Head Coach Ben Olsen
On this performance living up to his vision…
“Yeah, in a lot of ways and I certainly think Wayne has helped over the last month. You have seen us gain maturity as a team in the moments that let us down in the first half season. That’s been the difference. He [Rooney] has also brought us quality and that’s been impressive. Overall, our mentality is much better and it helps to be playing at home.”
On Wayne playing the majority of the game…
“I don’t think Wayne ever really wants to come out of a game, ever. I think he’s similar to a lot of our players in that way. There was a lot of space in behind and we knew that Darren [Mattocks] could exploit that. I am very happy for Darren because it's been a long six weeks as you can imagine for him. Here’s a guy who gets his chance, scores goals consistently and has a coach who has faith in him. He's now a starter in our league, then Wayne [Rooney] comes in. For him to keep his head in the right direction and come on in that game and score the goal that he did is big for him and certainly for our team.”
On Bill Hamid’s debut…
“I thought he was great. There was a save on a ball over the top that he comes out and makes himself big on and those are the moments that Bill [Hamid] helps you with throughout the season. They score there and it’s a different ball game. Forwards have to be aware of him. He's imposing when he comes out with that type of speed and stays big. It was nice to have him in net and it was as if he never left.”
Captain Wayne Rooney
On what he saw on the free kick…
“The goalkeeper was far over on the other side, left a big gap. So it was get it over the wall, on target and give us the opportunity to score. And then I got it on target, probably not as far in the corner as I intended, but thankfully it went in so it was a big goal for us to make it 3-1.”
On his fitness…
“Ben asked me after the game simply ‘how I felt?’ I said I feel fine, I want to play. I came here to play. There’s been many times throughout my career where I’ve played three games in a week, it’s probably more normal for me to do that. I’ll be all good for Sunday.”
On the team working towards the playoffs…
“It’s important that we take each game as it comes and our game Sunday is an important three points. Our intention was to get nine points this week and we’ve put ourselves in quite a position to push for the playoffs. Hopefully we can keep getting results and keep moving forward.”
On the team managing emotions from Sunday’s win…
“Sunday was a big victory for us, but the next day video is important to make sure we know how [our next opponent] plays, how they want to play. When you’ve got three games in a week you have to be focused on the next game as soon as the game’s over.”
On becoming acclimated with his teammates quickly…
“The more games we play together, the more we understand. I think the players have been fantastic and for me, they’ve helped me settle in very quickly. We are getting a better understanding everyday on the pitch. I’ve always been a player who can pick out players’ abilities and qualities fairly quickly and try to adjust to how they want to play.”
On the offensive performance against Portland…
“After halftime, Portland didn’t really force that much pressure on the ball, they sat back. Tonight we kept on the ball, kept moving, kept making them work. Then the opportunities will come. The second half turned out really well.”
Midfielder Russell Canouse
On the vibe of the team…
“Everyone’s been positive. We’ve been trying to develop new chemistry with Wayne coming in, now we add Vytas. But I think everyone’s taken that into consideration and made sure that we gel as a unit because we have a lot of goals going forward, obviously, with the playoffs. Tonight we showed patience and were able to put in a full 90 minutes.”
On Rooney’s free kick…
“It’s exciting to be able to share the field with him because you know he has the quality to hit them in anytime in the game. I’m just excited, if we can get an opportunity around the 18, we know we have a chance to score a goal because of his quality.”
On having Bill Hamid back in goal…
“I love having Bill behind me. Last year, coming in, it gave me confidence in midfield to do my work on and off the ball, and tonight it just felt like normal. It was good for Bill tonight to get back in there.”
On the leadership from Rooney and Hamid…
“[Leadership] goes all through the field. You have Bill in the back. Steve [Birnbaum] and Kofi [Opare] communicating. Me up through the middle trying to organize. Then you have Wayne. So it’s all the way through the spine of the team. And I think that’s really important for us moving forward.”
On the busy week they’ve the team has had…
“It’s nice being able to play at home, trying to recover quick. You stay in rhythm when you have games like this, one after another, so that’s the positive. Having the fans behind us and the home advantage, being able to keep the ball, gives us confidence.”
On the team’s playoff goals…
“That’s been our goal. We want to obviously take one game at a time but we know where we want to get at towards the end of the season when playoffs come around. Obviously everyone wants to make the cut off. We have positive momentum, so we just have to keep it going.”
Portland Timbers head coach Giovanni Savarese
Overall thoughts on the match…
“It was a difficult match. I thought that we had a good first half. We started well. We did a lot of good things. We were compact. We created chances and were moving the ball the right way until we became too casual, and we allowed them to score the goal. In the second half, maybe the guys didn’t come in with the right mentality. At the end, it’s my responsibility, my fault, so I take full blame of this defeat and we have to continue to work. In the second half, they were better than us. They wanted it a little bit more than us and they deserved the victory.”
On the goals that the team conceded…
“Those are the moments that you cannot concede because then the game becomes very difficult and that is moment where you show your mentality. And, I thought that we gave up those two goals and then the game became very difficult. But, as I said before, it’s my responsibility and we have to continue to work.”
On preparing the team for Sporting Kansas City on Saturday…
“We’ll bounce back right after tonight for a tough match against a good team that is having a good momentum as well.”
On Tomás Conechny making his MLS debut…
“It’s good to be able to see him, to get him some minutes and to see what he’s capable of bringing into the game. This is important. We have a lot of players, a lot of good players, so we’re trying to get them minutes to make sure the guys get the experience that they need in order to be able to contribute.”
Forward Samuel Armenteros
Thoughts on the match…
“Thoughts right now are obviously not that positive, it’s hard to feel good after a 4-1 defeat just after the game. Obviously we have to let this one sink in and learn from the wrongs, and there were many in this game. It’s time to be critical, it’s time to look at ourselves in the mirror and ask are we doing everything that can be done for us to take the 3 points instead of them. So obviously it’s a tough loss, but I’m happy it happens now rather than the week before the playoffs so we can adjust the problems that need to be adjusted before the actual time comes.”
Midfielder Diego Chara
Thoughts on the match…
“It was a tough match. We tried to score but we made mistakes and obviously today it ended in a tough loss.”
On what D.C United did to break the Timbers down…
“I think they kept possession of the ball, we tried to recover the ball quick but in the end they created a lot of options and it was difficult for us.”
On how they regroup after a tough loss with SKC this weekend…
“We know Kansas City is a very good team. We need to be focused on the game plan and be ready for the next game.”
