D.C. United Head Coach Ben Olsen
Overall thoughts…
“The start of the game is obviously something we’ve got to continue to work on. That’s it. Over the course of 90 minutes, I don’t think we were outplayed. At times, maybe we were out-competed, but they played well. They played hungry, and I thought we were a little bit unlucky not to get a goal or two throughout the game. They made two plays, both happened to be early in each half, and that’s something that’s haunted us.”
On Bill Hamid’s absence…
“Bill had a flare-up with his knee from the surgery. He’s day-to-day. Bill’s a competitor, and he wants to be on the field at all times. We also have to be smart and make sure he’s going to be there for the rest of the season.”
D.C. United Midfielder Davy Arnaud
On Chris Wondolowski’s goal…
“I do not remember exactly, but I feel like we were in a decent spot and the ball ping-pongs around and falls to their guy. It was Wondo, and he is not a guy you want to give those positions because he will hurt you like that.”
On conceding early-game goals…
“We started playing from behind again. It would be nice to play from in front at home. I think we have kind of gone against the normal statistic for when teams in MLS score first. If you continue to give up the first goal home or away, it is going to hurt you.”
D.C. United Defender Kofi Opare
On conceding early-game goals…
“It is definitely not healthy. It is definitely something that we need to stop or eradicate going forward, especially during this stage of the season. It is kind of harder to play in the sense that the opposing team just has to drop off, so it is hard to break them down as opposed to a game being a free-for-all."
San Jose Head Coach Dominic Kinnear:
On Anibal Godoy…
“He has been excellent. He really has only practiced with us three times because he came in and played the day in Colorado, so the guys appreciate him and understand what he is doing for the team. I think he and Fatai [Alashe] definitely have a good partnership in there, and he has been a good pickup. He has good positional awareness, he is good with the ball, does not get rattled under pressure, covers a lot of ground and wins a lot of tackles.”
On defeating the MLS leader…
“It feels good. Honestly, for me it is not important where they are in the standings. They could be in last place or they could be in first place. For us looking at where we are at in the standings, we need to win games home or away and we do know it is a very good team. We are really happy with the win.”
On Chris Wondolowski passing Dwayne De Rosario on the MLS all-time goals list…
“It is kind of funny. There were so many bodies in the way that I could not really see because I know that Shaun [Francis] came through and shot it, and [Andrew] Dykstra made the save. Then, I think it went to Fatai [Alashe]. After that I could not really tell because there were so many bodies around, and Wondo took the shot and it kind of rolls into the net. Let’s give the guy a ton of credit. I hate to say it, but I think he is a little bit overlooked because he is not the flashiest, but he sure is effective and the one thing I always say he does is that he puts the ball on frame and always gives himself a chance to score.”
On goalkeeper David Bingham’s level of play…
“It has been good. David Bingham has been good for us this year. He comes out for crosses, and he is good in the air. Give credit to the guys in front of him. I think Victor [Barnardez] and Clarence [Goodson] were really good tonight as well to kind of limit the openings. I think [David] Bingham’s play on the Davy Arnaud chance was really key for us.”
On Quincy Amarikwa…
“He has been a real good pickup, and this has been a great week for him. Tonight and even in Kansas City, it was a great week for Quincy [Amarikwa]. Holding the ball up, creating chances and running with the ball. It is very crucial, especially that you have somebody who can do that for you. These last two games have been real good for him. I can only say my experience I have had with him. Ever since he has come here to play we have valued him. I think he has earned his minutes and his play has been very good.”
On the team’s recent win streak…
“Any time in the season is a good time to go on a streak. We found ourselves being away from people before the Colorado game, and the only way you can get closer is by winning games. Now you watch the scoreboard and see what happens for the rest of the guys ahead of you, but the first thing you can do is do yourself a favor and win a game. We have won three in a row, improved our standings, and our point total is higher, so it is good that we have done that and now the hard work begins.”
San Jose Midfielder Fatai Alashe
On getting back-to-back results as a team…
“It is good. Obviously, we have always had confidence that we are able to play with anyone. Some of the results were not really going our way for a while, but we kind of show that we stick to it and stay positive with each other. Now we are starting to turn things around and hopefully we keep that momentum going into this weekend as well.”
On playing alongside Anibal Godoy…
“It is good. He is a great player and makes the game really easy. It is nice to play with someone who can break a play as well and he is really good on the ball. I think playing with him has been great and it has really helped us out a bit.”
On Quincy Amarikwa…
“He is a worker. You can see we play balls up top and he is able to hold them up and play out of it and that is something you need when you are taking pressure sometimes. If you have someone up there that can control the ball, keep it a little bit, help us get it down in play and start the attack, it is a great help and it helps us play further up the field.”
On the team’s upcoming home stretch…
“Obviously, you love playing home games, especially in the new stadium. It is tough playing on the road--the travel and then playing in a stadium that is not yours. We look forward to going back home and hopefully will be able to put some points in.”
