Head Coach Adrian Heath
On importance of two consecutive wins for the team…
“No matter what I tell the players, there’s nothing like actually winning games of football to give players confidence, especially the way we played as well. I think some of our attacking play in the first half was outstanding on Saturday against Salt Lake, and certainly in the first half against the Galaxy. So, more of the same. I was so pleased to get the result because I knew how tired the guys would be with the amount of travel and the games on the road that we’ve had. The last two games have been excellent and we have to keep going because the next three or four weeks are a little bit tough with all the games, but we have got some games coming up at home. If we do well, then we can give ourselves a real opportunity forcing our way back in that playoff picture.”
On Robin Lod playing in the center midfield against Real Salt Lake last week…
“It’s been well documented what I think of him [Robin] as a football player. It doesn’t matter where you play him on the field, he knows the role. More importantly, he actually plays it like somebody who’s a natural to that position. You don’t have to speak all week about positioning, he just picks it up and gets it. I thought his use of the ball was excellent. Interceptions, his strength, and then he broke forward at the post where he could have scored. Did he surprise me? No, because he’s a quality footballer. Over the next few years, hopefully we’ll get him tied to a new deal which we are very close on. When we do, who knows, he may be more back further down the field because the one thing about him is he can play anywhere.”
On what he sees in Vancouver Whitecaps ahead of Friday’s match…
“[They’re] well organized, they play a bit different than a lot of teams. They play three very narrow at the top and two behind, then a back five, so it is difficult to break down. They started slowly, but I think [they’ve had] six wins in the last eight or nine games. So, they’re on a really good rich vein of form. It’s never easy going to Vancouver and as I always say, I don’t expect it to be any different.”
Midfielder Robin Lod
On the importance of the win over Real Salt Lake…
“It’s really important since we have a stretch of good games, so now we take all the three points we can get. We made it hard in the end, but in the end, the three points matters.”
On the confidence of the group after back-to-back wins…
“It means a lot. It’s a good way to build up some confidence and go for the wins. You can also see on the table, just get a few wins in a row and you change your season totally, so now we just need to focus on the next one.”
On the team scoring six goals over the last two matches…
“It’s always great to score the goals and I think the fans love it the most in the game. It’s been nice and it’s great to see that now it clicks. It’s good for the guys to get confidence out of the goals.”
On starting in the center midfield versus Real Salt Lake…
“In the beginning it was a little bit sketchy because it’s been a while since I played there, but once the game went on I felt really comfortable. It’s not like I never played in that position before, so I really enjoyed it there.”
On his feelings about facing Vancouver Whitecaps…
“It’s a tough play to play. I remember last season losing there and it’s not a great feeling. It’s totally a difficult place to play and we have to just recoup now and focus on what we are best at and do our best there.”
On mostly playing at home for the remainder of July…
“If we get a good result on Friday, so it’s real nice to play in front of our great home fans. I’m really looking forward to it.”
