We spoke to Rapids personnel after the 2-0 defeat to San Jose Earthquakes in the inaugural Las Vegas Pro Soccer Challenge Cup on Sunday night. Here’s what they had to say …
Pablo Mastroeni - Head Coach
“I think it was a good exercise for the guys. Having not played an organized game against a different team, the first component was to be competitive. It was important to get the mindset right ahead of the first game of the season. “The second part was the fitness element. Making sure these guys get enough minutes in a game that has a great pace than the ones in training. There was some good football played at both ends so I was pleased.”
Joe Greenspan - Defender, playing his first Rapids game against an MLS side
“It was awesome. It was great to get some minutes with the guys. Obviously the result was disappointing; to lose 2-0 and I felt we gave away one sloppy goal. It was definitely more physical and faster than the game against UNLV on Friday. But It was a good transition going from the college game to the pro game for me. So it went well.”
Sam Cronin - Midfielder playing against the side he left in the off-season
“It was clearly our first test of pre-season. We were not supersharp yet. But the spirit was good and mentality was good. Tactically we need to get a little better in understanding how people move and how to get to people in certain spots. Technically we just continue as players to clean up our game. But we’ll keep that going in Tucson.”
