Quote Sheet: Union vs. Rapids

Philadelphia Union Head Coach Jim Curtin
Opening statement...
Not our sharpest night, a little disappointing result obviously for a lot of reasons, a night where we’ve created a lot of chances and opportunities in the box. You let teams hang around and we make a silly mistake off of a throw in and we get punished, so still a lot to work on for this group, still sit in a good spot on the table but a disappointing result. One now where we have to regroup quickly. We have to go on the road to Minnesota [United FC]. It hurts, but at the same time we have to pick ourselves up. We weren’t ourselves tonight, I would say that what’s gotten us to where we are right now is just real good stability on the defensive side of the ball, as a team that is, that’s not a back-line thing, that’s a team being organized. There was too much space tonight, we allowed the game to get end to end. We didn’t win the individual duals that we usually have won over the past games. Great performance against Seattle [Sounders FC], a point, decent moments in the Portland [Timbers] game, and you get punished on the counter, and tonight probably the worst performance of the three, and still should have gotten a second goal. The guys are upset, they’re angry, but at the same time perspective wise now we have two big games going into the [Concacaf] Gold Cup break.

On his team’s opportunities tonight...
We had 26 shots on goal which is a pretty good number. Have to hit more on target that’s for sure. I think too much in the first half maybe we passed when we should have shot, and maybe shot when we should have passed, so we were just a little bit off with our combinations. Colorado was difficult to play against, but again we still created 26 shots on goal which is a good number, it goes in waves a little bit because we have been a team that has been able to score goals this year, so it’s not a situation where were not creating anything, but at the same time we do recognize a little more urgency in around the goal and then something we’ll work on every day in training now.

On Marco Fabian in tonight’s match...
We had a good push, when Marco came in, obviously it’s his first minutes in a little bit of time. Good to have him back. Would have liked to get that second goal and right before we concede off the throw and Fafa has a good chance, we have a little bit of the scramble, and have an opportunity to get the second goal and we don’t. Overall, Marco, a good 25 minutes or so including the extra time. It’s great to have him back but we were just as a team not enough guys had good nights tonight, that’s the reality of this situation and were a team that needs to have eight, nine guys at their very best to get results, and we’re just a little bit sluggish, a little bit off tonight. I take responsibility for that, but at the same time perspective wise now we sit in second place in the conference and know we have to pick up points over our next two games.

On Sergio Santos getting subbed off...
Nothing is pre-planned going into a game. Sergio did a good job on the goal, sometimes tried a little hard to make a play and was forcing things as he tried to dribble out of a couple tight spots. We thought around that minute threshold for him was about right. He runs hard, he is a powerful runner and I thought he had a good game tonight. Good performance from him, but at the same time nothing was pre-planned in terms of the subs. We made a change just to change the game to be honest.

On Jamiro Monteiro’s performance...
He probably could have had four assists if you add it up. He does a good job. His natural spot is probably on the side of the diamond in the midfield, a little deeper, but he still created enough chances for us. Almost had the goal at the end, maybe a [penalty kick], maybe not. But yeah, Jamiro had a good performance, I thought he was one of the guys that checked a lot of the positive boxes tonight and was one of our few bright spots. His ability to get out of tight spots, to set guys up with passes, and he has a real urgency and intensity about him for the entirety of the ninety minutes. On a night where we weren’t at our best, he was a guy I thought had a good game.

On the upcoming match against Minnesota United FC...
It'll be tough to go to Minnesota for sure. They have improved a great deal this year. They have a new stadium, so there will be a lot going against us. I still have full confidence in our group. We believe in each other. We recognize that the performance tonight was not out best. But again we will keep perspective and recognize. If you would have signed up in the beginning of June to be in the part of the table that were at, we’d be happy with that. But we do also have a bitter taste in our mouth because the past two games we deserved more. We let ourselves down a bit, but in the course of a 34 game season there's going to be a tough patch and now we have to go and do maybe the unexpected and get a result on the road and then follow it up against [New York] Red Bull at home before the break.

On the current group of guys in the locker room...
We have full confidence in the guys that are here to do the job. They’re the ones that have earned where we are in the table. So again, that group can score goals, they’ve proven that against the top competition, against the weaker competition we’ve executed and done a good job. So yeah, full confidence in all of our strikers. There are always situations during the course of a season where you get everything but the goal. Off the post and out, rather than off the post and in and that's the way it’s been breaking for us right now. At the same time, perspective wise, within the three games it's only two points out of nine, which hurts. It hurts all of us; we feel it, trust me. At the same time there is still been some good performances in there. You’re only as good as your next performance so we have a big task to go to Minnesota and try to get all three points.

Forward Sergio Santos
On how it felt to score a goal in his return from injury...
It was good, very happy to score in my return, but realistically we need to come away with three points at home so that was disappointing, but now we just keep working to get better and win against Minnesota [United FC].

On specific things the forwards will work on to finish chances...
We need to evaluate the form that Minnesota is in, their style of play and work on the things that will give us the best chance to beat them.

On how he feels about playing 90 minutes after playing 60 in tonight’s match...
In the 60th minute I felt great, but it was a decision of the coach, so you have to respect it and the player that came in has been in great form. It’s one of those things where they came in, but I feel great.

On his goal...
It was a play that started out with some pressure and we were able to get out of it and then Jamiro [Monteiro] laid off a great pass and I was able to finish just like I work on so many times in training.

Midfielder Alejandro Bedoya
On trying to get everything to come together in the final third...
I told you last game you ain’t gonna win ** if you can’t finish. You can’t score goals. We have our chances, but we let a team in the game and they punish you. Just one critical opportunity they had. It’s frustrating, but back to the training ground. Working on our service, working on our runs in the box, working on finishing because we’re missing.

On his level of frustration tonight...
Man… pissed as all hell right now, but you try to stay positive. In this league you always have your slumps, and your streaks, and I think all teams go through that. So I mean we’re in a little bit of a slump right now, a finishing slump. We can’t score our chances that we’re creating. The good thing is that we’re creating chances, right? It’s not like there’s a lack thereof. It is what it is. We have a tough game now away in Minnesota [United FC], I hope we can show some character and go out there, defend well and stay compact and hopefully on the break we can finish our chances like we did last time we went away to Toronto [FC]. So, we just have to get it together in the final third because we got everything else except the final product.

On how to rally his team...
Yeah, he’s a grown ass man. He knows himself he should be doing better, but for me as a veteran guy, I’ll just talk to him and you know give it a day, overnight, sleep on it and then tomorrow is a new day. He is our best finisher around the box. You see it in training all the time, he just puts away chances, but it’s the game that matters. He’s been doing well and like I said we just can’t finish right now. We were able to put a lot of goals in New England [Revolution] and we should’ve saved some of those for these games.

On if a road game is good at this point...
I see what you’re saying with that because we’re probably going to set up differently. We probably won’t face a team that’s just going to bunker in. It’ll probably be a more open game. I don’t know if that’ll suit us more, I just know that we are a team that likes to keep possession and like I said, it’s not like a lack of chances being created. We’re just not being able to finish, so that disappointing, but here we go on the road again and we’ll probably end up a little bit different tactically. Like I said, stay compact and we need to get back to keeping a shutout, man. Against Portland [Timbers] and now here we need to keep a shutout and those are important for us. Obviously scoring goals. You know soccer is simple, you have to score.

On his message to the team about how to finish opportunities...
What’s my message? Nothing. I think everybody knows it has to be better. It’s something we have to keep working on in training and in training we have to work with the intensity and focus and if you’re putting them away in training then you have to train like you’re playing a game. That’s all I have to say to them. I hope that will raise their level of intensity in training and be focused on every little thing that you do because all those little touches, just a little run, the timing, everything has to be pinpoint perfect for things to come off. Tonight even in the first half, we just weren’t able to capitalize.

On what he would say to Sergio Santos...
Sergio? I think he’s still working to full fitness. I don’t think he’s fully fit yet. So as he keeps coming along keeps getting more games he’ll get fit, but he’s a guy that hopefully can get going full sprint because he has the ability to help us out with his runs in behind. He’s pretty strong, I’ve seen him every day in training. I think sometimes in the games he’s not doing what he does in training, so it’s just a work in progress. I’m happy he scored tonight and I know he’s got a lot to give us moving forward, so we have to keep training like we’re playing in a game, keep the intensity up and the chances are there. We just have to be able to finish them.