MF: Tony Meola... His performance has not necessarily been the best, he's had a couple of four-goal games and then he comes up with a game like this.
MJ: If Tony Meola comes up in the next three games with the same performance, Tony Meola is gonna be a hero for the MetroStars fans?

MF: Right.
MJ: I know what Tony Meola has. He has that in him, to perform at the highest level. Has he been at his best? Tony would say, no. He was out for nine months, for nine months he never played. He comes in, we put him in, it's difficult. He's been trying to get back in to match fitness. And then Tony comes with up with a game. He was been brought here, as he told before, to win big games. That was a huge game on Sunday, and Tony came up huge. Shades of 2000. I keep saying that. And if he performs in the next three games like that, the MetroStars are in the final, and we're all happy. But we're not really happy, because we want to win it. I have a burning desire to win this championship. I want to do what no other coach has ever done in this organization, and that's to win the championship.

MF: Only one coach has ever won a playoff series. You don't have to do much to do better in the playoffs than the best guy here.
MJ: There's been World Cup winners here. There's been Carlos Queiroz, who has been at Real Madrid. None of them got it done. I intend to do that.

MF: But what makes you different from those other guys?
MJ: Because I've got a burning desire to win. Because I've done it as a player, I've got ten championships of my own. I have a burning desire to win every day.

MF: But you're not playing. Do the players have the burning desire?
MJ: I'm coaching, and my desire to win things comes out in our players, and it showed in our last three games.

MF: So with Bob Bradley, that desire was not there?
MJ: The desire was there, but I push them in different areas.

MF: So was a change necessary then? From Bob to you?
MJ: I can't answer that question, because at the end of the day, it wasn't me who made the decision. Should we have been maybe allowed to carry it on? Yes. But it was thrown upon me to get it done, I've done it. Does that make me get the job? Come on. It's only three games. I have a desire to win this championship like nothing else, and I'm challenging the players every day. I came on, I tried to push things, I tried to push certain buttons, I've opened up certain things. I'm challenging them in the ways they've never had. Certain players are not playing, who thought they should have been playing. But I've tried to raise the bar, and when you raise the bar, you raise the bar on 18, 19, 20 players. Me personally, if we have six or seven guys who don't show up on Saturday night, we're getting buried. And the fans won't be happy. Hey, bring it on. Come to the press conference, ask me questions that I shouldn't be coach. I'll answer the questions, because you know what? I'll empty the locker and I'll move on. That's easy. Easy.

MF: Is there a message you want to give to the fans?
MJ: I have a burning desire to win for this organization. Trust me, if I'm given this job, the day this organization is out of the tournament, I'm heading out and bringing back players that they haven't seen before. And I'm working to get it done. But it starts now, it starts Saturday night.