D.C. UNITED HEAD COACH BEN OLSEN
On the team’s performance:
“I think there was some improvement in some aspect. On a positive note, I thought [Emiliano] Dudar played very well, Nick DeLeon showed us that he is ready to be a professional and Joe Willis was unbelievable. On the negative side, I am disappointed in the group because they are a reflection of me and the organization, at the minimum the fight has to be there every game in this league. I thought we gave them too much respect early. We didn’t get that this was going to be one hell of a tough game and that physically you better go out to fight and scrap until the game settles down. That wasn’t there and that is really disappointing.”
On giving up a goal going into the half:
“It was a killer right before the half, it always is. We were hanging in there. We can talk all we want but they are a [very] good team. They are the champs and I think they played like the champs today. They played very well. Their passing was good, their movement was good, they were dangerous on set pieces and they were everything a good team should be in this league. They are obviously coached very well by Bruce [Arena] but we had some good looks. We had a lot of good looks and if we had a little bit more fortune in front of the goal I think it could have been one of those 3-3 or 4-4 games, if we got a little bit of luck.”
On the team’s mentality:
“I wasn’t happy with the initial fight and spirit that we had, that’s the easy part. The hardest part should always be playing good soccer and finish chances and gel together, which we have ways to go in that. You have to have that other stuff from the start. I thought we gave them too much respect and I think some of our guys were a little hesitant in a lot of areas and they capitalized on it. But saying that, we hung in there, we had some good looks, we should done better with those but overall they were obviously a better team. They have a lot of weapons and they are coached by a hell of a coach.”
D.C. UNITED DEFENDER ROBBIE RUSSELL
On tonight’s game:
“I think we talked about how LA had come off playing three games in a week. We wanted to get them on their heels and I don’t think we came ready to play and that is on me personally. The players in general know we didn’t come ready to play when we needed to.”
On going down 1-0:
“When you get a situation like that, and you get a goal scored against you, it puts you behind the eight ball and you are working to fight back. You are taking chances you don’t need to take and the game is opening up. I think that is something LA prides on. They love those open-sided ended games.”
On the team’s performance:
“I think mentally that was a bad call on our part. It was one of those situations when you get a second goal scored against you and a third goal scored against you it is demoralizing, and we have to be better at fighting back and that starts with me. I have to be better at fighting back and it’s something we are going to have to work on.”
LA GALAXY HEAD COACH BRUCE ARENA
Overall thoughts on the match:
“Asa team we had an improved performance today. Over the past couple of weeks we’vebeen a little bit incomplete in our performance, both as a team andindividually. We were a little bit cleaner in the penalty areas today on bothsides of the ball and that was the key to the win.”
On going into a two-week break in the schedule:
“Ithink we’ve played well this year. We’ve just missed a couple of key plays.Like I said, it’s a fine line but we generated a lot of chances in the fourofficial games we have played this year. We’ve had a few slip-ups defensivelythat have cost us dearly. There are a lot of positive things [about the break], wehave not trained as a team on any serious note to date. I think having the twoweeks to get some players rested, some players fitness improved and get theteam sharper tactically will be an important two weeks for us to prepare forour next game, which I think is against New England.”
On Robbie Keane’s performance:
“Ithink the first half for a while looked like a mirror image of our previousgame where we controlled the game, had the run of play, created the chances andhad nothing to show for it. Therefore, Robbie’s goal right at the end of thehalf was important for us and for Robbie. You saw in the second half he was aplayer playing with a lot of confidence. He played quite well. I think todaythe most important thing was that the team’s performance was better. The effort, thecoordination of the team and the desire to play with each other was muchimproved today and that is certainly something to build on.”
LA GALAXY FORWARD ROBBIE KEANE
On his first two-goal performance in MLS:
“Veryhappy, obviously. I don’t mind missing chances, I mind when I’m not in aposition to score them. As long as I keep getting in position, I knoweventually I’ll score. I try not to let it play in my mind too much, but asyou know football sometimes can take you over. I knew as long as I kept getting into position I would score.”
Thoughts on the first goal:
“It was a great ball by Todd and I just happened to hit the target. As astriker, you’re judged on scoring goals and I thought it was important,especially to start the season, to get that first one out of the way. And thento get that second one, obviously, it was important to get that second goal tokill them off.”
LA GALAXY MIDFIELDER DAVID BECKHAM
On what led to the win:
“Ithink we played more as a team, we worked hard for each other and I think weput away the chances we had. As simple as that. Today is a good day. We canstill play better, but it was important we get our first win.”
On Robbie Keane's goal right before halftime:
“Forany goalscorer it’s always important to get off the mark, and especially getoff the mark for the preseason. I think it’s great for Robbie, great for us andit came at a good time right before the break.”
On the ring ceremony:
“Toreceive a ring is special. Last season was a special time. I’ve spoken aboutit before, we’d come very close the last three years so to do it the way we didit, in our home stadium was special. So to get the rings today was even moreso. It’s a big ring, so it will go probably in a place in the house with therest of my trophies and medals I’ve won over the years.”
LA GALAXY MIDFIELDER LANDON DONOVAN
On the importance of the result:
“It’simportant given what’s gone on the last week-and-half. I think we’re alldisappointed with how we started the season. I actually don’t think ourperformance was too different from the last few days, but we cleaned up a fewthings and we were sharper in front of the goal and it made all thedifference.”
On Robbie Keane's performance:
“He’salways going to score goals, he doesn’t go too long without scoring. I know hefelt bad the other night, missing that chance we had against Toronto. I think,if I were a betting man, I would have bet that he was scoring to score two goals.”
On what the team will do in the two weeks between Sunday's game and theirnext game:
“Firstand foremost is to rest, and second is to get on the field and work on things.You underestimate that part of it. I know we are all pros and there is a lot ofexperience here, but there are a few guys that haven’t played together and we needthat chance to start gelling.”
LA GALAXY MIDFIELDER MARCELO SARVAS
On Sunday's win:
“Ithink when you are going through a bad streak, when the team is not winning, it’svery hard to come out. This was a good moment to break out of that streak,caused by losing to Toronto and Salt Lake, and get a win and keep movingforward.”
Scoring his first goal with the Galaxy:
“I’malways very happy to score and contribute to the team.”
LA GALAXY DEFENDER TODD DUNIVANT
On the team’s defensive performance:
“Ithink it was good for our confidence. I think it’s good to know that we can doit. Obviously we’re frustrated that we gave up that goal late, but we defendedwell. We’ve broken down in a few criticalmoments and today we didn’t do that. At the end of the game, when it’sthree-zero, we can concentrate a little bit better and close it out and getthat shutout. But, on the whole, I think everyone felt really good about [themselves] and asa team we felt we defended really well and as a backline we kept things infront of us and didn’t give Josh much to deal with today.”
