Ben Olsen, Head Coach
On being impressed with Bill in goal
“He was in the right spots, he had great positioning and communication. He put people in the right spot, it was certainly a team result.”
On getting a good result
“Results are important in this business, it’s a good win, I’m extremely happy, I think the guys are extremely happy but I still think there’s a ways to a go.”
On Korb and Lewis playing the left side
“It’s a different look isn’t it, we don’t stretch the field as much as when Neal is on the field. We are able to combine a little bit centrally, it makes us a different team.”
On the result on the road
“You know, I think it says we’re growing, some of the stuff hasn’t been good enough this season, I thought we played much better in Portland overall and came away with nothing. Here, maybe it wasn’t the greatest night but we found a way and I’m proud of the guys today, it says were not making these mistakes again.”
On Conor Doyle’s role coming off the bench at the end of games
“He’s a smart player, he gets his role. Coming for those seven minutes he understands what the game needs, and he helps us out, and Caskey put in a good shift out wide, we knew Lewis Neal wasn’t going to be able to go the 90 but I thought overall the two center backs defended the box well.”
On Eddie Johnson chances with the National Team
“Anytime you’re up with the full team you have to rev it up and I think he’s prepared to do that. Obviously I would like to see him up there, he’s a good guy to help that team but I’m not making that decision thank god, that’s a tough selection process.”
Eddie Johnson
On setting the tone
“It was a good match, despite their record they’re a very good team we couldn’t come here and take these guys lightly, they played some good football and have been unfortunate in a lot of games. We really focused on them today, we knew we were going to be in for a tough battle but we came here and did what we had to do, we defended well throughout the match. It’s not about how you play on the road it’s
about getting results and I’m proud of my teammates today.”
On his play getting him chosen for the National Team
“It was a tough game I thought I saw more of the ball in the first half but in the second half we played a little direct and they were pushing the game and came out with a lot more energy, and coming from being a week away you start you lose your fitness a little bit I started to fatigue and when you fatigue your head starts to go. But I thought the first half was pretty good a lot of people were telling me I was onsides on the goal but the most important thing is going out there being dangerous seeing the game out and coming out of the game healthy and giving my team a chance to win the game and we did that today.”
Chris Rolfe
On his goal and the game in general
“You said it was my 50th? I didn’t know that, thanks for telling me. More than anything we needed to bounce back from the result we had last weekend and we did. It’s not easy to play at a rival’s house up a goal in the 6th minute and defend for 90. I’m proud of the guys I think they did a great job in particular the second half in the last 10 or 15 minutes so many balls were coming into the box and we had 4 or 5 guys step up and get their bodies in the way and get the result for us.”
On talk in the locker about the match with Philadelphia coming off the loss against Portland
“We were very disappointed with the last game obviously especially the guys that have been on the team for a while. So this past week in training we really focused on taking care of the details late in the game and I think that we were a little better, we still weren’t as good as we should be but we can do better.”
Bill Hamid
On getting the result
“Just staying organized and keeping everybody tuned in, every set piece is dangerous Philly is very good on set pieces so we wanted to make sure everybody was tuned in had their man, make sure nobody lost their man, just keeping the field compact and organized late on, and the back line did that extremely well.”
Philadelphia Union Team Manager John Hackworth
On the level of frustration in the locker room
“You could tell there is frustration in every part of it. We feel like we’re a much better team than our results are showing obviously. But yet even when we play well, as we did at the start of the game, somehow we give up a goal on their first shot and that’s just the way the season has gone for us. As coaches and players, our whole staff, our whole organization is definitely frustrated at this point. I don’t know how to put it any other way.”
On Austin Berry’s positions on the goal
“I’ll have to look back at it. I had a couple of other concerns on that play… I don’t think we should let the ball be played into Eddie Johnson, that was one of our main points going into this game. Every ball that was played into Eddie or Espindola, we had to challenge for. Cristian comes around the left side of the field, but we didn’t account for him at all, so it was a scramble.”
On possibility of bringing in new players during transfer window
“It certainly looks that way. We have to find a way to either generate better chances – we’re certainly getting them – the problem isn’t getting it into the box, but being a team that is dangerous in front of goal is definitely a problem now.”
On Brian Carroll being subbed at halftime
“He had a little groin problem, so we just had to make an adjustment.”
On Danny Cruz’ performance
“We knew we had to try to open them up (after the goal). They were going to sit in and, to their credit, they did it well. Can’t fault them at all; if you get a goal that early in a game, it’s a good tactic to try to deploy. I thought Danny stretching them a little higher and wider was important for us. And we did that, we just didn’t finish.”
On Conor Casey’s form
“Conor is back and I think he’s in full fitness, but I think when you have a little bit of a slump like we’re having, it just weighs on everybody’s mind and when a ball doesn’t bounce your way and things don’t happen, it’s tough.”
Brian Carroll
On his injury:
“I pulled my muscle in the first half and I tried to finish the half to see how it would be, it was the right thing to do… to let the coaches know.”
On being able to play Wednesday:
“I don’t know yet, I will see how I feel tomorrow… if I could not go back in the second half, I would say questionable, but we will see how I feel tomorrow and see what the doctors and trainers say.”
On how though the results have been on the team
“It’s just frustrating, because we are in a tough spot and this is something that we need to battle through and stay together and find a way to turn this around.”
Zac MacMath
On a good defensive performance but conceding a goal again
“It is unlucky, it takes a deflection on Ray and fortunately for them it rolls to their player who has an open shot. It was early in the game and we had plenty of time to get back in it, but we did not.”
Is the team putting too much pressure on itself
“I don’t think anyone is putting too much pressure on each other, we always tell each other to relax and have fun out there and compete; and for the most part we did that.”
Having 3 games in a week, is it better?
“It’s good, we are going to get a quick turnaround and we’ll be in tomorrow and we will start focusing on getting three points in Kansas City.”
Maurice Edu
On his possible call to the World Cup
“Obviously I am aware of everything that is going on, and it’s something that I am looking forward to, but not putting that ahead of what is going on here. I try to focus in trying to get results here, because at the moment that is what is important… is doing well here; and trying to get some points that I feel over the course of the season we have deserved but we have come shorthanded.”
On what advice would he give the guys
“I think we have to keep our heads up, maybe sometimes is just going back to the basics and grinding results, we are a team that likes to play but sometimes the best teams do not win the prettiest ways… sometimes is just a fluke goal or a set play and you just grind the rest of the game and maybe that is what we need right now. I think as a group we need to keep our heads up, work harder and stay positive.”
