D.C. UNITED HEAD COACH BEN OLSEN
Overall thoughts on the match:
My general thoughts on the match are that we played likeboys. And not just the second half, I thought the first half we played soft,naïve. There’s a mentality to this game that right now some of our guys don’thave. We have talent – flashes – but it’s still not good enough, you need tohave it for 90 minutes. Part of it is youth, and part of it is complacency. Weare up 2-0 and now we think the game is easy; we get half the tackle, we don’thave to win second balls, and we roll the dice and hope we get lucky.
It’s absolutely going to stop – it has to stop, or we willnot make the playoffs, it’s that simple. The way we fade in and out of games asa group, the way we take breaks, is the reason why we haven’t had two games ina row.
I don’t know if we should’ve been up 2-0, but we were, andto tie that game is absolutely ridiculous.
On how to improve the team’s performance:
We can start by winning two games in a row, and finishinggames off. When we are 2-0, make it 3-0. Finish the game off. Do all the littlethings that you need to do at 2-0 to kill the game. Too many of our guys rightnow don’t get that. It’s a very disappointing tie tonight. The guys aredisappointed. We got to look at ourselves in the mirror after this one, becauseit was an unacceptable performance from the start to the end.
On what is missing:
I haven’t seen consistent, high-level performances gameafter game. It’s there – the talent is there, but talent is not enough. I havebeen on terrible teams and won games because we had guys that would do anything– anything – to win a game. And that means if they are tired, if they lose theball, they don’t stop. If you have to run 40 yards as hard as you can to tackleor to help a teammate, you do it. And that part is missing, and it has got tostop.
I will try my best to fix it. I’ll hold my hand up. I’m sureyou can analyze that game and you can probably point fingers at me on somefashion, but I’m just very disappointed in the mentality of these guys. I justdidn’t see it. Those guys did not reward the people that pay money to come andwatch them. It’s not enough for me.
On making changes for the next match:
I’ll have to evaluate [the team]. I’ll evaluate themphysically and look at the tape. Sometimes I look at the tapes and realize I’mwrong. But I think I’m pretty spot on this one. Some of us will have to look atthe mirror and figure out if we got it, because if we don’t then we will endthe season early, and that’s not going to be good for anyone.
D.C. UNITED MIDFIELDER CLYDE SIMMS
On his overall thoughts on the match:
It was ugly at first, but we were fortunate to come into thelocker room at halftime up 1-0 off a nice goal by [Dwayne] De Rosario. We gotan early goal in the second half, and we were in the position we wanted to bein. We lost our focus, and we didn’t do the things we did well in the firsthalf defensively in the second half.
On the postseason implications of the draw:
This was a missed opportunity. Obviously being at home andbeing up 2-0 in the second half, this isn’t what we wanted. At the sametime there is time left in the season, we are still in the playoff hunt, andthere is plenty we have to learn from tonight. Hopefully we take a lesson fromthis.
On facing Real Salt Lake at home on Saturday:
It’s always a tough game against Real Salt Lake – it’s goingto be a battle. We’re going to have to adjust our strategy, with some guyshaving played two games in a short span, but I think we’re going to bring ourbest game. We’re going to need it. We’ll need to be disciplined, becausethey’re a good team offensively and they are compact and organized defensively.I’m confident in our team and I know we’ll get the job done.
D.C. UNITED DEFENDER ETHAN WHITE
On the draw:
It’s tough, because this tie feels like a loss. It’s verydisappointing being two goals up and giving up that lead. We’ve got to keepplaying and we are looking forward to the next game on Saturday.
On scoring his first United goal:
It’s an unbelievable feeling. I grew up watching D.C.United, and stepping up and scoring during my rookie year – I wasn’t expectingthat. It’s unbelievable, and I don’t think I’ve ever been happier thancelebrating that goal. But walking off the field it’s disappointing, because wecould have won that game.
On United’s next match:
We always have to try and get the win at home – that’salways the goal.
CHIVAS USA HEAD COACH ROBIN FRASER
On the game:
It’s a little bit disappointing when you give up two setpiece goals. We’ve given up a few set piece [goals] over the last few weekswhen that’s something we were really quite good at for a while. So it’sdisappointing when really I felt like we did a good job of limiting [D.C.United’s] chances during the first half. And then obviously to give up a freeheader on a set piece goal is disappointing. And then we come out in the secondhalf and give up another set piece goal, extremely disappointing. However, Iwas very pleased with the character the team showed tonight. I thought we did agood job of coming back. We put ourselves in a chance to win the game and itreally ended positively. Obviously we could have lost it in the dying minutes,but Dan Kennedy makes a great save and I just think it speaks volumes andencapsulates the second half performance. We did a lot of things well, weplayed very positively, we were able to create some chances, and then we make abig save at the end to at least walk out with a point. So, certainly theoverall feeling walking out is that we gave a good account of ourselves.
On changes made in the second half:
After we’d gone down two goals, we went back to twoforwards. We were able to get the ball into wide areas and get some goodservice in. Juan [Pablo Angel] had two great finishes.
On earning the road point:
[Getting the point] is critical. At this point, certainlythere’s a host of teams that are kind of at the bottom and looking up into theplayoff race and every point you get is critical at this time. Obviously we’dlike to have gotten three [points], but a point is better than no points atall.
CHIVAS USA FORWARDJUAN PABLO ANGEL
On the game:
It’s been a bit of a difficult time for us. We haven’t beenplaying the greatest football lately. Today we conceded two goals that to ourstandards we shouldn’t have conceded and we put ourselves on the back foot, butthen I thought we showed a lot of resilience and character and more of what weexpect from this team. It allowed us to even the game up and we could have wonit. There’s a lot of positives today. I think this is going to be a great boostfor the team and we still mathematically have a chance to qualify [for theplayoffs] and we’re going to give it the best effort that we can.
On Dan Kennedy’s penalty kick save:
[It was] immense. [Dan Kennedy] has been terrific throughoutthe year and he proved it again today, so [I was] delighted.
On scoring twice:
Since I’ve moved to [Chivas] I have enjoyed the game again.I feel that I’ve been playing better every game. I’m feeling more comfortableon the ball and in the air. Today I was happy that my goals helped the team toget at least a tie.
CHIVAS USA GOALKEEPER DAN KENNEDY:
On saving the penalty kick:
I thought it was a rather soft call to begin with. I thinkDeRo [Dwayne De Rosario] sold it pretty well. We’ve had a tough run of gamesand been on the short side of the stick every now and again. It’s just a matterof getting the [shot] right and going the right way and I did and I got a goodjump on him. So, regardless of how hard he could hit it, I felt like as long hewas going to that side the more I could save it.
On earning the point:
In this point in the season where we’re at, one point is notenough. We really need three points every outing from here on out, but it willhopefully lift the spirits of the road trip a little bit and now we get to goback to The Home Depot Center and fight for our season at home in the remainingfour games.
On Juan Pablo Angel:
That’s the class that he brings every timehe comes out to the pitch. Whether it’s in training or in games, we know thatif we can give him a couple chances he’ll bury them.
