2021 MLS CUP: PORTLAND VS NEW YORK CITY

December 11, 2021

Giovanni Savarese

Portland Timbers

Postgame Press Conference

New York City 1, Portland 1

4-2 Penalties

THE MODERATOR: We welcome head coach Giovanni Savarese. Overall thoughts on today's match?

GIOVANNI SAVARESE: What can I tell you? I expected a very good soccer match, an entertaining soccer match, an event that was going to show the growth of Major League Soccer on a perfect location, Providence Park, in front of a group of fans, the Timbers Army, that shows why Portland is special.

Credit to New York, because first of all, thanks to them, we were able to host this match here. And couldn't be more proud of the players in how much they gave me, how much they gave to the organization, how much they gave to the fans, because they gave everything that they had in order to play a very good game.

So soccer can be cruel, because only one can win, and when it's in PKs, it's even worse. So I just have to make sure that we don't forget that the most important part is that this group today showed why it's in the final, why we fought through a difficult season, and for me, they are champions.

But it's difficult not to lift the trophy at home. But the way they played, the way they gave everything in the match against a good team that came here with a good plan; I thought two teams that showed their best of themselves today, and I think it was a very entertaining match.

So now, it's about sinking this unfortunate moment but being very proud of everything that we have accomplished.

Q. Coming into the penalties, can you tell us what was going through your head and just your thoughts on penalties deciding this thing?

GIOVANNI SAVARESE: Yes, as always, I try to make sure that the guys that have more confidence have to take PKs. We line up the guys that we felt were at a good place to take PKs. Sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it doesn't go your way. And it's unfortunate to lose in PKs, and it's the worst way that you cannot achieve your goal. It's the worst part of the game, and we weren't able to capitalize on the PKs and they did.

But I'm still proud. The guys were brave to take the PKs, and unfortunately it didn't go our way.

Q. Can you take us how you were processing the last goal and what your reaction was and if you thought you guys had it in you? And I saw you pull Steve Clark into a hug; what did you say to Steve in the aftermath?

GIOVANNI SAVARESE: To Steve, I'm proud of him. I'm proud of every player. Everybody gave everything that they have in order to try to win this trophy. And when we made those substitutions, we still believed -- and I spoke to the guys prior to the match, this game can be won at the beginning and can be won at the end. We can find always a way through it and stay positive and let's believe all the way.

We made a couple substitutions. We weren't very aggressive those last few minutes, and it paid off. It paid off with Santiago Moreno's at right back with diamond, very attacking mind and with Jimmie as one of the midfielders, with Valeri, with two strikers, and the guys performed. The guys looked very good.

And then unfortunately we couldn't find the second goal. We felt close, very close to scoring the second goal, but unfortunately ended like this in PKs and not able to lift a trophy that we fought through so much during the season to get to here. And unfortunately we couldn't achieve that.

Q. Would you be able to reflect on the legacy of a player like Diego Valeri with this club?

GIOVANNI SAVARESE: He's a player that since he came to Major League Soccer, he show his quality. He made this league a better league. He made the Portland Timbers be what it is, and he's shown all his quality. He's played always with so much passion, and he's done a fantastic job to have been an extremely important player for this organization.

And he's a legend for Portland. He's one that has shown why these type of players are important for them to come to Major League Soccer, and he allows with his way of playing MLS to be a better league.

So extremely proud of what he has given us. Proud to have been able to be with him these years as a coach of the Portland Timbers, and he has a very special family. You know, he's just an example of what foreign players should be for Major League Soccer, and for any team in Major League Soccer.

Q. I know that ultimately this game didn't turn out the way that you wanted to, but you made some decisions to take a few risks, pulling Steve Clark off his line. Wanted to know how important it is to take risks in a game like this, and also how much you might have relied on your assistant coaches for tactical decisions in a game like this.

GIOVANNI SAVARESE: I mean, every time that we make decisions, it's a collective group decision. That's why I have a staff to make sure that they give me the information, what they see, and you complement, you know, with a good group the decisions that you make.

And then you need to have a team that execute and fights through everything that you ask them to do, and that's what we saw today. In those last few minutes in the second half, you saw we gave everything that we felt we should have thrown into the game, and it paid off. The risk paid off. We felt that the risk was still worth it. We came close in the overtime, and unfortunately, we didn't find a second goal to be able to win this MLS Cup.

So very proud of my staff, the organization, the team, the fans, the event. Just unfortunate not to be able to achieve what we were looking for.

Q. How much did you all feel like Sebastián had to give today in terms of availability? I think you took him out around the 60-minute mark. And what's your thought about the controversy around the equalizer? New York City were pretty incensed about the play, and what do you think from your vantage point?

GIOVANNI SAVARESE: I think Seba, it's unbelievable for him to be able to play 60 minutes in this game after Colorado, when we thought that this season was done for him. He definitely gave everything that he had today. As limited as he was, we see his passion, and we see how much he cares about this team, and still he has good moments in the game. Not being 100 percent, he had good moments to be able to create good situations in the match.

I mean, the goal, it was a legit goal. It was a good goal. It was a goal that we deserved, and I think you can look at little things in that goal as much as you can look at little things, as well, in the goals that they scored. Ultimately, the referees are the ones that make the decision, and I thought we deserved that result all the way through it, and that's it.

Q. We're about to enter the off-season and roster changes; what do you think that this team can take away from this run in the playoffs into next season? What can you take away from it?

GIOVANNI SAVARESE: First of all, it feels cruel. It feels sour. It feels, you know, difficult to accept. So before we learn something from it, we need to feel and understand the emotions that we are going to have after this match, not to achieve what it was our goal to lift the trophy at home. What -- we couldn't have thought about a more beautiful situation for us than lifting that trophy.

So the first thing is manage our emotions. Come to the realization that this happened this way. As I said, the game can be cruel, and I say cruel, because there's always one that loses and the other one wins.

But I'm sure that as I believe every experience enriches you in anything that you have to do; it's not only about your career and the things that each player will do or us as a team and me as a coach. These are learning lessons for life, as well, and that's why soccer is so important, and that's why soccer has such a passion from us to give because we understand that these moments change us because you learn so much.

Before we learn, we have to still sink and manage the emotions that unfortunately we will have from now until who knows when by not achieving this goal and celebrating the championship at home.