pick him up:
“They have shown me love from day one, from the first tweet I did saying new Crew, I’m coming to this team. They have always shown me love, it’s not all about that for me, I want to sit out there and I want to know what it feels like to lift up that trophy. That’s why I was sitting out there and those are the things that keep you going and working harder and harder. The fans have been amazing all year and I appreciate them.”
On what Gregg Berhalter told the team:
“It was a tough game tonight because our game is getting balls in the box and it was kind of tough, they closed us down in that part, we didn’t get enough service in the box, the one time we got something in there something happened. They did well and everybody just has to appreciate this season and what we have done going this far. Maybe, not maybe, a lot of people did not expect us to get that far but we have shown that we play the best soccer in America, we just came up short tonight.”
On if his injury was a factor:
“It was but again it was coming out here, that right when the whistle blew and right when I step off of that field, the fans were going to inject energy in me and not to worry about it. To be honest I didn’t really worry about it at all, I mean now you kind of feel sore but there was nothing that was going to stop me. Even if the doctors tried to stop me to play tonight, it wasn’t going to stop me.”
MIDFIELDER ETHAN FINLAY
On if he believes that the best team won:
“I think, on the night, their game plan, they executed better than we did. I don’t know if that means that they’re the best team tonight, but, tonight they executed their game plan and took advantage of their chances tonight more so than we did.”
On what the atmosphere after the potential out-of-bounds ball on the field:
“Here’s the thing, everyone says play to the whistle, you sure as hell couldn’t hear the whistle tonight because of the crowd. Things happen. It’s unfortunate, the thing is it wasn’t directly off of him, we started an opportunity to defend the cross and block the cross and there’s other plays leading up to that. Everyone’s responsible for that. It is what it is. They’re humans, they’re going to make mistakes, we make them all the time as well as players so I’m not sitting here blaming anything on the referee for losing this game.”
On if it was a successful season overall:
“I think success is defined differently for everyone. This was a really positive step for me, for this group but we still have unfinished business.”
On what people are going to remember this team for:
“I think our character, I think our style of play. You ask anyone around the league, this is a team people like to watch whether it’s a preseason game or you are playing in the MLS Cup and that’s powerful. We can change the way that fans are looking at soccer and be a team that teams want to play and emulate their games after. I think that’s a positive and that’s what I’ve heard. We still have a long way to go. We’re going to try and keep this group together, I know this staff is going to have to make some tough decisions, but this isn’t the end for us by any means.”
MIDFIELDER WIL TRAPP
On the lack of finishing:
“It’s interesting. We got punched in the face like we punched a couple of teams in the face early. It sucks to be on the other side of it. Giving away two goals early, you’re always going to be fighting back so that’s not the scenario you want to be in but I give credit to our guys for just battling as hard as we could to try and get; first of all get the first goals and then try and get the second one. That’s the game, man. It’s not always pretty, but we’re a team and the last thing we’re going to do is single out guys from a mistakes because we all made mistakes this game.”
On if there were any nerves going into the game:
“I think it’s a play that just doesn’t come off that routinely comes off and it didn’t. Usually Steve [Clark] takes the touch and clears it. But, today, credit them with their pressure, I thought they did an excellent job. But, I wouldn’t say the stage got the better of us by any means.”
On the moment that he took in following the match:
“It was terrible. But, at the same time, you look around and see the support that we had, the fans were excellent tonight. I can’t say enough good things about them. But it hurts, it really hurts.”
On what Michael Parkhurst said to the team after the second Portland goal:
“Just relax, we have to get back to playing our style of play, just settle down because giving up two goals in seven minutes of a final isn’t what you want. That’s why he’s our captain, he stepped up, tried to ready the ship.”
On his feelings of this team in the future and if he believed not all is lost:
“Not at all. The last thing we would think is to toss it all out the window and say that it’s over. What I’ll say about this game is it wasn’t that we played extremely poorly, for the bulk of the game it was just a couple mistakes in a short period of time and put yourself in a hole. But like I said earlier, credit to Portland for capitalizing.”
