Jearl Margaritha scores in fourth straight match, Rémi Cabral finishes with first-career multi-assist match
Phoenix Rising wrapped up a three-match week with a comeback result, turning a two-goal deficit into a 2-2 draw against Sacramento Republic FC on April 19 at Phoenix Rising Stadium. Following the match, Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah and forwards Rémi Cabral and Damián Rivera spoke with reporters about the comeback, finishing a long week and building off the result.
HEAD COACH PA-MODOU KAH
General thoughts on the match…
“I’m super proud. As a footballer myself, I know what it’s like to play three games in a week, with one of them going 120 minutes away. I think that shows the mental capacity of the group and willingness to fight. Being down 2-0, 2-1. I’m super proud of these boys, it was unbelievable.”
On Jearl Margaritha’s goal and overall performance…
“I’m very happy with his performance. Once again, we demanded a lot of him and he demanded a lot of himself. He’s progressing in the right way and taking his chances. That’s what we’re asking him to be. More lethal, more efficient. He showed it. Today, he scored a goal. There were many instances where he played a big part.”
On the team’s resiliency to come back from two goals down…
“Nobody’s going to feel sorry for you. Nobody is going to feel sorry for us. We know what we signed up for and this is part of the game. We talk about being mentally strong, about being resilient, showing character. I think we have been showing it all through this year. You always want three points at home, but this point will go a long way after the long week we have had.”
FORWARD RÉMI CABRAL
On his overall thoughts on the match…
“It was a difficult game, especially with having the Wednesday U.S. Open Cup game. We played 120 minutes and came back on Saturday to play at 1 in the afternoon. It wasn’t easy, but I think the team had a really good reaction to show the character we have. It could have been better, but to come back from 2-0 isn’t easy, especially with heavy legs.”
On assisting on Damian Rivera’s goal…
“I’m really happy for Damian. (The goal) is going to take his confidence higher, because we know we’re going to need everyone on the team. The guys on the bench are going to finish the game. As coach says, they’re the finishers. They’re going to help us.”
On playing with the other attackers on the front line…
“I like to play with them. Everyone likes to play with good players, and obviously they’re really good. You can tell we have many weapons in front and in midfield. I enjoy playing and training with them everyday.”
On the feeling in the locker room following a three-match week…
“We know this is our job. Some weeks are harder than others. I’m proud of everyone because it’s not easy to play in the afternoon in the sun. To be down 2-0, especially. I’m really proud of everyone to come back to make it 2-2. Obviously, we wanted the win, but it was good to keep the momentum right and now we’ll come back next week.”
FORWARD DAMIÁN RIVERA
On his overall thoughts on the match…
“We started off slow. We had to build ourselves into the game and we kept improving as the game went on. We took advantage of a couple of our chances and were unlucky not to get the three points.”
On scoring the equalizing goal…
“It was huge for us. Rémi (Cabral) saw me, I tried to finish the chance, and I did. I was really happy, and it gave us momentum. We wanted the third goal but were unfortunate not to get it.”
On how he feels on the ball…
“Confidence. Not just for me, but for the team as well. We were unlucky not to get the third goal.”
On the messages he receives from Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah…
“I had a little bit of a knock in my thigh, which didn’t help me. I have been managing it the last few weeks and Pa told me to come in and make a spark today, and I did.”
