D.C. United head coach Ben Olsen
Thoughts on the match...
“The first half was back and forth; both teams had a few good chances. I thought we weren't as tuned-in as they were in the first half, but we still created a bunch of opportunities. It’s tough to give up a set piece; that hasn’t been a trend for us and we knew we’d have to weather the storm after we scored, but we can’t give up a set piece goal. On [their] second; Accam is special. He’s going to make plays.”
On taking a point from this game...
“This isn’t the easiest place to come and play; their record is fairly good here. Being down 2-1 with those circumstances, we come away feeling pretty good about grabbing something. Right now in the East, every point counts. We’ll take it game to game; we’ve got a huge matchup next week and we’ll try to continue to be tough to play at home.”
On Patrick Mullins’ chances...
“I thought he had plenty of chances. He hit the bar, he had a really good look in the first half and in the second half, he took the ball that’s looping over too high. Those are really good chances for him and he’ll be disappointed he didn’t take at least one of them. He shapes the game very well for us defensively, and he’s a guy that’s going to put himself in positions every game to score goals. He’s been a welcome addition.”
On making adjustments to control games early...
“Today I thought we were on the front foot, we got the first goal and we started off bright, but they countered us straight away and we weren’t able to deal with that. We’ll just find that sweet spot where we're putting together full games of high energy focus and quality soccer. I believe [this team] is a playoff team and I think the players believe that, but you’ve got to do it.”
On the mood in the locker room after getting the draw...
“It’s certainly not joyful. It’s maybe a little relieved we grabbed a point, we understand right now how big a point is in the East but we understand [Chicago's] a beatable team. I think we had enough looks tonight in the first and second half to get three points. [It's a] little mixed.”
D.C. United midfielder Rob Vincent
On getting his first MLS goal...
"It certainly was a relief to get the first one, but I'm kind of disappointed with the result today. We thought this was a game we could win. Looking back on it, we certainly think that we had enough chances, and if we keep it a little bit tighter, we will walk out with three points. It's nice but ultimately the goal was to get three points."
On whether he thought his goal would come from a indirect free kick 6 yards from the goal...
"To be honest, I thought it was going to be a bizarre one, maybe a deflection or something. I've been hitting them really well, but they keep getting saved or just going wide. I thought maybe I needed a little bit of luck from somewhere. When the decision got called I thought maybe this would be my chance. It's kind of surreal looking at the goal from 4 yards away."
On feeling disappointed for not getting three points...
"I think we were disappointed at halftime. We knew that in 45 minutes there was plenty of time for us to get back into it. Both teams will feel disappointed, but we feel like we have enough chances to win it and we feel like we should have defended better on their goals. They will be disappointed that they conceded a goal so late. We'll certainly have to make up for this one."
On every game left in the season...
"Every game now is a huge game. We said it before; every game is the biggest game of our season now, probably none bigger than the Orlando game. We will have to be sure to put one over on them early and put pressure on them going into the final stretch. That's where the focus turns to now."
D.C. United midfielder Patrick Nyarko
On the match...
"Tough one. Obviously playing a team three times in a year is not the easiest and having beaten them soundly back in D.C., we expected a tougher game and they gave it to us. We took the lead and our foot slipped off the pedal. They took advantage and at home; they're a really good team. It was a good fight back in the game but we're always going for the win so we're not really satisfied, but we'll take the point."
On not coming away with a win...
"Absolutely I think the veterans on this team hit it on the head this week that we cannot let ourselves down like that. We felt like we could have won this game. Hopefully back home we can pick up some points."
On missing close shots all game...
"A little frustration. Obviously, they were really close and having gone down a goal after taking the lead you expect those to go into the goal to restore confidence but as the game kept going, Johnson was making some unbelievable saves. It's tough. You keep thinking and doubting if it's going to happen in this game. Johnson made another unbelievable save on my shot but luckily Bobby [Boswell] was able to put it back in. I think we deserved a point and we should strive for more points than that."
On facing Orlando next...
"Like playoff games. We need to show the desperation that we want to get into the playoffs. It's a playoff battle against Orlando next week but we're at home. We need to make our intentions getting into the playoffs felt. I think the guys will be ready."
Chicago Fire head coach Veljko Paunovic
On D.C. United’s late equalizer...
“We just conceded a late goal. That’s what it is. We had the win very close but we keep our heads up and continue working and moving forward. We have to analyze, talk about it. It’s the same story like the whole year – we have the game where we give our best. We really work hard. I think we had a lot of opportunities today. I think the team played well, especially in the first half. Later, the circumstances changed the game and changed the situation on the field. You have to adjust, give your best, and in the end it’s disappointing that the way we gave up that late goal but the guys fought hard and pushed hard until the end. Later, we had another opportunity with that free kick, where you have another try, another shot, and it didn’t go well. It’s part of the game.”
On the take away from the game...
“Of course, you have to learn lessons from there. You have to do your best to understand what you can do better and address that with the players and work on that. Of course, keep your faith, like always, and just have an honest approach and want to get better and want to give your best in every single game and that’s it. We’ve been in this situation a couple of times this year and that’s where we still failed. It’s in this point where we have to step up. We actually had a couple of games where we did well but it has to be more consistent. It had to be that mentality, that toughness, that self-believe that when it’s time to defend, you can defend it and you can be very good in that and you can even take advantage of the counter attack like we had opportunities but we didn’t convert. It’s a learning process. Team that’s growing and it’s a process.”
On the injuries affecting the outcome of the game...
"Let’s start like we always say. Everyone is important for us and when the moment, like today, comes where we had injured guys. In this case, Michael was injured and Goossens too. It’s important to step up and be ready for the opportunity. And I think the guys did well, they really fought hard and, I think, we had opportunities. And for sure, everyone is important for us and today I’m very happy with the performance with the guy who played. Regarding Michael, he had last weekend, last game he had ankle sprain. He couldn’t recover from there. He couldn’t play today.”
On conceding late goals...
“I think, there is always a reason but we are not looking for excuses. Like I said, we never give excuses. There is no reason to fail even when you have the result today. It’s tough for us but small defeats lead to great victories. That’s how we look at this game and the game in the back, something that we learn from because that will make us better in the future if we have that approach and that’s something that I just can’t wait to happen. I’m just going to continue working hard, encourage these guys who are committed 100 percent and doing their best and I really enjoy working with them. Until we get there, we’ll push hard we will continue fighting.”
On the season overall...
“We are not evaluating now the season in that way. We are still playing, we are still in the competition and we are still fighting, and we are still taking every opportunity in every game to get better and learn and get to the point where we want to be. Which is to be very competitive and winning team.” On whether or not there will be changes in the lineup “I don’t think so. We just had our plan, our process, and we will continue working on our plan. Our plan always has to get some adjustments and we will do that for sure but we’re not losing our heads. There’s no reason for it. And we are not going to. Everyone is working hard and everyone is committed. That’s all we are asking. Of course, have that desire to win and desire to get better.”
Chicago Fire forward David Arshakyan
On making his first start...
“I feel good that I got my first starting game here but unfortunately we played a draw. I thought we deserved to win this game and in the last seconds unfortunately we concede a goal so we’ll keep pounding and I hope next game we’ll win against New York. I think everything’s going to be okay.”
On his comfort level...
“Good, good, every training and after every game I will feel better, I will feel the connection with these guys. I think all’s going to be okay very soon.”
On gaining familiarity with David Accam and fellow attackers...
“I’m used to it I think. I’m big but I can play with the ball at my feet. But I think I can show more in the next games.”
Chicago Fire midfielder Razvan Cocis
On his fifth goal of the season...
"There's things we practice, of course, and it's one of those. It's the best spot where I can be, either a flick or shot to score the goal. Today, it was a goal. I want to say Pauno encouraged me before the game. He said, 'How many goals do you have?' I said four. He asked, 'When are you going to score the fifth one?' It was something that I was thinking about and it really happened. And that really helped me."
