All the way back on Wednesday I was at the Portland Timbers practice and had the opportunity to interview John Spencer, David Horst and Jack Jewsbury. Unfortunately, I also had to go to work and pay my rent. So, here are a bunch of quotes from Wednesday that I did not have time to transcribe before rushing out the door.
Coach John Spencer:
On the individual players of Philadelphia
"Worry about yourselves. If we do our own job and play well to the best of our ability we win the game. If they play to the best of their ability and we don't, they win the game. It's not a difficult game to figure out. It's not rocket science."
More quotes from John Spencer, David Horst and Jack Jewsbury after the jump.
On the Timbers missing players from practice for their national teams
"They are obviously training hard with their national teams at a good, quality level, national team level games. So at this time of the year you should be on autopilot right now. To be honest with you in the last eight games of the season if you don't know how your coach wants you to play this time of the year then there's something wrong with you."
On young goal keepers
"I think Manchester United just signed one for about thirty million euros. It doesn't matter. If you are good enough you're old enough."
On Portland actually being hotter than their destination for the first time this summer
"It has been nice to train in this heat so that if we do go and there is an uprising in the temperature then we will have trained in it all week."
On the run up to the playoffs
"I think we have had an extremely good season so far but sometimes people only remember what happens at the end so it is important that we finish strong."
Defender David Horst:
On returning to Pennsylvania where he grew up
"There will be quite a large cheering section. I think between one hundred and two hundred people from my home town area are coming down, plus my family. So, it will be nice to have them there cheering on the Timbers."
On the long break
"Going into this last stretch of games I think the team is feeling really healthy. I know we are missing some guys, but I think the team is feeling really good about what we have got going on right now."
"I had a couple sore muscles here and there that I needed to get taken care of and they healed up and finally for the first time in a long time this year my body feels one hundred percent, which is nice. Especially going into these last eight games because every game we need to get points out of them."
On the team's position in the standings
"I think we are a little disappointed were we are in the standings. We have given points up. There are a lot of home games where we should have had some more wins and maybe a couple road games as well."
On playing on the road
"Our last two road games didn't go so well, but it is a different story now. It is a new game for us and pretty much every game we consider our last game of the year. We need these points on the road."
Captain Jack Jewsbury:
On the long break
"The days off were welcomed and, to be honest, with the two wins leading up to that there was a good comraderie in the locker room and everyone is upbeat. I think we are just ready to get back on the field and get some games going and beat Philly."
On the playoff race
"Obviously we are both right there in the thick of things with the playoff race and we have got to pick up some points on the road."
"We know that in this final playoff push that five of our last eight are going to be on the road, so for us to make the playoffs we are going to have to get a couple results and there's no better time to do it than the first time out of the gate."
On playing Philadelphia for the second time
"I think it is a different team. Obviously they have some new guys playing and so do we. I think it is just the way we approach the game on the road. Obviously if there has been one negative that is the one thing, that we have not been able to get enough results on the road to get us up in the standings."
Sorry for the delay folks. The long break is almost over so enjoy today's game for me as I will once again be rushing off to work.