SPORTING DIRECTOR AND HEAD COACH GREGG BERHALTER
On how this result feels compared to last year:
It feels good. It was a tough series. Montreal is a good team and we had to dig deep on this one. But you know it certainly feels good. I think the boys did a good job today.
On what halftime adjustments were made after Duka’s goal:
It was a blow. It was obviously a psychological blow with them scoring the goal. If you look at the first twenty minutes of that game, we were good, we were flying, and the ball was moving fast, creating chances. It took a little bit of the wind out of the sail, them scoring. We had to regroup and say ‘listen guys, this is where you have to dig. This is where we have to dig deep. We’ll get a goal, be patient, and keep playing.’ I thought the beginning of the second half it dropped off a little bit and then the momentum changed and we really started playing again.
On how the team stayed together after the missed penalty:
I said it last week that every team goes through a process. You need to learn and you need every stage of that development process in the team. This was another stage that we’ve been there before, we felt the disappointment, and the guys were able to continue on and keep battling through it. They stayed positive and kept moving the ball and a compliment goes out to the group because they really showed up today.
On how he puts tonight’s emotional win into words:
I think the message before the game was that the objective was clear. It was the same objective that we had in the 17 games previously this year at home. We want to win. So it was clear and the guys were focused on that. I think that although they came back in the game, our intention was still to win that game and the guys never stopped believing that they [could].
On how effective Crew SC was in containing Didier Drogba:
I’ll start by saying he’s a fantastic player, he’s a great player and I think our guys did a phenomenal job on him. When I look at the back line and midfield, they’re closing down the second ball that was played into him. They did a great job. For the most part, they really contained him.
On the play of Gaston Sauro, Michael Parkhurst, and Tony Tchani:
I’d probably add Wil [Trapp] to that group as well. Gaston has quality. He brings a side to our game that we haven’t had yet this year. Him in particular, he was battling for every ball and really making it difficult on Drogba in this game. Michael on the other hand was playing an extremely smart game. He didn’t get into any problems, he was seeing what was happening before it was happening and he was making the right decision defensively. I think those guys did a great job and I think that the defense has really stepped up, I think we’re playing really well.
On the impact of Crew SC’s two subs:
We needed an impact and it was good to be able to call on guys like that. When you look at Jack [McInerney], his experience in the League, and his proven goal-scoring record, and then Cedrick [Mabwati], we know the talent he has in him. We felt like we really wanted to take advantage of that matchup on the wing and really get him going one-v-one and he did a fantastic job.
On the importance of fresh legs:
I think it was fresh legs but also, I think it was a different style of attack. [Cedrick] plays more like a classic winger and when he goes at guys, you need to be afraid because he has some real pace and real dribbling ability.
On Kamara’s play:
I think Kei played a great game and it was because of the things you mentioned. He kept coming back, kept battling, kept helping the team in ways that you need your striker to do. Although he missed a penalty I thought he was excellent. Like I said, he was battling for every ball and when you talk about these playoffs and you talk about big players needing to step up, Kei certainly stepped up. Federico [Higuain] certainly stepped up. Ethan Finlay certainly stepped up. Our goalkeeper Steve Clark, Michael Parkhurst, I mean these are the veterans on the team and I think they stepped up and led the way by example.
On how close the team is to being a “championship-caliber” team:
That’s a hard question. I said a couple weeks ago that any team, every team in the playoffs has a chance to win the championship. So, I’ll stick to that. The teams that will be left tomorrow all have a chance. I think we’re equally as good as all the teams in it.
On the message to the team while preparing for New York Red Bulls:
The message was, ‘enjoy it tonight and tomorrow it’s over’. The next time we get back together we’re focused on winning another series. There’s a trap you can fall into of getting complacent and thinking our work is done. Our work hasn’t even started yet. We want to be focused on another good series, another tough series against the [New York] Red Bulls.
On Wil Trapp’s play in the match:
You should have also noticed that I put a lot on Federico [Higuain] because he dropped in next to Wil. The work that they both did was outstanding; chasing balls down, chasing guys down and I thought they both did an excellent job. Pipa (Federico Higuain) gave us the balance and possession as well as the ability to make the final pass. Wil gave us the work rate as the defense guy. They both did a good job, a really good job.
On how big of a part home-field advantage played in the series:
Well, when you look at this atmosphere that we had in this stadium today, that’s the beauty of soccer. And that’s when you’re proud to be from Columbus and you’re proud to put on a show like that for the fans because they were amazing. Just as good as the team was, the fans were amazing tonight. So we really enjoyed that.
On Tony Tchani’s status:
He hasn’t been assessed yet.
On if the third substitution was predetermined:
We did not know it was going to be Tyson Wahl. We wanted to win the game in regulation so we were holding on to the sub, and then potentially we had to think if we went into penalties do we want to put someone on the field that we’re comfortable as a penalty taker. And as soon as we scored, the plan changed. We went with another defender. We knew they were going to be direct and we knew they wanted to put balls in our box and we wanted another guy to win balls.
On the decision of what player should take the penalty kick:
It was up to them to figure it out. I think they’re both able penalty takers and looking at who felt better at the moment, they could decide who to take it.
On if being down 2-1 after the First Leg was where Crew SC wanted to be:
Well what I’d ask you is to look at the start of the game and think if we’re at all not confident or at all insecure about who we are as a team. You can see we’re up for it and we know we are a good team and when we play like that, we are a very hard team to play against. And I’ll say again, that Montreal team is a good team, a very good team, and at times it was fantastic.
On if tonight’s win was another example of how to manage a game well:
I think so. We approached these two games as one 180-minute game plus overtime if needed, and it was managing those 180 minutes plus the extra 30 minutes, and I think we did that really well. We got criticism from you guys about the first game. You want us to go in there and beat them 3-0 in Montreal. I think this group has high expectations set on them but we felt like the objective was fulfilled in Montreal and we came back in front of our home crowd and wanted to put on a good show and win a game and we did that.
FORWARD KEI KAMARA
On what was going through his mind after scoring the game-winning goal:
Actually, it went in and I was running to the side to celebrate with the fans and I didn’t see any of my teammates around me so I thought something went wrong. I thought the referee called something until later, and then I felt people just jumping at me. But, sort of relief – you can’t have it any other way. That’s just how the game’s supposed to go right there. The fans, it was a packed house and they enjoyed every minute of that.
On how important the second goal was after missing the penalty kick:
What penalty? (laughs) There was a lot of saying during the season that I didn’t score any penalties to get the Golden Boot and I guess I still haven’t scored any penalties. I guess I have to get that one off. But Cedrick Mabwati just redeemed me and great plays from him, and the goal that Ethan [Finlay] scored. My goal was not as big as the goal that he scored because obviously that goal put us back into it.
On what was the difference between tonight’s and last week’s performance:
I hope it was the fans because the energy out there today was amazing. We were feeding off the fans and we were pushing ourselves. I wasn’t as involved last game and I wasn’t so happy about that, and I pushed myself during the week and said it doesn’t matter what happens because it’s do-or-die in this game if we don’t win it, then there’s no other chance I’m going to get. So no matter what’s happening I just have to keep pushing myself and that’s what I did today and there were great crosses in the box.
On if it was more significant to defeat Didier Drogba’s team:
No, never. He’s still a legend to me. I got his top after the game, he gave me some advice and all that. Just being on the field with him, it’s amazing. It’s a dream, so I cherished it but again it’s about us tonight, and we got that win. So I’m sure back in Sierra Leone they’re writing on paper just like you said, ‘Kei Kamara beat Drogba,’ but it’s not – it’s ‘Crew SC won.’
On if it was easy to block the penalty kick miss out of his head:
Now it is, but it’s tough because usually when that happens, for every striker you think about it for a little bit but they tell you to have a really short memory. Sometimes you miss goals, you miss stuff. I hit the crossbar - that could’ve went in. But it was planned for the game to go to overtime and it wasn’t as fun if we don’t push it to overtime and the crowd getting their money worth so that was good.
On if overtime adds extra motivation:
Yeah, you don’t want to go to penalties. Penalties, it’s fifty-fifty. But for us to be at home, we really fed off the crowd tonight. It sounds like an echo in here but we really did and they were amazing, and we knew we were going to go to overtime. We were just going to keep pushing it. Again, Cedrick came out big and that’s what we need from everyone for this team to be a championship team.
CAPTAIN AND DEFENDER MICHAEL PARKHURST
On how to lead the defense without Gaston Sauro in the first leg against New York:
It’s going to be a challenge, no doubt. There is a reason why New York finished first and they are in the conference final, they are a very good team and it’s going to take a group effort defensively, we know that. Gaston has been very good for us, these past four or five games that he’s been there so we are going to miss him no doubt. Tyson [Wahl] and [Emanuel] Pogatetz have a lot of experience and it’s a time for them to step up and shine. We are going to give them all of the support they need and we will be ready for it.
On walking through the foul by the bench on Gaston:
Yeah, I think the one you are referring to is the one where I slid into [Didier] Drogba. I thought the foul was on me at first but I guess it wasn’t, it was the previous call. It’s just frustrating when a guy who is 6’4” gets every touch call. It’s hard enough to play against someone who’s a fantastic player and when he’s getting every call like that and going down, it’s almost impossible to defend. It’s frustrating and I thought Gaston did a fantastic job, even after getting the early yellow, to keep his cool and that’s why it was frustrating. It was an emotional night, it was an emotional roller coaster but it was fun to be a part of.
On being the leader of this team and psychologically where they are:
We are feeling really good, we didn’t want our season to end tonight and we knew that we have more of this season in us. Our job is not finished and the only way we were going to put last season behind us is to get past this round. It’s a big step for the team, as far as experience, there’s not many guys who have played in a conference final and its going to be a great experience for all of those guys. We are going to go in there looking for a victory and we want to go all the way. I’m really proud of this group.
On the Montreal goal and if he thought it was offside:
At first I wasn’t sure in the heat of it, everything happened so fast and there were so many guys in the box I wasn’t sure if he was offside. They told us at halftime that he was, but there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s unfortunate, because I thought overall, the refereeing was very good tonight. But we gave away two goals over the series where one was a foul on me that they didn’t call and tonight with the offside. But, defensively that speaks to the whole group about how we defended over 210 minutes, so you live with it. Referees are human, they are going to make mistakes but the team bounced back very well.
