WHITECAPS FC - NOTES
- 'Caps are even with Seattle on 30 points for third place in the MLS Western Conference standings
- Striker Darren Mattocks leads the team in regular season scoring with six goals, all of which have come in his last six matches
- Mattocks also leads all rookies in scoring
- One win, two losses, and one draw on their five match road trip
WHITECAPS FC - QUOTES
HEAD COACH MARTIN RENNIE
Q: Wild finish to the game Martin, your thoughts?
Obviously very disappointed in losing the match. It’s hard to lose any game and thankfully we haven’t lost too many this season but it always hurts when you do lose so late in the game after equalizing so late in the game.
It is very frustrating and something we are not happy about, we are very disappointed in terms of not doing better defending, not only that set play (injury time game winner) but other set plays during the game.
I thought we were comfortable at 1-0 up but there was a spell there when Young-Pyo Lee was injured and was off the field for 5-7 minutes and when he came back on we were down 2-1 and that was a major turning point in the game. We were winning and fairly comfortable but to come out of that game losing three goals leaves me scratching my head but it is something we are going to have to bounce back from.
Q: What did you think of Darren Mattock’s performance?
He is a fantastic young player and he can be a star if he keeps working hard. He has that finishing touch with that pace and movement. There are teams that fear playing against him and I think he is going to be an excellent player. We were all wide-eyed and amazed at just how high he got for his second goal.
Q: What are your thoughts on Davide Chiumiento?
He has family back in Switzerland and he does miss them. He has the opportunity to go to a big club in FC Zurich who compete in the Champions League and win the Swiss league and it is very hard to stand in someone’s way when they get that chance to play there.
STRIKER DARREN MATTOCKS
Q: What are the reasons for your success?
I think I am working very hard and I am always listening to the coach’s instructions.
Q: You come off as a very confident player for such a young player. How important is confidence and mental strength?
If you lack confidence then you won’t be able to play to your full potential. I think once you are confident and not too cocky, everything will take care of itself.
Q: How do you enjoy playing under Martin Rennie?
He is very calm about everything and he is very positive where even after a tough game he will always build confidence in his players.
DEFENDER JAY DEMERIT
Q: Crazy game Jay…?
You said it, it was a pretty crazy game but obviously there is a lot of disappointment to come back to get it 2-2 and lose in the fashion we did. With our set pieces, it comes down to responsibility and guys aren’t doing that right now.
Q: Talk about Darren’s two goals…
Darren is showing week in week out that he is a quality player and he’s got an amazing future but now it is up to him to keep that consistent every game. Down the stretch we are going to need him so hopefully he cannot get too upset and try to do things on his own but he is showing a lot of promise and that is good for us.
Q: Are there any positives you can draw from this game going forward to the next game?
The biggest positive is Darren, of course, another two goals for him and the way that he stepped up in his rookie year, he has been phenomenal for us. If guys aren’t going to do their jobs then it is going to create competition so that allows guys to step in a do a good job. The hard lesson learned tonight is that guys need to be more responsible for their jobs not just for 90 minutes but for 90 minutes plus. If we can take that attitude into our game on Saturday we can try to get a different result.
TORONTO FC - QUOTES
HEAD COACH PAUL MARINER
Q: Just another quiet Wednesday night at BMO, was it?
I was right gutted that we couldn’t finish, as you always fear the worst as a coach when that happens. I didn’t think we played that well, I think we had a bit of rust in us from our travels but the crowd were fantastic and got behind us amazing. I thought we played our best football in the last ten minutes and you can see what a response I got from these lads; I asked them for a big effort and they gave it to me.
Q: There has been many a night at BMO where things have gone the other way, this season, previous seasons, was it stunning for you to see it go the other way?
To be honest it wasn’t stunning, it was pleasing and the reason it is pleasing is for the players. The players have worked so hard for the club, they have done absolutely everything that I have asked them and obviously when Darren scored the equalizer, and the time he scored, you thought ‘the boys are going to be disappointed again’. But how many times have we seen an ex player score against his old club? So I’m very pleased for everybody but I’m pleased for Terry because it meant a lot to him.
Q: After the week Terry has had using his head in Dallas and the way his eyes have looked, it was nice to see him score with head?
The one thing we wanted to do when we embarked on this journey, we wanted to put some pride back into the shirt and for our fans to go away with a good feeling. I think they were intelligent enough to realize we were running out of fumes a bit, but the effort, the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th effort was heartwarming if you’re a non football fan, but if you’re a Toronto Football Club supporter, a TFC supporter, I would think the train home today or the ride home will be pretty decent.
Q: Talk about Luis Silva and his performance today, he hasn’t started in 8 games and really was a stand out from the get go?
Well, we’ve had some ups and downs to say the least and I have known Luis for a long long time since he was at UCSB. He comes from a wonderful family, he is a wonderful man, tremendous talent and went very high on him in the draft. I don’t want to dig old stuff up but he was hurt by what happened, and he really wants to do well and playing on the right hand side of midfield is hard, he has never really played there. He has always played underneath or as a centre midfielder and tonight I thought he was excellent.
MIDFIELDER LUIS SILVA
Q: The victory was almost snatched away from you guys tonight, it was pretty nice the way it finished?
Yes, of course, it feels really good! They got a goal on their last chance and we were able to get one on ours too so it was a great feeling to get that win.
Q: Luis it has been a long time coming for you, scored on your debut in the Champions League, how does it feel to get your first MLS goal?
It feels good, the most important thing is that we won, so I’m very thankful for that.
Q: This was your first start under Paul Mariner, the teams almost scored a couple from some good play by you, Johnson almost getting a couple, how do you feel after that game?
That is my goal is to start, I have been working really hard in practice, the coach has been talking to me and showed his confidence in me to start. The team worked hard, we got the win, and that is what is important.
MIDFIELDER TERRY DUNFIELD
Q: Big goal for you tonight, especially scoring against your old team in Vancouver how did it feel?
Probably the biggest goal of my soccer career, it really felt incredible. It has been a really hard season for us at the bottom there and the guys showed a lot of character to come back twice today.
Q: Do you think there was a bit of déjà vu all over again with Mattocks scoring that tying goal?
Yes, but there is a real fighting spirit in this squad, we never say die! Torsten put a great ball in and when I put it in the top corner I couldn’t believe it.
Q: When you signed with this club the coach Paul Mariner said they had a long chat with you about the character they want to put into this team, you’ve been getting a lot of time, can you talk about the mentality and the emotion he brings?
Yes , the gaffer gives all of the guys a lift for sure! Gives us a lot of energy and fight and you can see that in the performances of the players, definitely.
