CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUOTESHEET
TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2009 – D.C. UNITED 1, CD LUIS ANGEL FIRPO 1; 2-2 aggregate (5-4 PKs)
D.C. United head coach Tom Soehn
Thoughts on the game:
I want to credit Firpo. I thought they were a very good team. I watched a lot of their games in the past and tonight they played quality ball. It’s disappointing for them. Anytime it goes to penalties, it’s a difficult situation for either one that loses. It’s almost not fair.
On Firpo’s performance:
We expected it to be difficult. We had a very emotional and physical match on Saturday and we had to travel. It almost kinds of balances out because they (Firpo) are not in season form. I knew our guys would be tired and I knew that it would even out. But we’re happy we went through.
D.C. United midfielder Christian Gómez [via translation]
Overall thoughts on the game:
We knew it was going to be a hard fought match in a difficult environment but we came here to get the result necessary that would put us in the next round of the tournament. Firpo is a very tough opponent. I want to give them a lot of credit. They played good football. They made it more difficult for us when we were down 1-0 but fortunately we were able to even the game shortly after they scored and from there on it was a tight game all the way to the final penalty kick.
On his free kick goal:
It was a play that Santino [Quaranta] started on a breakaway and he was fouled outside the box. On the ensuing free kick, I noticed that the keeper was leaning to the far post so I decided to hit it over the wall and I was lucky that we evened the match and it gave us more confidence at that stage of the game.
Was he nervous on the clinching PK?
Yes, you are always nervous but at that particular moment I was able to gather my composure and I was lucky enough to convert the kick that puts us to the next round.
D.C. United midfielder Ben Olsen
Thoughts on the game:
I don’t think it was the prettiest game but results matter in these competitions. To be frank it could have gone either way but you have to give credit to our guys. We hung in there and we stepped up on the PKs.
On Firpo’s performance:
Give them a lot of credit. They put a lot of energy into the game. We had some chances, they certainly had some chances. It was just one of those games. Coming down to play in Central America, it’s tough to get a result but we were able to get one tonight.
On advancing to the group stage of the tournament:
This club always puts a lot of emphasis on this tournament. We want to be one of the better teams in this region and this is a way to put a stamp not only in America but abroad and show that D.C. United is a regional power.
Broadcasting and P.A. Request: When speaking of the organization, please refer to the team as either “D.C. United” or “United,” but not “the D.C. United” or “the United.” We appreciate your cooperation.
Doug Hicks,
dhicks@dcunited.com
, (202) 587-5448,
Boris Flores,
bflores@dcunited.com
, (202) 587-5452,
Kyle Sheldon,
ksheldon@dcunited.com
, (202) 587-5450 or
Cristina Cruz,
ccruz@dcunited.com
, (202) 587-5440
