CARSON, Calif. -- After a bitterly disappointing 2-1 extra-time loss to the LA Galaxy, New England Revolution coach Jay Heaps praised his team's performance and said he's already thinking about getting back to the MLS Cup finals.
After New England controlled much of the possession in the first half with little to show for it, the Revs and Galaxy went to the locker room at halftime with the score tied 0-0.
The Galaxy looked like they might have had the game in hand thanks to a lone Gyasi Zardes goal early in the second half, but Chris Tierney equalised for New England in the 79th minute, which changed everything according to Heaps.
"I'm telling you I thought we had it," said Heaps. "I'm proud of the guys. I thought we were the aggressor today a lot of the time. I thought we were coming back. I really thought we were prepared and we played our game."
Heaps made no apologies for the loss and gave full credit to the Galaxy and Robbie Keane for his match-winner in extra time.
"No one gave us a chance and I thought our guys rallied around that," said Heaps. "We were pretty good on the day, and on the year we were excellent the last half of the year.
"You have to credit big-time players when they step up like that. I thought Robbie Keane's finish, just the end-part of it, was pretty class."
Heaps subbed off one of New England's big-time players bringing Patrick Mullins in for Charlie Davies, the Revs goal-scoring talisman in the playoffs thus far, in the 72nd minute.
"Charlie was getting beat up pretty good," said Heaps. "I thought Patrick did a great job reading the play and keeping it alive [on the goal]. Patrick has been flying the last couple of weeks and we needed fresh legs up there."
The move worked as Mullins assisted on the Tierney goal, but in the end it wasn't enough for New England.
The loss was the fifth in an MLS Cup final for the Revolution -- a legacy Heaps knows all too well from his playing days with New England -- but the third-year boss seemed to shrug it off.
"It is what it is," said Heaps. "I'm going to do it again some time. I'm going to try to get the guys back here. This is what it's all about."