Post-game quotes: United 2 - Kansas City 1
MLS 2010 QUOTESHEET
WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 2010 – D.C. UNITED 2, KANSAS CITY WIZARDS 1
D.C. UNITED HEAD COACH CURT ONALFO
On how it feels to win
I didn’t tell you guys but that’s actually how all along it was going to be, patience and perseverance and my first win would be against my former employers [laughs]. Obviously it feels great. It’s just one win but it’s certainly an important one. What we’ve dealt with over five weeks in terms of adversity has been very trying and I commend our group for not letting any negativity enter into our group and understanding along the way what it takes to win games in this League. It takes hard work, it takes sacrifice, it takes playing every play like it’s the last. We had a very good, hard-fought, workmanlike effort for 90 minutes and it’s really encouraging to get the victory.
On Bill Hamid
I thought [Hamid] performed extremely well. He’s 19 years old and it’s his first MLS game. I think he looked a little bit shaky on a couple of plays but that’s normal but he’s a gamer and that’s the kind of performance he put in during preseason and that’s the reason why he’s our backup. I’m proud of his performance and I thought he had a really solid game.
On starting Hamid
For me it was we’re 0-and-5 and I felt like we have to make some changes and [putting in Hamid] was one of the changes I thought long and hard about and it worked out fine.
On Danny Allsopp and Adam Cristman
[We’ve got] two very hard-working forwards in Danny Allsopp and Adam Cristman. Adam is more of a worker than Danny is. Danny also works but Danny makes very, very intelligent runs and he’s a very good finisher. He was playing extremely well before he got that little hamstring issue and it was great to get him back on the field. It was the first time we really had an opportunity to get him to start the game and play some time, and he’s a guy that when he gets three or four chances he’s going to bury them. He scored two very good goals, timely goals, and could’ve had a third. So he stepped up today for us and that’s what we need. We talked about our team needing to make defensive plays but also needing to make offensive plays, and Danny certainly did that this evening.
On the different playing style
We’ve expended a lot of energy here at home pressing and if you look at our first games, we really pressed hard the first half and we didn’t get the goals – when you press like that you normally get rewarded with the goal and we didn’t. I think that hurt us later on in games so we were a little bit more conservative. Having said that, we still created some good opportunities and we put the ball in the back of the net so I’m pleased with that.
On a quick turnaround
Well we have four games in ten days and that’s not easy but our guys are extremely fit and the only guys I worry about are the guys – you know everyone who’s been with us since day one in preseason as you can see tonight they finished the game, no problem – the guys who’ve come in a little bit later, guys who’ve been injured that I’m a little concerned about and we have to check with our medical staff tomorrow and just figure out who’s going to be on our 18-man travel roster and then pick a lineup that can be successful in Dallas.
On Kansas City
We talked about the way that [Kansas City] plays, they really play a 4-5-1 and basically we’re in a 4-4-2 so we’re outnumbered in the middle of the midfield so tactically you have to do a good job of how do you deal with that extra player and that’s what we worked on in the last couple of days. Our forwards did a good job of helping us and then at times our central defenders stepping in as well, so credit to Clyde [Simms] and Kurt [Morsink] for being really organized in there and credit to Adam [Cristman] and Danny Allsopp and then Jaime [Moreno] when he came into the game to help us solidify that part of the field.
On what he said at halftime after being up
We just about – and actually I thought a lot about if I was in this situation and we were 0-0 again, what was I going to say to the group and it wasn’t too different from what I said being up 2-0. So it was just all about being compact, being organized, don’t give anything stupid away, fight to the end, play every play to the end and just making sure we start the half strong and we did.
On getting a win
We’re not an 0-and-5 team, we’re better than that, we know that. But we are and that’s the reality and we have to find a way to continue to get better and to get points, get our team healthy and continue to progress. And we will. Like I said, I told you guys five weeks in a row “I’ve been through a hell of a lot worse and we’re going to get through this”. It feels good but we’re going to learn from it, it’s going to make us better in the long run.
D.C. UNITED FORWARD ADAM CRISTMAN
On his contributions to United’s victory
You know, I know I am not the most complete player when it comes to having good feet and being crafty, but what I can do is work hard. Especially when it comes to the situation that the team is in - struggling to find a way to win, the only thing I know how to do is work hard. Through hard work you find results and you find success, and tonight I was feeling a little tired after our third game in a week and having a new baby at home, but I just found a way to work and we accomplished [tonight’s victory] together.
On learning from the win
It was more than getting a monkey off of our backs tonight – I think we finally learned as a team what it takes to win. That is the biggest thing, we know that we have to put in the work and we know what we have to do. From here we can push on and get things going the way we want them to.
D.C. UNITED FORWARD DANNY ALLSOPP
On the relief of ending United’s goal-scoring drought
I think it was a relief for everyone, really. It was great to score in front of our home fans, they have gone through a lot with us. I think everyone is pleased tonight and hopefully we can start to win games.
On the first goal
I can’t really remember it [the first goal] at the moment. I don’t think I thought about it too much, and that’s probably the best thing really – to get a chance and just not think about it. I tried to connect [with the ball] but I can’t remember too much about it.
On his successful partnership with Adam Cristman
Yeah, we have played together a bit this season. He understands me, and I understand him, and it worked really well tonight. We started with a game plan, and he gave me at least one of the goals. It was great and it all worked out, and we’re just pleased with the result.
D.C. UNITED GOALKEEPER BILL HAMID
On his MLS debut
I was disappointed not to get the clean sheet, but most importantly we got the win and we can get the ball rolling. Our goal is to get to the playoffs and fight for this championship to get this organization back to where it needs to be.
On moving forward from the win
We just need to keep fighting, every single second of the game. I think we are learning how to put together complete performances, and from here we just need to be consistent.
D.C. UNITED MIDFIELDER CLYDE SIMMS
On the tactical keys to tonight’s success
Our communication was great tonight from Kurt [Morsink] to our two centerbacks, and that allowed us to get forward as well. [Kansas City] play with two wingers up high, and we got the ball out wide and we did a good job with pressure this time around. Our shape was strong, and was much better than the first time we played [Kansas City].
On moving forward
We know it has been tough, but we have not been doubting ourselves. We knew we were close to our first win and it was going to happen sooner rather than later, and it is going to be a quick turnaround with a big game Saturday, but we want to keep this going.
On how to keep the momentum against Dallas
We will just try to keep the same mindset. We need the same effort going forward, and this will be our fourth game in two weeks and the effort has to be there game in and game out. If we keep that going we have a good chance to come out on top.
D.C. UNITED DEFENDER JORDAN GRAYE
On his performance
I don’t think I had a great effort today compared to my first two starts [against FC Dallas and New York], but I think I am working myself into this team and I will continue to push.
On his comfort level
Yeah, I feel a little more comfortable back there and I started a little bit shaky, but I started to get it going and I will continue to work hard and get better.
KANSAS CITY HEAD COACH PETER VERMES
On the game
I thought D.C. came out hard, which we expected to. We expected them to play pretty direct. You can’t give up two chances to them the way we did because teams are going to capitalize. We made some silly mistakes that you can’t make at this level because if you do, you get punished. We almost got the one [goal] right before halftime, the one by Jack Jewsbury but it was a great save by the ’keeper. That would have helped a great deal because it would have gotten us into the flow of the game and put a little pressure on them. We got the goal a little too late. If we would have gotten it a little earlier it would have changed the mood of the game. But credit to them. They were chasing it and they took advantage of the opportunities we gave them.
On D.C.’s line up changes
We kind of expected that there were going to be changes coming in. We weren’t really so concerned about everything that was happening with [D.C.], we were more concerned about how we were going to play. We talked about it all week leading up to the game and even earlier today before going out to the field. But I go back to what I said earlier, you can’t make so many mistakes like that because you are going to get punished.
KANSAS CITY MIDFIELDER JACK JEWSBURY
On the result
It wasn’t what we came here to accomplish. We’re very disappointed with the fact that we gave them a few opportunities. I thought we handed them a few goals. Once you get down 2-0 on the road, it’s always tough to come back. We fought the whole game, kept driving to get the goal, but it just came a bit late. The first one [goal] we would have liked to either gotten earlier in the first half or as we came out of halftime but the ’keeper came up with a couple of good saves. He got one on me right before halftime. But to be honest, we made too many mistakes.
On Bill Hamid’s performance
To be honest, I don’t think many of us knew much about him. We knew he was a young guy, and he was getting his first chance. Obviously, there were some nerves there and we wanted to test him. The only [opportunity] I can only speak of is my chance at the end of the first half, I struck it pretty well but it was a great reaction save by him. I think he had a great game, especially for his first outing.
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