D.C. United Head Coach Ben Olsen...
On missed opportunities in the first half...
"When you don’t reward yourself on some of the good things that you do, against a team like NYCFC who has real talent in the attack, they’re going to find something. They very rarely go scoreless. But, I don’t rate them as highly on the defensive end as I do on the offensive. So you’ve got go score some goals."
On the reason for Patrick Nyarko’s early substitution...
"He just wasn’t himself. He didn’t have any juice, and I think he felt sick. We gave him a few chances to see what was going on, and he just didn’t seem like he was going to be able to push through it."
On Nyarko’s absence and how it affected the team...
"Obviously I thought we got better when he left the field, because he just wasn’t physically able to do some of the work. They overran the central midfield because, again, he wasn’t in good spots defensively; you could tell he was struggling physically. But once we made the move, I thought Jared [Jeffrey] did fine when he came in, and [Nick DeLeon] got out wide, and then we were very good. I thought we started the second half bright, and even on the goal we pressed together as a group. A little bit of a chance, a little bounce here and there and they get out, and again, once they’re in the attacking third, they have a few guys that know what to do."
On the decision to move Nick DeLeon out wide when Patrick came off...
"A lot of it was trust in Jared [Jeffrey], and [that] we can continue to do what we planned to all week. [DeLeon] knows what he’s doing out there, and I thought he drove the game pretty well. But it still comes down to a few moments. All these MLS games, it’s all about moments. Today we didn’t make enough and we didn’t do well in those moments we did make."
On mixed results at home this season...
"We’re still a work in progress, and still somewhat figuring out who we are and what makes us at our best. There’s not one thing I could put my finger on."
D.C. United Midfielder Jared Jeffrey
On the challenge in the second half after dropping behind...
"Yeah, it’s tough obviously, with their three guys in midfield they dropped some numbers behind the ball; it’s hard to break them down through the middle. I thought we did okay getting it wide, but then we weren’t that good in the box when we did get crosses in. And you’ve got to watch out on the counter; giving up the second goal hurts a lot, too, right after the first one."
D.C. United Midfielder Nick DeLeon
On overall thoughts of the game…
“I think we could’ve put one of those chances away in the first half, then that makes a difference. We started the second half poorly; giving up a goal early in the 48th minute, that’s unacceptable. The rest I’ll have to watch tape to really go back and see what we have to improve. Not a good result.”
On the switch from central mid to wide…
“It was fine. I used to be a winger so it was a natural switch for me. I’m not sure what was up with Pat [Nyarko], I’ll have to check on him, and hopefully he’s ok. But it’s part of the game: you have to adapt. Like I said, it was natural for me to go out wide.”
On what needs to happen to change the record at home…
“Mentality. We cant lose at home and that’s the bottom line. I think that comes down to mentality. We let in little goals or soft goals and those are mistakes that we lost mentally. I just think it comes down to making our mentality 'were not going to lose at home' and that’s the bottom line.”
On finding the team’s identity…
“We definitely are trying to find ourselves, especially offensively. We have to be a little more consistent offensively putting goals in the back of the net. We just have to go back to the drawing board and watch film and get better.”
On Lucho’s transition with the team…
“We are definitely getting to know him andvhis role with the team. He’s a very technical player. I think he’s getting to know us, and this league, it’s a lot different than what he was used to, I'm sure. But the talent is there and the more he plays the better he’s going to be, and you have already seen glimpses of that.”
D.C. United forward Luciano Acosta
On competition within the team to make the starting lineup...
"Nobody has a sure spot in the starting eleven, but I’ve got to just keep getting better, keep improving. The loss is disappointing, we needed those three points at home. But it’s over, and we’ll look to the next game. It’s lucky that we have another game coming up at home very soon at home again for a chance to get three points."
On his transition to MLS and growing understanding of his new team...
"I think in the first half, we showed very clearly that we were the better team. I think we were actually pretty good attacking-wise in the first half, we just lacked that final touch for the goal, but otherwise, we were [pretty involved] in the first half."
D.C. United midfielder Marcelo
On the outcome…
"We were a little bit off. We had a chance or two in the first half that we didn’t bury, and in the second half the energy wasn’t there. I think this was by far the worst performance from us this year."
On Nyarko’s early substitution affecting the way the team played…
"Of course when he is out, we don’t have a player that has all the qualities he does. It’s a big loss, he’s someone that can dribble and push forward but also defend. We need to adjust; it may not be the last time that we have to play without him."
NYCFC Head Coach Patrick Vieira
On the game…
“I was really pleased. I think the result was what we are looking for moving forward. The way we played, I think we played a really good game away from home. The way we managed the game and the amount of chances we created, the situations we were able to create, the way we defended, it was a really good game away from home.”
On finding a rhythm after back-to-back wins…
“I knew we would be better as a team because of the way the players work in training, the way they are focusing on what they have to do every single day, it was just a question of time. We’ve played a few games but I think after a few months of working together, players start to understand their own responsibility and I was really pleased with the way they played tonight.”
On Khiry Shelton’s play…
“I think he’s a young player who needs to develop himself. He’s got a lot of quality and big potential, but the potential is not enough if you want to play at this level. But I was really happy with the way he worked today because he worked hard for the team and he managed to find himself in a really good position and score a goal, but the work he did for the team was fantastic. This is one of the best games I’ve seen him play so far. I believe there is a lot to come from him because of the work and the talent.”
On Shelton’s response to adversity this season…
“I think he’s done well. I think this is a different challenge; he’s playing on a team where there are a lot of good players and he has to fight every day for his spot. In training he is working hard, he’s working well, but you need to do it on a consistent basis. He will improve as a player, he’s still young, he has a lot to learn, and we have a good staff who will spend time with him and help him together.”
On Pirlo playing higher up the field…
“I think he faired quite well. He used to play that position years ago and I think what he wanted is to be a bit more creative in the last 50 yards. His quality on the ball needs to be a bit more decisive in his last passes."
New York City FC forward Khiry Shelton
On the goal…
“[Ronald Matarrita] got a foot on the ball and whipped in a nice ball and I was able to get onto it and it hit my head and it hit my shoulder, so...first shoulder goal.”
On the overall space on the field…
“[Taylor] Kemp’s a great player, a very good player, but that’s a part of my game; running at defenders and Patrick’s [Vieira] been pushing and telling me to do that more and more, so I’m listening to him and using my physical abilities to go at defenders.”
On Patrick Vieira’s direction…
“He just tells me to have fun because when I’m having fun, my talent and everything else comes out.”
On what he attributes to his rhythm over the last few games…
“I think confidence builds, of course. I think over time, getting more games under my belt has done well for me.”
On bouncing back from falling short of the Olympics…
“It was frustrating, of course, but I feel like that’s something else. This is a team here and I’ve got to stay focused and when I’m here, I’m here; I can’t be there.”
On his experience with New York City this season…
“It’s been great and I’ve learned a lot coming from January camp with the Men’s team. Right off the bat, I was on the ball and I think me being on the ball more and more is just going to get me better and even in preseason we were on the ball a lot; a lot of technical and tactical stuff and just getting better.”
