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MLS CUP MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 17, 2008

THE MODERATOR: We kick off today's two media conference calls with two individuals from the New York Red Bulls. Our first speaker who will be starting off the call is a young man who is a 23-year-old native of Baldwin, New York, out on Long Island. He's had two consecutive shutouts in goal for the Red Bulls, including seven saves in Salt Lake on Saturday. Played only five MLS games in his career, but he has the distinction of being the only goalkeeper in league history to score a goal. He spent most of his season on loan with the Harrisburg Islanders, United Soccer League's Second Division. Four-year standout at the University of Pennsylvania, was a fourth round pick in the 2000 Supplemental Draft, a gentleman who has had an outstanding run here thus far. He'll be joining us first on the call. That's Danny Cepero of the New York Red Bulls.
Also joining us later on the call will be the head coach of the Red Bulls, Juan Carlos Osorio. Certainly a tactician who has his club peaking at the right time after they weathered the storm, 16 second half shots in Salt Lake this past weekend to get the shutout in a 1-0 victory Rio Tinto Stadium in Salt Lake.
Danny Cepero will be making some opening comments. Danny, you've had an amazing run thus far. Five games through the playoffs, two consecutive shutouts. Can you give us kind of your overall perspective of how things are going and then your thoughts heading into this weekend, this match against the Columbus Crew?
DANNY CEPERO: Sure. Overall, it's been a bit of a roller coaster ride for me personally. Just starting out playing the Crew, opening up here in Giants Stadium for my first game, fortunate enough to have scored a goal, oddly enough.
Then followed quickly by the Chicago game which we tried to learn from and tried to forget, to be honest. And going into the playoffs. It's been exciting.
I think there's a general buzz around the club after we made the playoffs. And I think the guys in the locker room are excited to have a clean slate and a fresh start going forward and playing a great Houston team, and the general focus, our approach to the matches in the playoffs have been great.
The results have spoken for themselves. I think we carry that into Salt Lake into a very hostile environment. Tough to play there at that altitude in front of 20,000 screaming fans.
But we did the job, did what we had to do. It may not have been the prettiest soccer especially in the second half but we hunkered down and were able to hang onto to that 1-0 lead.
THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Danny, you spent the majority of the season playing for Harrisburg and USL Second Division, I was wondering any time in your wildest dreams playing in games there you thought you would be in this position?
DANNY CEPERO: No. I mean the short answer is no. You know, you're playing in USL 2, and it was a tremendous experience for me in terms of getting game experience, playing with a team and getting 20 games out there was invaluable for me as a goalkeeper, developing here.
In terms of thinking I'd be thrust into playoff situations and be looking at an MLS Cup final, absolutely not. At the same time, though, it's a dream come true. I'm having fun with it. I'm on the field and having fun and enjoying the guys around me.
And obviously you enjoy it a lot more when you're winning. But it's just been a great experience to be out here and contributing to this team effort and trying to do something that this organization and this club hasn't done.

Q. Obviously you were okay with just getting playing time. Were you put off at all that it was something like a Second Division club?
DANNY CEPERO: No, not at al. Des McAleenan, the goalkeeper coach here, was pretty adamant about getting me experience. And wherever that was I was looking forward to it because I put my trust into him and the coaching staff here that they want the best for me and they want the best for the club, which many times is one and the same.
So by getting me experience and getting me somewhere where I can play instantly, you know I think ultimately will help to benefit the club. And so I just looked at it as a learning experience and an opportunity to get better as a player, which at the end of the day is the most important.

Q. Obviously circumstances coming into the squad weren't ideal for the team, but how did you handle the situation? Did you feel any sort of lingering effects from what happened to Jon Conway and you did feel accepted by your team? Just talk about that first week there.
DANNY CEPERO: First off, it was unfortunate, under the circumstances, to lose two of our key contributors and two of our key players in Jon and Jeff.
That being said, we completely support them and are completely behind them. And on the reverse side, they're behind us. So I was fortunate enough to speak to Jon before making my debut, and he had nothing but great things to say and wished me well.
So that put me at ease and made me feel a lot more comfortable in goal. In terms of my other teammates, in the days leading up to that first match, Juan Carlos and the players were pretty adamant about just letting me know that they have the utmost confidence in me as a goalkeeper and that I was here for a reason and that just go out there and play like I've been playing throughout the season.
So they were very accommodating, very welcoming, and I think the team chemistry and my chemistry with those guys, particularly the back four, just grew from there.

Q. What do you feel his leadership and skills and to make this team make the final -- what was the most impressive skills he's shown to the team that you've seen on his quotient?
DANNY CEPERO: In terms of his skills and what he brings as a coach, he's very adamant and very focused on keeping us mentally prepared. You can talk tactics until you're blue in the face, but at the end of the day it comes down to mental toughness, and he's very keen on keeping us in the mindset where we need to be confident. We need to believe and have that desire, that passion that I was talking about earlier that part of the league, there's so much parity and there's so much equality amongst the teams that at the end of the day it's the mental strength and the ability to maintain focus for 90 minutes. That's what's going to carry teams through. And I think you see that in Houston playing in front of 30,000 fans. It's a difficult atmosphere. It's tough to focus, but because we're prepared we're able to handle it and kind of hold onto the lead and get out of there with a win.
And I think Salt Lake was another same story, different chapter in that sense. And he is very adamant about using that same focus, that same approach and just doing what we have to do to survive and get out of there with a win. So that mental strength and that mental game that is so important is one of the key attributes that he brings as a coach.
THE MODERATOR: Joining us on the call is Coach Juan Carlos Osorio.

Q. Danny, obviously being in Miami, anything Cuban is of great interest. So I was just wondering if you could fill me in on your Cuban heritage, I think it's your dad who is Cuban. When did he come over and did he settle straight in New York or was there any Miami time? Do you have any Miami relatives or anything? And my second part of the question is if you could just tell me a little bit about you academically. I think you were still taking classes and what were you majoring in and do you still plan to get your degree?
DANNY CEPERO: Sure. First off, my dad was born and raised in Havana, Cuba. He came over here. He was around 14 or 15.

Q. Early '60s or late '50s?
DANNY CEPERO: Late '50s. Straight to New York. He had a uncle living in New York. That was the gateway in. He came to New York. I do have family in the [Highly] area. And he has a couple of cousins, so second cousins for me, in the area. And I haven't been there in years, but they live out in Highly, I know that. And, yeah, other than that...

Q. You've never been to Cuba, obviously. Do you keep up with it? Do you watch the politics and everything? Do you have any interest in it?
DANNY CEPERO: I definitely do because obviously it's my dad's heritage. I keep up with the politics. We've been planning or hoping to plan a trip over there. Obviously it's kind of difficult to get over there.
But that's one of the things from my dad's side of the family. He has a brother as well living in New York. So we're very close. And so we're all trying to organize a group trip to Cuba at some point and hopefully in the relative future.
But it's difficult. But he still has family in Cuba. He still has cousins there as well. So we're still very much involved in Cuba, be it politics or family ties there.

Q. About your academics, what was your major?
DANNY CEPERO: I was a history major. I guess I'm still a history major with a concentration in diplomatic history. I left with two classes remaining to graduate. So when I was on loan in Harrisburg earlier this year I took a class once a week so I drove back to Philadelphia to the University of Pennsylvania and would take a class. I'm currently doing the same thing right now. So I'm taking my final class right now once a week at night. I just drive back there. And I plan to graduate in December.

Q. You're still doing that now, you've been driving down there once a week?
DANNY CEPERO: Yes. I only have two classes left. I've been doing it all through the fall.

Q. What class are you taking?
DANNY CEPERO: It's in my major, a history class called the End of European Empires.
THE MODERATOR: Once again we'll continue with questions for Danny Cepero. Juan Carlos Osorio is available for questions from our journalists today.

Q. Danny, just curious you're one of a couple of guys on the team who call New York home. And to make this run to the final, everyone on the team is obviously excited but is it a little more special for you kind of being a local guy and having those ties?
DANNY CEPERO: It's incredible to be able to be in your home area where you were born and raised in and to be part of a special organization and a great club like I'm at right now.
So it's been great to have my family supporting me in person coming to the games here at Giants Stadium. Family friends, old college teammates who are in New York. It's been a great network. And it's great to have my parents and my sister to be here to support me.
Aside from that, I think it's also been a point of pride to be a part of a New York team having been rooting for the Metro Stars since I was younger and being part of the New York sports team has been a dream come true. So it's pretty tremendous and a special feeling.

Q. If I could follow up with Juan as well. Early on, when you didn't have Jose, you didn't have Claudio and Juan Pablo was hurt, Dave van den Bergh was really the guy who was at the time the best player on the team, was probably one of the most consistent players as well. Can you talk about his contributions throughout the year?
COACH OSORIO: I can only add or reiterate better that we appreciated David's contribution to what we have done so far. At the end, the most important thing, as I say to my players this morning, is to know that we have managed to keep everybody very much active and very much within the team.
Meaning that we all trained every day with a view to be part of the next game. And whether it has been David, whether it was Jon Conway and whether it's now Danny Cepero, they've all been very much a part of the club from day one. And that's part of our responsibility as coaching staff is to keep those guys ready to go to be used and to be part of the team when we need them.
And they all have been very important. They all have contributed throughout this hard season. And I'm very rewarded to see now all the benefit of doing that and being able to use all the players and being able to give them opportunities to contribute. And they all have done that and we all appreciate that part.

Q. Danny, you mentioned the Chicago game. I was at that game where you guys were beaten 5-2. And that was still just your second game in there. How difficult was it to sort of regain confidence individually or as a defense unit after that game and did Coach Osorio do anything in particular with you?
DANNY CEPERO: To answer that first question, I think the coaching staff, Des McAleenan and the goalkeeper coach and Juan Carlos as well were very adamant about trying to restore my confidence to a certain extent. It wasn't like I was heartbroken at the end of the game. You lose games. That's just the reality of things. Goals are scored against you and sometimes there's only so much you can do.
But they were very great about, you know, trying to take the experience as a character building experience. And you're not going to win every game. That's just the reality of the situation and there are going to be games where you're at the wrong end of losses.
So I think they just helped my mentality in the sense that tomorrow's another day. We were fortunate to have acquired enough points and we played well to make the playoffs and that was a mental fresh start for us, I think, because that Chicago game essentially was thrown out the window because all right we learned from our mistakes and we're going forward and now that we're in the playoffs we're able to kind of start new and go forward against a different team and focus on that one game.
So I think the playoffs were a blessing in disguise to kind of get us our mentality fresh and start over and just go forward from there.

Q. All these shots that are hitting the goal post, are they often ones where you have it covered and you know that it's going to go wide, or are you pleasantly surprised to look back and hear a clang?
DANNY CEPERO: It's a little bit of both. There were instances in the Salt Lake game where you do as much to alter the shot and try to keep it out of the net which at the end of the day is what matters. There are times when your vision is obscured or it takes a funny bounce. There are just instances where you're kind of left -- you're beat but the post is there and it is part of the goal. So it's a little bit of both.
There's a little bit of luck and there's just trying to do your best to be at the right place at the right time to keep the ball out of the net. If it hits the post, so be it. But we'll take it and you just try to do your best and essentially you hope for the best.

Q. Danny, I'd like to ask some questions about your back line, Diego Jimenez and Chris Leitch have raised their games during the playoffs. Can you talk about their contributions to the team?
DANNY CEPERO: The back four have been tremendous all year I think particularly in our run of the playoffs, they've been the main component, the main ingredient in these clean sheets.
And the credit should go to them and the rest of the team as a whole. Because in reality we defend with 11 guys. It's not just four or five or even six. It's the forwards mid-fielders and the back four, me back there as well. But I think it's a tribute to the whole team the mentality we're not going to give up a goal today. That's the most important thing. Where if you don't give up a goal you're not going to lose. It gives us a chance to absorb some of the pressure that they're going to throw at us especially on the road.
And then that takes a weight off our shoulders and we have our mid-fielders and forwards and attack players to get in, do what they do, which is score goals.

Q. Is there something that Diego has done to make life easier for you?
DANNY CEPERO: Just the approach is a simple one. I think sometimes less is more. Sometimes you just need to get the ball out of pressure and just keep the ball out of dangerous spots and just play smart. Play conservative, not give up bad fouls or try and make a pass that you know is a difficult one. Especially in our back third.
So I think it's just playing smart and just knowing that, especially with a lead, that sometimes you don't have to do as much as you think. You don't have to be a hero. You don't have to be the most valuable player. You just have to be a solid defender and do your job. And that's keep the ball out of dangerous spots and essentially keep the ball out of the net.

Q. Juan Carlos, could you talk about Diego's contributions to the back line in the playoffs and what he's brought to the team?
COACH OSORIO: I would rather reiterate what Danny just said. I think we worked very hard on how to defend individually and collectively. And some people out there have said that I'm a very defensive-minded coach. And I take it as a compliment, as a matter of fact, because I think, as Danny mentioned -- and as I always say to the players -- we keep our goal -- where we keep it to zero, keep a clean sheet, we'll always have good chances because we also work very hard in attacking topics, top level football as I keep saying to the players, you only have to win one now.
And that was back in late 2003 when Chelsea won the Premiership with 18-1, and they have players, and they still played to defend properly, and that means defend with five, six players and attack with five or four players. And that's what we tried to do here and obviously with some respect for and we also understand the difference in players.
But still the same principles. You defend when numbers are up and you attack the other team where it's five against five or five against four. But we have some clinical finishers here and we trust them enough to say that if we defend properly we'll always get the chance.
Now, Diego has come to that back line when we have needed and has contributed and we say that is good for us. But I think it's a collective effort. As Danny mentioned, the back four, close the anchorman and sometimes two defensive mid-fielders but generally it's a team effort. And we have to defend from the front and we have shown that certainly in the last two games and it proved to be very rewarding for us. And hopefully that will continue to be the case.

Q. Danny, how big has the learning curve been for you in terms of adjusting from USL Division 2 competition to MLS? How much quicker is the game? What kind of adjustments have you had to make, and what have you learned most? And the second question for Danny, when you were rooting for the Metro Stars did you can pattern your style after Tony Meola or Tim Howard or any particular player?
DANNY CEPERO: First question, coming back from USL 2 was a little bit difficult getting into as you mentioned this play. The game was a lot faster. It was a lot more intense, I think, day in day out, which is something that kind of took me a few days and even a few weeks to get used to.
But I think the coaching staff and the players were very accommodating in helping me out, helping me adjust. And at the end of the day it's still soccer. It's the same game. It's the same basic principles. It's a matter of getting used to the guys around you and new personnel and feeling comfortable. Was it a steep learning curve? I guess you could say it was. But it was made easier for me by the guys around me and by the organization as a whole.

Q. In terms of when you were rooting for the Metro Stars, did you pattern your play after Meola or Howard or anyone in particular?
DANNY CEPERO: Not necessarily. I was just kind of -- I admired them being a young goalkeeper, you always kind of idolize those guys in their positions, professional goalkeepers, but around the world I just kind of tried to take bits and pieces of players and goalkeepers that I liked from around the world, not just New York. But from everywhere. So I think it was just trying to take the bits and pieces and try and build my own style as kind of a combination of all these different facets of all these players' games. So just trying to learn as much as I can and try to incorporate the better traits of each player.

Q. Juan Carlos, given all the player transactions you made during the season, how different is the technical ability and the tactical expertise of this team now as compared to the beginning of the season? And I'm talking in terms of specifics beyond just better or the same or worse or what have you.
COACH OSORIO: I would rather say at this time we're better equipped. We have more left-footed players that can compete and play in those left-side positions where we play with four-four-two or four-two-three-one or whatever the system we decide. We also strengthened the team in the back and we have more options now.
Again, I just want to say with the players, with new players coming in, we always keep training as much as we could including everybody. That's the key you have to include all the players that are not in the first team, because whenever you need them they have to be sharp and in top form. I think that has been very important to us, as he has proved to be the case for Danny, for Luke Sassano and for Sinisa and for John Wolyniec and hopefully that will be one of our strengths.

Q. Coach Osorio, you're the only coach in the league to have coached three designated players. In your year and a half of experience in Major League Soccer, I'd be interested in two aspects of coaching designated players. One, to incorporate them into the group as smoothly as possible; and, two, to avoid an overreliance from the other players because they do have a player who is making a lot of money and obviously a very important member of the team?
COACH OSORIO: I think I have been fortunate enough to work with those top players, queue damn mow Juan Pablo and Claudio, and I think there's two aspects to the equation. A, football-wise I think I as a coach have to identify those players' strengths and play a system where we could maximize those strengths.
And, B, as a coach, you have to be a human being also. And you can't forget that part. And the way you treat or the way I treated those players, I think, have been also always a part of the key to success. And it's to respect them, to appreciate what they bring to the team, to trade them in individualized way when is needed, especially because they have been probably around other leagues and they have been in football for so many years and they have done so many preseasons, they don't need to be running extra and they just need to be doing what they do on Sundays or Saturday's game.
And be honest enough to tell them whether they are doing the right things or not. Because at the end of the day they are part of the team and they have contributed on and off the field.
And I think if you're honest you could be fair to them and vice versa, you can be fair to them and be honest and tell them exactly what it is. As I said before, I have been very fortunate to get the most out of the players, including in Claudio's situation, when he played, he played up to his best and when he couldn't play, after that he was honest enough to let me know that and we made I believe the right decision.
And as far as [Cuadamo] and Juan Pablo, I think in both case I've managed to get the best out of those players, too.

Q. Danny, can you tell us what it's like to have Juan Pablo. We know how he can do on the field. But what is his presence off the field when you're not actually playing a game, what does he mean to this club?
DANNY CEPERO: His presence in the locker room is invaluable to this team. I think if you were to come in and not know who Juan Pablo was, merely you wouldn't think of this guy as a superstar. He's just like one of the regular guys. Treats everybody equally. His work ethic is unparalleled I think for somebody coming in as a designated player, he's one of the hardest working guys be it in the weight room, on the practice field, in matches.
So it's just been an incredible experience to just learn from him, to learn how he approaches each game, how he prepares day in and day out in training and to have somebody like that who I'd like to call a friend as well, it's something very special and aside from that, having him as an attacking player and for me as a goalkeeper, learning from him and learning what I can do to become a better goalkeeper by facing one of the best strikers if not the best striker in the league, I think, has been invaluable overall for me.

Q. Danny, there's a perception that underdogs aren't feeling any pressure; they're able to stay pretty loose during these games. What's the reality been like over these last few weeks? Have you guys felt that pressure? Have you guys been able to kind of keep it loose and easy?
DANNY CEPERO: I'd be lying if I said there was no pressure, there weren't any nerves. I think it's just a natural part of the game. The stakes get higher and higher, nerves, you feel the pressure. But I think it's been a matter of limiting how that pressure affects us and how those nerves affect us in maintaining that as I mentioned a little bit earlier the mental strength and toughness, the resilience to get through the tough times and fight through whatever pressure or nerves have come our way.
And I think it's a credit to the guys as a whole, the team as a whole and coaching staff for preparing us to go into hostile environments you can literally feel that pressure coming down and you can feel the fans and everybody going against you to kind of withstand that, get through it and hold onto a lead and play 90 minutes of football, I think, is a tribute to their mental toughness and strength. It's so important at this level.

Q. Juan Carlos, what kinds of things have you been telling the players this last three weeks to get them to believe that reaching this MLS Cup final was possible?
COACH OSORIO: As I mentioned before, it's to keep telling the guys that if we defend properly, we are competitive. We play within the rules, we're aggressive in a controlled manner, if we play for each other, we play with each other, we compete for each other and we just keep clean sheets, we'll always have a chance to score goals, as we proved in the last games.
We have scored against other teams, especially what are considered the top teams in this league. As far as the mental side I think is different things I have said at different times, depending on who we play against and what I believe are the keys to motivate my players for that particular game. So it will be a few things to mention, but I will prefer to keep it within the team and within the guys, amongst the players.
And they all know that we are a team that we highly appreciate the collective effort as opposed to individual accolades and it's good to know that we have in veteran players like Juan Pablo, guys that understand that and go by that. But it's also very understanding to know that young players coming through like Danny look, Sassano, they're all very humble enough to believe what we're doing as a team is more important than their own personal agendas. And the mix of those two, the youth and the veterans, plus other things that we're doing, they have been very rewarding to me because I think that that's part of the success of this club.

Q. Coach, I wanted to know what you felt was the low point of the season and how you guys recovered from that?
COACH OSORIO: I have mentioned to the players that the only time that I have been disappointed and not proud of the players that I have here and the team we have here is the games where we have allowed the opposition to play freely, and I think I don't need to repeat what those games have been.
But also the most important -- the most important thing for me is to let the players know that in professional football like any other sport is not about not failing. It's not about falling. It's about how many times can you get up and continue working and working hard and working the right way to get results.
And we have gone through very difficult games. We have been at the end of bad scores. But we have always recovered from those games. And that's the most rewarding thing to me.
That the players have understood at those particular times that I was mad, that I was upset, that I was discouraged, that I was really frustrated and disappointed, but that I never lost trust in my players and trust in the strength of character that we have here to come back and come back stronger and that has been the case and hopefully we'll continue doing so.

Q. Your feelings on having three players with national teams for mid-week games and also your thoughts just on this, Juan Carlos. Both you and Columbus have played few games outside of MLS league play compared to some of the other players. I was wondering how you thought that any effect on you and on Columbus. So the national team and then the number of games.
COACH OSORIO: First of all, thank you very much for your word. I think the credit goes to all my players and they have been terrific and they have executed especially in the last two games the plan that we have, the game plans and we give credit to them.
As far as having players in national teams, I think it's difficult. It's something that it has been and it will always be a dilemma, because I think those players benefit from the experience of the national team. But, on the other hand, they can always hinder what you're trying to do at a club level.
In this particular instance, not to have Dane Richards, Jorge or Gabriel is difficult, because we want to plan this next game starting today.
But I will have to maintain with my original thoughts and that's the fact that they will go there and hopefully they will come back as better players.
As far as us playing more games that other teams and how that will affect us, I don't think that will be the case, because to be in the final is an honor. I think this is a very competitive league.
It's a lot harder than what a lot of people think. And to manage to be in the final is a great achievement because there are many other teams capable of being in this same place. So this is not the time to think about being tired or being outworked or being that we travel too much. This is what it is. And we're more than pleased to take the extra mileage, whether it's traveling or training as far as we can go there in the final and play and be part of a great game and hopefully get a good result.

Q. Juan Carlos, I've heard you mention that statistic with Chelsea a number of times. And I know you said the defensive turnaround isn't really about going to four in the back. But can you pinpoint how you basically got all 11 starters to buy in to playing defense for 90 minutes or however long it took, and was it making the lineup change to go with younger, shall we call them, higher grade work guys, or was it something else?
COACH OSORIO: I think it's a combination of many things. So far up to today we have done almost 180 sessions and 180 sessions of football where we demand to be competitive, whether we play as multi-sided games, where it's 3v3 or 1v1s or 5v5 or 11v11, we have to be competitive. And I think it has taken some players longer than others to realize that that's what it takes to play professional and to get results at the professional level.
And I just have to be responsible enough and intelligent enough to make the decisions that we need to do at any game. And if the players -- if certain players are not performing, not fulfilling those responsibilities, then I have to go and give opportunities to other players.
And as I said at the beginning of this press conference, we have managed to give opportunity to all our players, and they all have been part of this, and they all have had a chance to contribute. And I just want to think that they have done the best when I asked them and when they couldn't do it for X reason, we have managed to make the rise-ups and to get the team prepared for the next game and hopefully that paid off.

Q. Speaking of subs, Sinisa, can you comment on what his health status is?
COACH OSORIO: You have to remember that it was not only Sinisa but Luke Sassano playing against LA and Danleigh Borman, in the early part of the season they were part of the starting 11, whether they deserve it or not but they were, because we had some injuries, we had some transferring. We have different issues. And I think nowadays we are benefiting from that from the experience they got by playing those difficult games.
Revised the players that played against Barcelona. We get hammered that day. And we were so far away from all those guys. But I say back then that in the long run, and in looking at the bigger picture, if my players benefit from experiences like that I would be happy. And I think some of my players have. And that's very good for us. And same thing for Danny, he went and got experience in a different league. He came back as a better goalkeeper with better experience and when the chance came he grabbed it with two hands and have gotten the most out of it.
So I think, again, some mature players or some other players have contributed different games at different stages during the season. But the point of the matter is that all those games have allowed us to be where we are now. And I will never forget their contribution to the club.

Q. Coach, could you just speculate a little bit on how different your season might have been if Juan Pablo had been healthy the whole season and can you talk about the job that's being done by the man on the opposite bench on Sunday, Sigi Schmid?
COACH OSORIO: First of all, I think that if Juan Pablo was healthy, we probably would have had more goals for us and we probably would have won more games.
But, again, when you have adversity and when he wasn't in the starting line, there was a time for other players to step up and bring the level of playing higher and score some goals. And that has been the case with Dave van den Bergh and Danny did it at times. We're pleased with that.
Second, I think Sigi has done a terrific job. He's a great coach. He has played a style of football that suits the players and they do really well, and I think all credit to him and to his coaching staff on all their achievements. And that's that.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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