D.C. UNITED HEAD COACH BEN OLSEN
On Toronto FC’s second goal:
I don’t have to explain it. You guys know exactly what happened. Everybody knows what happened. You’ll see [the goal] and you’ll know exactly what happened. I don’t want to talk about the referees because I don’t want them to be the story. I think Dwayne De Rosario should be the story - that you guys write about - and the heart of that group [D.C. United] out there . . . [United] didn’t get a call all night but they found a way to get one point and it should have been three. I’m really proud of the way the guys fought, but I don’t want to talk about the referees right now.
On playing with ten men:
No, we didn’t know how long [Santino Quaranta] could go. Obviously, making an early change postpones any later substitutions, especially on a night where you’re playing down a man. You saw how many guys were cramping towards the end [of the game]. But again, I’m proud of the way the guys fought tonight and they showed a lot of character. Granted, we made a lot of mistakes.
On Bill Hamid’s red card:
The initial play with Bill [Hamid] wasn’t good enough. I don’t fault the referee for giving [Hamid] a red card. I think we made an error on that play and we have to learn that that kind of play can kill a game. It’s too early in the game and we have to be tuned in every play whether it’s three minutes in or late.
At that point we were still in the game. I wasn’t looking to get a draw against Toronto at home. Unfortunately, Stephen King was the [player] we brought off five minutes into the game. I thought everybody on [D.C. United] gave everything they had and I’m proud of that. But, that play haunted us. We made a silly play early in the game and it haunted us.
On his players’ effort:
I think most of our players were just cramping up. Chris Pontius had a reoccurring cramp, but he kept grinding it out. But Dwayne [De Rosario] was unbelievable. He’s an absolute stud, a winner, and we’re very happy he’s here.
D.C. UNITED FORWARD DWAYNE DE ROSARIO
On scoring a hat trick against his former club:
It was a good feeling to help my team get points. Whether it’s against Toronto or not, that doesn’t really matter to me. I try to play every game with the same mentality.
Overall thoughts on the game:
We’re disappointed – very disappointed – because we should have gotten more out of the game. I’m very please with the effort the guys put in tonight. Giving up a goal within the first ten minutes, it’s not easy to come back. I take my hat off to the guys because they battled back and didn’t give in. Credit to the guys for fighting. Toronto tried to play possession, but we kept coming.
On the controversy throughout the match:
I think that the second goal was questionable. We knew at the beginning of the season that the referees were not going to be as good as usual, based on what was said at the League meetings. I’ve just never seen anything like that. It baffles me that this continues to happen, it’s disappointing, because it continues to affect games. We are the ones that suffer, and some of the things I saw out there I’ve never seen in my life.
D.C. UNITED MIDFIELDER SANTINO QUARANTA
Impressions of the game:
It was fun for the first five minutes. We went down a man, and coming back in a game like this shows a lot of character. There were times in the game when things didn’t go our way, but the most encouraging thing as player in this locker room was that we fought back every time.
On Toronto FC’s second goal:
You know, it’s tough. [Toronto’s second goal] was a bang-bang play with a sub on the fly, as a player you’re working so hard that you want the game to be decided by us. Really at the end of the day we worked hard, we get a point and we more forward.
On recovering from post-concussion symptoms:
I’m all good. I’ve been putting in a lot of work and it was good to get out there tonight.
TORONTO FC HEAD COACH ARON WINTER
On the game:
Strange game. If you had watched the game, we had given away two goals, but after losing 1-0, then we came very well back. In the end we were winning 3-2, it's impossible that you get a goal in 20 seconds - it's 3-3. It is unprofessional. The last week has been very heavy and tough for us because we traveled and played a lot of games. You could see in the final moments the guys were a little bit tired.
On earning a road draw:
I'd like to say we lost two points. We gave away two points because in the end, we were also lucky in the extra time of the game because in the moment we were not sharp. If you were watching the game, in the end, most players of D.C. were cramping. Then, you have to be clever and you have to win the game.
TORONTO FC MIDFIELDER JULIAN DE GUZMAN
On the controversy surrounding his goal:
Any moment you can get like that, you take advantage of it. Many of the best teams in the world - how should I put it? - cheat when they have the chance to do something. It was a good opportunity for myself to find open space. It was smart of Ashtone [Morgan] who played it in for [Joao] Plata. At the same time, we were fighting for points. It was a tying goal, which gave us a lot more motivation to get the third one, but then we were able to let the three points slip away at the end there right after the goal was scored.
On Dwayne De Rosario:
Dwayne has done well with any team he's played for, and he was able to prove it again today. I think, to some extent, we gave too much respect the first play. The first goal - too much space was given off that free kick, nobody was marking him. A lot of the plays that were created from D.C. went through him and I don't think we were able to get enough [players] to him. I think in the second half, we reacted a bit to some parts, but again, he was able to score two more goals in the second half.
It was kind of weird playing on the other side. Normally, I'm used to playing with him when he's on the [Canadian] National Team or TFC, but this time it was against him. He was able to prove himself again as one of the greatest players ever to play in MLS.
