Head coach Ben Olsen
Overall thoughts on the match…
"I think the team responded in a great way after the red card. It simplified the game for us and our only job at that point was to lock up the defense. There were some individual performances from guys like Steven [Birnbaum] and Frédéric [Brillant] in the backline and Ulises [Segura] showed what he’s about as a player tonight. Steve Clark is a winner and he’s got an unbelievable personality… he helped out in a big way tonight. Then Kofi [Opare], Chris Durkin and Oniel Fisher came on, did their jobs and helped the team out."
On the importance of winning this game...
“You want to get the first three points because the guys have put in a lot of hard work. You see the games and losses, but don’t see the time spent with each other, and the amount of work we put in to come out here and earn this type of feeling. It’s a hard league to get points in, especially being on the road since the beginning of the season… So it feels good. We’re going to enjoy it for a few days then get back to work to get ready for a tour out west.”
On the red card to Arriola…
“I was pretty close to the tackle and I wasn’t surprised when they decided to VAR it. When they went over to the review booth, I figured there was a good chance Paul [Arriola] was going to get sent off. It’s a little disappointing, going back to our last game in Columbus, but it is what it is.”
On Steve Clark’s performance, giving Olsen a tough choice at goalkeeper…
“He’s given me a tough choice since the first day of preseason. He’s a character, he’s vocal and he wants to play and win everyday. He raises the level at training and that’s what you get with a guy that wants to win and hates losing. Sometimes that’s the personality the game needs. The two goalkeepers will continue to compete, and we’ll continue to have two good options.”
Defender Steven Birnbaum
On the quick goal to start the game…
“Obviously that was a perfect start for us. We wanted to come out flying, be physical, and press them right away. We knew we were going to do that in the first 10-15 minutes, and Ulises scoring that goal was huge for us. It was a perfect start. After that I thought we dropped off a little, and I thought we could’ve kept the ball a little better. That’s something we’re gonna work on, but overall I was proud of the guys."
On getting the first victory of the year…
“The thought creeps in of not getting a win, especially if we’re going to be on the road for a while. I didn’t want to say this was a must win, but it was huge for us and important to boost our morale as a group. We’ve been working hard in every game. A couple games we’ve been close, but to get it here in front of the fans tonight was great."
Midfielder Ulises Segura
On the early goal...
"It was obviously a big result. It was very important for us to get the win. We have a lot of new and good players. So we just knew game by game that we were going to get better and better and start to play together. So maybe not the best way to finish the game, a little nerve racking, but at least we got the result."
Columbus Crew SC sporting director and head coach Gregg Berhalter
On playing against a compact back line…
“It’s not an excuse, it’s really not. We can’t say we can crack the back line again. We have to be responsible for not creating good enough chances; not moving the ball quick enough, not looking to get behind them quick enough and when you do that, I think you make it easy for your opponent. Particularly in the first half, when we’re even manned, the ball was moving way too slow-- and I know you hear me say that all the time-- but the idea is, if you can shift an opponent over to one side and then move the ball quick enough to exploit spaces on the other side of the field, then you can breakthrough and gain ground on the opponent. And we didn’t do that well enough. We let them shift and get in position and the ball was moving way too slow.”
On if this felt like the previous Chicago match…
“Last week I didn’t blame Chicago. I said they did what they needed to do to get the three points. At the end of the day, the three points are what’s most important. And D.C., they fought and they clawed and they scratched and they got the three points, and Chicago did the same thing.”
On what he saw on D.C. United’s early goal…
“I think the first thing is, off the opening kickoff, you want to put the opponent on their heels instead of putting yourself on your heels. And there’s an example where we should be playing the ball forward, getting into their half, pinning them back, making it difficult for them. And instead we make six back-passes and all of the sudden we turn the ball over and they score. I’ll look at the specifics of it, but I think a general principle should be: we want to get the ball in their half early in the game.”
On if losing three straight shakes the team’s confidence…
“I think that it’s never nice to lose three games. It’s not something that we’re proud of, it’s not something we want to do and I think that some confidence has been taken from us, and rightfully so. You don’t lose three games in a row and stay 100 percent confident. So our job next week is to build that back up. We know we have a couple home games coming up and they’re going to be big games for us.”
Columbus forward Gyasi Zardes
On if this felt like the previous Chicago match…
“Yeah, it’s tough to concede early in the game. I think it was a minute and 50 seconds and it’s difficult because teams like to park the bus against us because I think teams know we can exploit them if they come out and play. So, like I said before, it’s just difficult when you go down a goal and teams just play so defensive.”
On if losing three straight shakes the team’s confidence…
“No, not me. I’ve been in this league a long time. Generally speaking, I don’t think so. These guys, they know what they’re capable of. They have faith and we just take it game by game.”
On if returning home will feel good for the team…
“Yeah, a game’s a game wherever you play and you want to try to get results, whether it’s a tie or a win.”
On if they are any positive takeaways from the loss…
“Not yet. I mean, I have to obviously watch film and we’ll have to just get it right next time.”
