D.C. United Head Coach Ben Olsen
On conceding the early goal…
It changes everything, and that’s been an issue with this group. A real takeaway from this series is when you dig yourself in these holes, it’s tough to get out of them. 3 minutes in, and the game’s over, just like that. We have a responsibility to each other to make sure we’re prepared and to figure out a way to ensure that we’re not giving up early goals. Now since we haven’t advanced, I see these games as two very good preseason games to prepare for the MLS season. I’ve asked the guys to take away some of the lessons from the last two games, and then put it to bed and get excited for the MLS season. Losses are always tough, but it’s over and we move on. We have a lot to look forward to, and we have a lot of great pieces. It’s now up to me to figure out which ones fit the best with each other, and to mold this group into a very competitive team, which I know it can be.
On playing in the SCCL during preseason…
Taking a team down to Mexico, playing in CONCACAF, going through the aggregate system, they're all great experiences and thats how we learn. I think were much better for having played these two games than playing two games in a preseason tournament, that’s for sure.
On the perception that MLS teams don’t take the SCCL seriously…
I put out the strongest team that I could these last two games. We certainly went after this to move forward and advance, because it puts you in a spot to be in a great competition and ultimately hold another trophy.
On the decision to leave Luciano Acosta out of the starting lineup…
Lucho [Acosta] flew back to Argentina from Mexico to be with his family. He didn’t have a chance to go back [to his wife and child] after he first arrived, so this was a scheduled trip. I think he came in the game with good energy. We know from preseason he’s a pretty fit guy, but he was tired from the travel.
On Julian Büscher and his first goal
I’m happy for Julian [Büscher]. The kid can play. He’s fearless and I’m happy he got his goal.
On the discrepancy between both teams
I’d love to play them in another series. I think we’re just as good as they are right now, and no disrespect to them. I give them credit and congratulations to them for advancing.
On the team’s improving chemistry
From a stats standpoint, the game looked pretty good. I think it’s another step forward to get us prepared for what’s going to obviously be a tough match in LA.
Steven Birnbaum
On the early goal
It’s pretty unacceptable for us to give up goals that early, especially in this game. It was devastating, but I thought we had a good second half in response.
On what Marcelo has brought to the team
He’s a veteran player who brings a lot of energy; he’s a live wire. He does a good job dictating the tempo of the game, and we’re glad to have him.
Taylor Kemp
On the game and SCCL tournament...
I thought overall in both games we had a lot positives and thinking back to a year ago in this tournament, we showed much better this time, but we still didn't get the results we wanted. The good thing is, we're ready for the season to start and these games will serve us pretty well moving forward. These games are really good for us, so while we're not happy tonight, I think it is going to give us momentum going into the start of the season.
Querétaro F.C. Head Coach Víctor Manuel Vucetich
On the importance of this game…
We understood the importance of the game and Querétaro have taken this tournament very seriously. We knew that we were close to advancing and we did what we needed to do to advance. I think that the first half went very well; we were able to execute with an early goal, manage the pressure that D.C. United was going to put on us. We knew D.C. United were going to apply pressure, especially after we scored the first goal. We also knew they would go forward and take advantage of the space that was created in the counter attack. They did manage a couple of good plays, like the penalty kick and the goal, which resulted in a 1-1 draw and put us through.
On if the schedule of the SCCL tournament favors the Mexican teams…
I think that we have to say we probably have a little bit of an advantage. The rhythm is different starting off the season from what we are experiencing now. We know the importance of rhythm from a sporting point of view and from a competitive point of view. Yes, it is definitely an advantage having that rhythm in terms of the competition at this point.
Jonathan Bornstein
On the team’s mindset going into the match...
Obviously we knew going into the game we had the advantage of 2-0. But, knowing that, we knew that if we scored here also they would have to score four goals in order to win, so getting that early goal was really important to us. The coach, especially, had mentioned it in our pregame speech. He basically said, “Hey, look. We’re not coming here to defend, sit back and use our two-goal advantage. We’re going to attack and get a goal early.” And that’s pretty much exactly what happened. We found ourselves up 1-0—which technically was like 4-0, or 3-0 with an away goal—so it definitely helped us to our advantage.
