D.C. United Head Coach Ben Olsen
How Fabian EspĆndola changed the gameā¦
āUp until that point, there were a lot of good final third entries, a lot of good build up and a lot of possession in their end. Itās still about making plays and thatās what Fabi does. It was a long week for him, he had a baby earlier in the week and you know it has been a long few days for him. We decided to not start him and to bring him off the bench. I thought he and Sabo both did a great job of coming in and both worked hard to help us get the goal back.ā
On individual performancesā¦
āPatrick was fantastic. He pushes teams back, he helps us with possession and he keeps guys guessing. He has a good balance of understanding when itās time go north and when itās time to get a little possession and help us build. I thought we had a lot of great performances, I thought Taylor Kemp was good and our backline was sharp AND [Chris] Rolfe played his best game to date. I thought Nicky [DeLeon] and [Marcelo] Sarvas continued to grow in the middle of the field. Statistically, a lot of good but disappointed we didnāt get the result we wanted.ā
When asked about the concern of defending set pieces and the third goal given up on set pieces this seasonā¦
āItās concerning and it cost us. Itās just a matter of guys doing a little bit more, and being a bit more aware. In some of the situations people are going to be outmanned, itās just how it is and thereās no excuse. We will continue to sort that out."
On the teamās fitnessā¦
āI think we can get more fit as a group and we still have a few guys that arenāt there yet, for various reason. We need to get fitter.ā
D.C. United defender Taylor Kemp
On what Fabi brought to the game...
āHe adds something for us that not a lot of guys can. Heās someone who roams around and finds ways to over load and unbalance them and you could see that tonight. I think heād be the first to say he was lacking a little bit of sharpness with certain stuff, but heās someone that no matter what kind of game heās having he can find always find a way to be dangerous for us. Heās someone that when we see him coming in we know that we can kind of push and we can add an element. Heās a surprise for us, heās something that our team doesnāt always have when heās not on the field and we can miss him at times and thereās a way that we kind of manage that. I was happy for him to get the goal. I know heās been wanting it and heās someone thatās always trying to get back on the field so it was good to see him get the goal and hopefully heāll grow on that.ā
D.C. United midfielder/forward Chris Rolfe
On the teamās fitness levels...
Itās still early in the season, and because we had an abbreviated preseason, with our games against QuerĆ©taro, our preseason was a little bit choppy. We werenāt able to get after it like we wanted to. Itās kind of tricky once the season starts because the starters donāt have the time to put in the extra effort to get match fit. Iād say itās a little low now, but itās only three games into the season."
D.C. United midfielder Patrick Nyarko
On the team's performance...
"We needed a win tonight and didnāt get it, so we're slightly disappointed. We need to make our home field a fortress and make teams scared to play here. The guys pushed and the mentality was there. Giving up that goal and having to climb back always makes it difficult; we put ourselves in a hole. I donāt like the result, but we still have some work to do. I like the fight that the guys put up."
On the team's equalizing goal...
āWe kept our head high, we knew we still had time to get the equalizer and possibly go on to win the game. We were lucky enough to get the equalizer quick enough after the goal and still have some time to go. I think we pushed and at times, really exposed ourselves in the back, but we pushed enough to get some chances. Overall, weāll take the positives into the next game and hopefully solve the little mistakes we made that cost us the two points today.ā
Colorado Rapids Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni
On the match...
"I thought it was not the most attractive football. I thought, obviously, we were fighting against a good team and against the emotions of a home opener. It was chippy; there wasnāt a lot of good flow to the game. But I think, all things being equal, we came away with a good point here."
On the mood around the club/whether there is a sense of optimism with the way the season has begun...
"I think so. I think the last few years for us have been difficult. We spent a lot of time in the offseason really thinking about the direction we wanted to move the club. I think the investment of the players that weāre bringing in says a lot about that. More importantly, I think it says a lot about the group thatās currently here and working hard every day to get better, become a better team, and -- most importantlyāto find ways to get results. I think thereās a lot of optimism that lies ahead. But itās critical to start thinking about the present--how weāre going to get results now and continue to get better as a team."
On Fabian EspĆndolaās influence on the game...
"Obviously heās a very good player who has proven that over the course of his career here in MLS. Heās a very dynamic player. [He] has a knack to find those spots, to get in good spots and be dangerous in the final third. Itās not nice that he ended up where he did on that goal. So, he's obviously one of the more dangerous players in this league. I think, all things being equal, heās one of the best players in this league."
On what he expects from goalkeeper Zac MacMath now that the signing of Tim Howard has been announced, and on MacMathās mentality following the announcement...
"I think it would be different for any human being. When we talked in the offseason about the kind of football that we wanted to play, it was definitely building from the back. I think Zac is one of the best keepers in this league with his feet and his ability to play out of the back. Obviously, like I said, weāre looking at the big picture, and what we want to continue to do is be competitive all over the field. We had a good conversation with Zac a couple days ago, and my challenge to him is to be the best goalkeeper in this leagueā¦ [could no[heās just a real tough, resilient young man, whoās got this desire to make it. And that, for me, shows a lot of character in what could be a difficult time. [So] the way heās looking at it is from a place of positivity, optimism, and continuing to lead this team. Heās been arguably our best performer in the first three games, and so I think [that] says a lot about the mentality of the young man."
On the teamās communications with Tim Howard...
"We had him over today. He spent some time at the hotel with us and the players. Again, for me, itās not a huge deal. We have players come in and outāJermaine Jones came ināand what weāre doing is weāre building a great culture here, where we want this to be organic. We want this thing to be driven by the players; we want a new identity. And I think, bringing guys like Timmy ināspending some time with him today, the guys came in, were excited to see him. He had a few comments for the guysāthey had some dialogueāand we sat around as a coaching staff and talked to him quite a bit. It just feels comfortable. Thereās nothing awkward about any of the changes that weāre making. In all sports, youāve got to have great players coming in to challenge and raise the bar for everyone. I think this is a very good step for our organization. While weāre waiting for the arrival of Jones and [Howard]āthe focus and all the energy is placed on the guys that have been busting their tails for the last ten weeks. And putting something good together, to string along some good results to put us in a position to really include these guys that weāre leaving out of the group."
On the teamās new identity/how heād like to see his team defined going forward...
First and foremost, we want to be a team that can find ways to get results. Winning is like anything elseāitās a skill. Youāve got to work extremely hard at it. Youāre going to have days like today where itās not the prettiest and things donāt [come] off, as they did in the previous two games, but you hang in there. [Tonight] youāre up against a team whoās opening their season at home--thereās a lot of excitement, the stadiumās full, but we can find ways to get results. These are placesāthese are results we couldnāt get in the last two years, because the mentality wasnāt good enough. The identity wasnāt strong enough. And I think, in the first three gamesāand again, the players are taking the lead in this. The guys in the locker room are disappointed with the result today, because they felt like they couldāve held on. [They wanted], whether we deserved to be up 1-0 or not, to get the three points. And so, I think, when you ask what our identity wants to be, thatās the same question I ask them. Itās not about me. And Iāll say it againācoaches can only go as far as the players want to go. If not, youāre putting the cart before the horse. And I think those guys in the locker room there are some real menāmen of character. Theyāre guys that I wake up every morning excited to go out and train with. And again, the inclusion of these next couple of players that weāll be having, I think, will add to that. And, hopefully, weāre in a good place where that momentum will keep going.
Colorado Rapids midfielder Sam Cronin
On the overall result...
āYeah, the result is pretty good. It was a pretty poor game from both teams, truthfully; pretty sloppy. So, a positive second half from us and a good set piece goal. It was just kind of a scrappy game, but it was good to get a result and weāll move on.ā
On the clubās investments and sense of optimism...
āWeāre in a much better spot. I think we have more quality all throughout the team and more quality coming into the team as the season goes on. I think we have a clear understanding of what weāre trying to achieve, so we have big ambitions for this season.ā
On the teamās proactive style...
āI think itās good. The first two games were really sharp; we dictated the rhythm of the game. Today, we were just really sloppy on the ball and there was more movement. The second half, we got a little better, so itās just one of those games where a lot of guys had pretty poor performances, but we still got a point. Even when you play poorly, you just get into the habit of just getting a point or three points and it adds up throughout the season. Weāre pleased with the point and weāll move on.ā
On the additions of Jermaine Jones and Tim Howard...
āI think itās clear that the club is making more investments and weāve signed players that have a lot of quality and Tim, Jermaine and all of these guys will raise the level. They both have great experiences with national teams and at the club level, so theyāll instantly improve the team. It was good meeting Tim today. It was pretty short, he has to get back over there, but it was a good introduction. Heāll come in the summer, get settled in and weāre looking forward to Jermaine starting to train here in a week or so. But in the meantime, weāre picking up points and weāre playing some decent stuff, so all-in-all, weāre really happy with the way things are going.ā
On goalkeeper Zac MacMath...
āZacās been fantastic; probably our best player all season. I think just the past couple of years for him have been difficult, but heās grown as a professional, as a person, heās an exceptional goalkeeper and heās going to have a great career playing a ton of games. He needs to keep his head up and keep working hard. Heās been great; heās going to continue to be great for us. We know we have one of the best goalkeepers in the league with Zac.ā
Colorado Rapids Goalkeeper Zac MacMath
On getting a road point after todayās game...
āYeah, I think right now weāre just happy to get a point on the road. Obviously, it was kind of an ugly game for us, not exactly going our way most of the time. So, weāre happy that we came out in the second half and kind of played our style a little bit more and to come out with a point is still a good result.ā
On the addition of Tim Howard...
āObviously, I kind of had a heads up on it that they were going to make it official this weekend. It wasnāt easy, to be honest, but at the same time this is my job and I have to come in and perform and I know Iāve got a few months to really prove myself in this league. Iāve got the full confidence of my team and the coaching staff and I really just want to show my best and put ourselves in the best position by the time that time comes.ā
On Howardās potential impact on the team...
āI think itās going to be an appreciation thing for a lot of guys. We see this guy, whoās done so well in the EPL for so long, heās played in the World Cup and now heās one of our teammates, so his experience and all of that stuff will come into the locker room and have a pretty good feeling over all of the guys.ā