Real Salt Lake 2(1) at Austin FC 2(3)
October 16, 2022; Q2 Stadium, Austin, Texas
Real Salt Lake (12-12-11, 47 points); Austin FC (17-10-8, 59 points)
Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni
Thoughts on losing in penalty kicks:
“That’s how soccer is. The most important thing for me is how the team fought and battled for one another. They never stopped trying to get the result. Sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it doesn’t. We did everything we wanted to do. The moment we went down a man, it changed everything. We were two minutes from winning and that hurts, but the effort and how they fought for me is necessary to think about for the next season.”
On defending for 76 minutes:
“When you have the result, and you’re ahead 2-1, [Austin FC is] a team that likes to break down the corners and really penetrate, they’re a really good attacking team. Being two minutes away from securing the results to move on is the most painful, but again, the commitment, the resolve, the desire to really try to right a wrong that happened in the game, as teammates, I couldn't be more proud. Everything that the guys did tonight really speaks to the character of this group, and it’s a really good building block as we continue to move forward.”
On the growth of the group this season:
“There’s challenges playing at home, there’s challenges playing away, and I feel that the last three performances we had were our three best performances of the year. That takes honesty, that takes accountability from the group, and at times, doing some of the things that aren’t your specialty. When you put together performances, the last three games show a ton of growth, a togetherness, an understanding, and an unwavering belief to continue to improve. That is paramount for any team–anyone who rests on their laurels will find themselves in a bad situation. I challenged the group to continue to evolve with every game, and they did just that.”
A message to the fans back in Salt Lake:
“For me, our fans were a driving force in our ability to win games this season. They’ve stuck by our side, they’ve come out in droves, and at times, we’ve underperformed at home and didn’t come away with a result, but the fans never wavered. For me, we’re in the process of building a fantastic group that will make them proud and will be a symbol of what they expect from this group moving forward.”
