New England Revolution coach Brad Friedel watched as Real Salt Lake put three goals in on his side in the opening half-hour of Thursday night's match at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Then he made his thoughts known about the effort on the Revs' local TV broadcast.
The former US national team goalkeeper did not mince words.
"Pathetic. It really was," Friedel said. "I don’t care what kind of point you are in the season, whether you’re in the playoffs, out of the playoffs, whether it’s a preseason game. It’s an absolutely, completely unacceptable performance."
New England were officially eliminated from postseason contention this past weekend when D.C. United defeated FC Dallas 1-0 on Saturday afternoon. The Revs went on to defeat Orlando City 2-0 that night for their first home win since June 30.
At RioTinto Stadium, they faced a team without regulars like Albert Rusnak, Jefferson Savarino and Kyle Beckerman. But they entered Thursday's game without the natural motivation of RSL, which began the day with a one-point lead on the LA Galaxy for the sixth playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Even so, Friedel said that wasn't nearly a sufficient explanation for his team's first-half performance.
"Every game means something to the owners, every game means something to the staff, and every game means something to the fans. And when you put a pathetic performance like that — and that is the word — it’s just not acceptable."
