Here are some of the highlights.

Martin Rennie, RailHawks head coach

On facing the Revolution:

“First of all, I want to thank the New England Revolution for coming back down here again and playing us. They’re great people to work with and that’s really important. There’s a lot of clubs who would like to come here and train but you want to work with people you enjoy working with and we appreciate the way they handle themselves. For us, last season, it was a really important thing for us to get hard preseason games. We played New England, Olimpia, and we played some really good teams. When our season started, it made a big, big difference. I think for the first four or five games, we were definitely a step ahead of the teams we played. We got off to a good start and that had a big impact on our season. It built confidence. It gave our team something to hold on to, and we’re hoping that by getting quality teams like New England here again, it will help us get off to a good start in our league campaign. We want to do well between now and then, but it’s a pleasure to have a team like New England here who we can play and put our wits against and see how we get on.”

On objective for this year’s game this season versus last:

“At this stage of the season, a lot of objectives are the same: keep getting fitter, keep getting game practice without getting anybody hurt, and all being well, just see a little bit of improvement. We’ve had a few games against college teams, and we know this is a big, big step up from that level . So our players are going to have to adapt. Maybe against college teams, they were mainly just attacking. Now we need to see how they do defensively and see how they do against a team with the quality New England has. We want to do well, but at the same time, we’re building toward April 10. We want to see how we’ve come on from last season. Last season we performed well on this stage, and we’re hoping we’ll do that [Saturday].

On the team’s chemistry with so many players returning:

“I think time will tell how that goes. We’ve taken a lot of time trying to get to know the people we’re signing. It’s not just trying to sign good players, it’s trying to find players who will be good people and who we’ll enjoy working with. We believe we’ve done that. Obviously, you don’t know that 100 percent until you’ve been on the field or had a few road trips with them or had a few ups and downs with them, but I believe the chemistry will be good. Nothing builds chemistry in soccer like winning games, so that’s one of the first things we want to do. Guys have been working really hard, and I think the guys who are coming in will fit in well.”

Mark Schulte, RailHawks defender On expectations for 2010:

“Looking back to last year, lots of things you can say are good about it. For players and for coach, a second-place finish isn’t what we’re after. We want to be first. It was a commendable season, considering no one really knew each other the first month or so. This year, I think is going to be something special. We have a group that knows each other and knows the system. The new guys have to come in and get acclimated, but there’s other people who can help them learn the philosophy and how we’re going to play. So I’m really excited about how this year’s going to go and I’m excited for a great test on Saturday.”

Brian Wellman, RailHawks president

On Community Shield match:

“The Community Shield match is to raise attention to what the RailHawks players and coaches do in the community every year, which is very meaningful work. The reason for assembling everyone today is to signify the beginning of 2010 season get the word out the RailHawks are back on the field for another successful year, and we wanted to identify what the match signifies within our organization. Our charitable arm, the Spread Your Wings Foundation, we launched it last year, and one year on, we’ve done a lot of great things. We have several programs we’re apart of – Boys & Girls Club, Salvation Army and some other organizations. We’re getting feedback from these organizations where children’s GPAs are rising, they’re self-esteem is rising and the overall confidence to contend with the challenges of today’s youth, it’s come to light we’re making a difference. It feels good to me and I know it feels good to our players. They go and do this very tangible work in the community, and for that, we’re very thankful.”

On competing with MLS:

“MLS has a real high quality and standard of play. Just look at their record against powerful teams in the SuperLiga and when big clubs come in from England, MLS teams regularly beat and compete with these teams. Likewise, in our league, the standard is extremely high. We know our standard is high, and when we compete against MLS teams, we always do well, and so do the other teams in our league. Our goal in the NASL is to raise the perception of our league. In the past, there’s been confusion. Are you minor league, similar to baseball? We are not minor league and we are not a farm system for MLS. We feel we can compete with them, and it’s our goal as executives in the NASL to raise the commercial viability of the product to where fans and the media recognize the standard is very high. That’s the big challenge. MLS is such a powerful organization with great teams, a great marketing presence and great TV contracts. I don’t think we want to compete with that, but we can find our niche and raise our standard, raise the value of league and get more fans and excitement behind it.”

Steve Nicol, Revolution head coach

On coming back to Cary for a second straight year:

“It was an easy decision to come here. We came down last year. The treatment we had, obviously the game – I hope Mr. Schulte doesn’t do it again this year – the hospitality. In Boston, we can’t get out and train on a field this time of year. To come here and be able to train on the fantastic fields we’ve been on, it’s just a pleasure. It’s a really easy decision and I hope we come back next year, as well.”

On his impressions of soccer in the Triangle:

“It’s no great surprise we end up coming back to this part of the world, whether it’s to play, to train, to pick players up. There must be something about this environment that makes it easier for players to learn. They obviously enjoy playing in this environment, but the biggest thing is the environment is a healthy one. They learn and they become professionals like these two guys here.”

On his impressions of Darrius Barnes and Zack Schilawski:

“It goes back to what we were saying earlier. They have the ability to play soccer, but the professionalism has really been a surprise to me. I don’t think the college game is geared toward the pro game, but when you take these two guys in, the professionalism was outstanding. You wouldn’t know they were rookies as far as that was concerned. I’m impressed with their ability on the field, but I’m very impressed with their professionalism and the way the handle themselves and look after themselves.”

Darrius Barnes, Revolution defender

On transition from playing in college to playing every minute of his rookie season in 2009:

“A big part was getting drafted by the Revs. The coaching staff is great and they make it easy and more comfortable for your transition. And I give big credit to my teammates as well. They make you feel at east coming into training camp. If it wasn’t for my teammates and coach Nicol, I wouldn’t be able to do it.”

Zack Schilawski, Revolution forward

On returning to his hometown as a professional:

“It’s great. I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve played games on that field, I think, on every level. I Lots of friends and families are around, and I have an opportunity to play in front of them, which I’m excited about. And all those factors aside, it’s a great venue to play. The facilities are great. The field’s great. So it’s going to be fun.”