Quote Sheet
Real Salt Lake 2 vs. San Jose Earthquakes 0
June 18, 2022; Rio Tinto Stadium; Sandy, Utah
Real Salt Lake (8-4-4, 28 points); San Jose Earthquakes (3-7-6, 15 points)
Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni
On the success at home:
“We never want to get ahead of ourselves. As a team we have been taking it one game at a time.The reason we have been so good at home is we have been working our tails off, and everyone is committed on both sides of the ball. It goes through everyone on the team. Tate [Schmitt] found out he was playing yesterday and came in tonight and did a great job. The culture we have allows everyone to step in to contribute whether that’s at home or on the road. When we are at home, we have such a strong mindset where we understand that we have to set the tone early and we did that tonight.”
On Jefferson Savarino’s first start:
“It was a huge night for him. A lot of people don’t realize the amount of pressure that the media has put on him now that he is back on this team. It’s an immense pressure that not a lot of people can carry, but I think he showed his quality on both sides of the ball tonight. He does so many top level things when he has the ball and also has a strong buy-in to do the defensive work. I can’t imagine a more complete game from him and to get it tonight in front of the fans was special. I couldn’t be happier for him.”
On the week off coming into this game:
“In hindsight it was huge, but if the result was different I might say something different. We have to earn the right every day and we did that tonight. The first 15 minutes we did a great job at imposing ourselves and winning a lot of balls higher up the field. We gained a lot of momentum in our favor and brought our crowd into the game. The mindset and execution were both perfect tonight and obviously getting that goal in the first half was very important for us.”
On the best start in club history:
“It validates all the work we have put in starting last year and then going into preseason. This week in training we had several guys communicating very well with each other. To sit back and watch these players take accountability for every aspect of their game has been a great thing to see. The work we have been doing Monday through Friday is being validated on the field. It’s a great way to start but we have a long way to go and it’s on us to maintain that level.”
Defender Marcelo Silva
On having a Father’s Day tribute:
“It was very special to see the video before the game. It brought me some extra motivation and extra energy throughout the match. Obviously these three points today are super huge against a rival that we have had a complicated history with but really the progression of the team has been really good throughout the season.”
On the shutout and the backline:
“Anytime you get a shutout it’s not just the backline that’s responsible for it, it’s the whole team. So when you have your nine out marking up where they’re supposed to be, everybody is defending as a team and that’s really the key. We defend as a team. Then everybody’s involved in defense.”
On being the captain:
“I’m a captain because of the circumstances with Damir [Kreilach] being injured. But anytime you wear the captain’s armband it’s an extra responsibility to your team and how you play. But I just want to make sure it’s clear that it’s really Damir that’s our captain. When he gets back he will be our captain as he always has been.”
Forward Jefferson Savarino
On having a Father’s Day tribute:
“Obviously I’m thankful for the team for all of the effort that they put into the game so that we could get the victory but it’s always a special game to play right before Father’s Day and have all the fans and the family out with you.”
On rebounding from the loss against Vancouver:
“That extra week of rest kind of gives you time to forget about that. I thought we played really well in Vancouver but the result didn’t go our way. Having that extra week just gives you that extra time to kind of prepare yourself mentally for the game.”
On the team being in second place:
“As far as where we are in the standings, like Marcelo [Silva] said, it’s all about maintaining that humility. Regardless of the results. Right now we’re in second place but who knows we might drop in the next game, and we have to get three more points. As far as my agility on the field, it’s something that I work for. Not only on the field but at practice every single day. It’s my job. It’s what I do.”
