D.C. UNITD HEAD COACH BEN OLSEN
Thoughts on the series
“These stakes we haven’t had in a while, so hopefully we can fix that for next week. But in no way are we out of this. The beauty of it is we can score two goals, especially knowing that we need to score two goals. So next week should be a lot of fun. It should be an interesting game going back to D.C. We get to rest, they get to rest; I’m sure it’ll be a great night.”
On the state of his team
“We gotta evaluate [the injured players]. Chris [Pontius] was fine, he probably shouldn’t have took the shot; he’s had some groin issues but it’s no different from last game and he got through last game. Again, you run out of options. I thought Rafa [Augusto] did okay. It’s the first game he’s ever come in for us and he had some moments. He definitely makes the play that should change the entire course of this series, but it didn’t. I’m disappointed really for the guys. They put what they had out there.
On the goals allowed
“I think all three goals were preventable. They were not goals we usually give up. Give them some credit, they play quick free kicks. They’ve been doing that for ten years and have been successful at it. Brad Davis is a classy player and he knows how to do that when it’s on. That’s our fault. We were prepared for it, we knew about it and we just turned off.
On Nick DeLeon’s performance
“The work [Nick DeLeon’s] done the last couple games has been unbelievable. Everybody’s been digging in and finding a little bit more. I asked them before the game to dig in and find whatever you have for this game, and they did that. Unfortunately, some of them maybe dug too deep and physically they just didn’t have any more.
D.C. UNITED GOALKEEPER JOE WILLIS
Thoughts on the match
“We came out flying in the first half. I thought we played really well. We had a lot of energy and then a few things didn’t go our way and all of a sudden we’ve got to make three subs for injuries. A couple goals later, and it’s almost like we didn’t know what happened. I don’t think our level necessarily dropped. I don’t really know how to describe it.”
Thoughts on the series
It’s fine. We’re down two goals in the series; it’s halftime. We’re going back home, it hurts but it’s not the end of the world. It’s definitely something we can overcome.
D.C. UNITED MIDFIELDER NICK DELEON
Thoughts on the match
“I couldn’t breathe out there but there’s no excuse. We let in three goals out there and there’s no excuse for that. We can just look at some game tape and do as much as we can to fix our mistakes and then like I said, we’ll come out firing next Sunday.”
Thoughts on the next leg at RFK Stadium
“We can’t sit back, we’ve got to press. RFK is a fortress, we always seem to be on top of our game there so I don’t have any worries. I know we can win by two or more goals against this team.”
“We did everything we can to prepare, we just let in some weak goals. We tuned out and they capitalized and that was that. They’re problems that we can fix and we’ll take care of that for the next game.”
JOIN OLSEN'S ARMY:Buy tickets to Sunday's match at RFK Stadium
DYNAMO HEAD COACH DOMINIC KINNEAR
Thoughts on the match
“I’m happy. It was a wonderful second half by us. We showed great character to come back and get those three goals. It was quick thinking for the first one that gave us the confidence to keep on pushing. It’s a great result, but we don’t really get a chance to enjoy it too much. It’s time to take a pause and enjoy it for an hour or two and then realize there is a difficult 90 minutes waiting for us in DC.”
On the difference between the two halves
“Just moving the ball better. And we turned them around. I think we were playing too much in front of them. Sometimes when the timing is right and you clip the ball in behind it can cause problems. And I think we were getting to the ball a little quicker on free kicks and when the ball was out of bounds. We were losing so there was more of a sense of urgency”
On Boswell’s save off the line
“That’s a huge play. To get to 1-1, we had come back and were riding high. And if we go down 2-1 it’s a bit of a blow.”
On going into the second leg
“It’s nice to have this little break to rest our legs a bit. Hopefully, we get some guys healthy. Everyone knows Calen [Carr] and Rico [Clark] and Jermaine [Taylor] were out tonight. So we get a little bit of rest there. That game [against Sporting KC], I don’t want to go back too far, that was tough. They are a good team. Everything we tried to do was thrown back in our face. It wasn’t like we were content to defend. We were made to and so it was difficult. I’m standing here talking about a good win. We know it’s a good team across the way that we are going to play [again] on Sunday. We just have to play a little better with the ball rather than sit back and defend.”
On employing a quick free kick
“It’s up to the players. Brad Davis is a smart player. If he sees an advantage somewhere, we have asked him to be on the ball for a reason. He is not only a good deliverer of the ball, but he sees the play so it’s a good play by him.”
On the mood at halftime
“There was no yelling, no heads down. Guys were just sitting there realizing we were down 1-0. We said we had 135 minutes to get a goal back but we would like to get a result here at home so let’s continue to push forward, try and create chances and hopefully one of those would go in. These guys have been here before. I’m sure we were a little upset at being behind at halftime, but by no means were we really frustrated. We were playing well and we just needed to be sharper over the last 30 yards.”
On the play of the substitutes
“Well the first one, with Adam [Moffat] going out, obviously it wasn’t expected. At that time, with Giles [Barnes] going in, we had to change our formation a little bit and push Brad [Davis] into the midfield and put Mac [Kandji] wide and I thought Mac had a good game tonight. The last two subs, we just brought guys on. Brian [Ching] is experienced, he can hold the ball up and Warren [Creavalle] we know is a bit of a fighter. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t and it’s all up to the players. The players had a good impact on the game when they stepped on the field.”
On other players stepping up
“Andre [Hainault] has been there. You know exactly what you are going to get from him. Mac [Kandji] has played before. It’s not like you are putting in guys who don’t have any experience or starts. Luiz [Camargo] came to play. I thought he came out with good energy and good attitude and I thought those three guys played well for us tonight.”
On Will Bruin’s performance
“He has four goals in four games. I think the one thing with Will [Bruin] is that even though he wasn’t scoring goals at a particular time in the season, he was still getting chances. He was working hard and was positive for the team. I think it’s one of those where if it’s completely barren and his chances are way off then you maybe give the guy a little break. I think his effort and his willingness to work for the team, and he still gets on the end of stuff because of his hard work, it’s hard to do anything but play him.”
DYNAMO DEFENDER BOBBY BOSWELL
Thoughts on the series
“We are halfway there. They are a great team and I think you saw that here. They are going to have a whole week to recover and be ready and we need to make sure we are ready when we go to RFK Stadium.”
On saving the ball off the line
“It’s one of those plays where they have done well to get behind our line. Mac [Kandji] is trying to make a play on Robbie [Russell] and [Tally Hall] takes an interesting step to the ball. He thought he took the wrong step, but because of the way he stepped to the ball he forced me to drop. If he stays, maybe I try to come across and I don’t get there in time. I was fortunate that he hit it somewhere near me. You have nightmares as a defender of being on the line and the ball goes right by you. It puts you in a spot where you accidentally hit it with your hand. I’m fortunate it was head high and I was able to get my big noggin on it.”
On players stepping up due to injuries
“They played like men. They came on the field. I think at one point Giles [Barnes] was running all over the place. I told him, ‘Hey bro, when you are running and doing well, we are doing well.’ Credit to all of the guys that came on and did their job. That’s what the coaches asked of them and they have done quite well to keep that going. It was a huge night for us, going down a goal and being able to score three in the second half and give ourselves another two-goal lead. I love playing for this team and you couldn’t ask for much more than that.”
DYNAMO FORWARD WILL BRUIN
Thoughts on the Game
“It was a good game. I mean, after they got that first goal we kept our heads up and we bounced back well and we ended up scoring three so I think we are playing well, finishing our chances and keeping our heads up.”
On the confidence of the team at home
“Yeah, it is awesome playing here. Fans are always coming out in big numbers and support us very well and get us pumped up. It is a very tough place for opposing teams to come in and play and I think we feel very comfortable playing here. But that being said, we took care of it at home and we got a 3-1 win from it. Now we have 90 more minutes.”
On your success against D.C. United
“I think I get a lot of good services against them I don’t remember how my goal went in I just tried to get my body on it. I am going to have to watch to see how it went in.”
On getting the week off in between games
“This week off is going to be huge. I can’t tell you the exact amounts of days but we played four games in that span so it was long, it was a grind. A lot of teams would put their head down like they were tired but this is a group of strong guys physically and mentally going through it and now we get a week to recover and rejuvenate and be refreshed.”
