D.C. United Head Coach, Ben Olsen
Overall thoughts...
"The story tonight shouldn't necessarily be all about VAR. Our guys put in a really good shift and we got a little bit of our swagger back at times. Lucho [Acosta] and Wayne [Rooney] have been taking some criticism as of late, and tonight they showed that they’re still a good duo. We brought some of that away mentality that we’ve been asking for on the road, back to Audi Field. It was a real group effort and everybody gave what they needed to get a result."
On Arriola returning to the wing…
“Wayne [Rooney] and Lucho [Acosta] were able to find some better pockets of space in the game because of Paul’s running. We need to stretch the field vertically and push their defenders as far back as we can to give Wayne and Lucho some room to operate. Paul’s selfless throughout this process and I’m happy that he scored tonight to reward him for doing what the team has needed over the last couple of weeks."
On Jara’s performance tonight…
"It’s a great position in this formation for him because he gets to show off his offensive qualities. We know he can defend, but he also has the ability to connect passes and combine. He’s got a lot of quality and you saw that tonight. He has a high work rate in a physically demanding position and he was everywhere tonight.”
On Canouse's performance tonight…
“Russell is a winner and he makes the little plays that make a difference. Little plays aren’t always noticed but he did that again for us tonight."
On Pines’ progression thus far…
"I thought he had a great game. He bails us out with his legs, speed and ability to read the game. He’s going to be a good player for this team for years to come."
D.C. United Midfielder, Russell Canouse
On the feeling after the win…
"It was great. Obviously, proud of the team tonight. We came out strong, first ten, fifteen; let it slip a little bit, gave Columbus a little bit of control of the game, but we came back, bounced back, and had a good lead coming into halftime and second half it was great team effort. We didn’t let them get too much pressure, we still continued to build the game and happy for the guys who got on the scoresheet too tonight."
On proving the doubters wrong...
"Yeah, everyone in that locker room wanted to come out and put a good performance on, especially for the home fans. Our form wasn’t the greatest the last few games, so it’s exciting to be able to come out with three points, with three goals as well. We hadn’t scored at home as much as we would have liked, so we’re just really proud and glad that it came together tonight."
On whether the team feels like it did last year…
"Yeah, I felt like the team was connected. I felt like every single player put his 100% effort in the game. It showed obviously, with a lot of the flare as well. A lot of completed passes that maybe they wouldn’t go our way the last few games and those are the types of plays we need to be able to get on the score sheet and also take a little bit of pressure off of us defensively. So, it was an all-around good effort tonight."
D.C. United Midfielder, Luciano Acosta
On his feelings towards the result...
"Happy, very happy. It’s a time to be content with the result. It’s a little different when you’re on the losing side and we should probably handle ourselves a little bit better when we lose but right now I think the time is to be happy and to be very, very satisfied with the outcome tonight."
On getting revenge on Columbus…
"Last year is last year. This is a new year. We needed to add points and we did that tonight. We certainly felt good about defeating them at their place last week, but now it’s time to move on and keep adding points."
On the foul on the disallowed goal…
"I felt the contact from Trapp which actually prevented me from getting to the ball. I informed the referee of that, I informed the fourth official of what I felt was a foul so I thought it was the right call."
On having Paul Arriola in the attack...
"It felt good. We had played in the same manner against Columbus in Columbus. Paul is a very valuable asset moving forward, attacking, so in Minnesota, when he was pinned back a little bit and he had to defend a little bit more, we weren’t able to create as much. So, it’s great to have him in there and to be able to count on his valuable contributions attacking."
On VAR…
"VAR is there to assist the referees, to help them make those decisions or correct the decisions. Obviously, when you’re on the right side of it you’re happy. When you’re on the wrong side of it, you’re very upset. But that’s the purpose of it, to look at the offsides, to look at plays that are questionable so I think it did its job tonight."
D.C. United Defender, Donovan Pines
On his success so far...
"I’m just playing the game plan my coaches set up and I’m just doing the best I can. And if they tell me to play in a certain position, I’ll do my best, and do what I can for the team."
On what was different tonight...
"I think everybody just had each other’s back. I think everyone covered for each other, everyone put out for each other, and it was just a good overall effort, a good performance."
On media criticism…
"They probably heard it, but it’s just all mental. You just come ready to play and I think everyone did that today and was just focused and got the job done."
On how he feels on the team...
"Honestly, it’s a dream come true. I’m having the time of my life right now and living the dream. It’s just really good. I’m having a really good time. I’m a homegrown, it’s close to home, so I’m just really glad I’m playing for D.C. United."
On how his confidence is growing...
"I just take it one day at a time. I think we have two days off now and I’ll just rest, make sure I’m doing the right stretching and preparing my body for practice and then watch film, progressively get better, and get ready for the game coming up."
On learning from the people around him...
"I just love learning, learning from the center backs on this team, all the guys in the back, and they’ve just taken me under their wing and they’re helping me out. It’s just been really a blessing to play with them and I just want to do the best I can for the team and for the players around me."
D.C. United Striker, Wayne Rooney
On the win...
"I think, first of all, we were better with the ball. At times tonight, we played some good stuff and a lot more composure, more controlled. So, obviously that helps. I think our pressing was better, forcing them into playing long balls which they didn’t really want to do at times. And then clearly the goals… Our one, it was a clear penalty, the defender’s moved his arm towards the ball. I think it was a good game, a good win for us, a good response to the last game."
On the penalty...
"I was actually going to the other corner before Russell came up to me and helped me... Russell told me to go the other way and I took his advice. I knew I had to go high in case he dives that way. Thankfully, he did and it went in."
On the goals...
"I don’t think we got luck. I think we had some very good goals. The first goal was something that we worked on. A lot of our set plays, especially deep set plays, we’ve been going to the back post to Steve and Donovan. And we knew if we could a few players around the front of the goal, normally they’d have their big players in the back, and then obviously a good bounce for Luciano. And then the penalty, obviously, and then the third goal was a lovely goal. So, I think over the course of the 90 minutes the way we defended from the front but also at the back and the chances we created deserved the win."
On Paul Arriola being in the offense...
"I think it was obviously better and I think bringing Paul into that position and also at Columbus away, helps both offensively and defensively. I think it can help us be on the front foot and press a bit higher, which I thought we did very well second half. And I think some of the football around the box and some of the chances we created were some of the best we’ve been at creating chances this weekend."
On Paul taking pressure off Wayne and Luciano...
"I don’t think it took pressure off us, but I think Paul is a player who will work hard both in the final third and in your own half. I think me and Paul can read each other and work off each other which obviously helps Luciano and pulls him up with us, which then pulls the midfield and pulls everyone up. So I think it was a collective effort which sometimes we’ve gone as a front three or a front two and the midfield and the defensive hasn’t pushed up. But tonight we were better as a team."
Crew Head Coach, Caleb Porter
On the first 30 minutes...
“They weren't threatening at all. We knew the transition would be on, which it was. We were lively, we got on the ball… everything was spot on. Then obviously we score a goal, and we all know what happened… It’s a fair goal, it’s a fair goal, 100 percent. The referee gives it away, referee fouls Acosta, and then the referee looks at a television to bail himself out. I’ve never in my life seen anything like that. Everything was spot on out of our guys and that’s a fair goal, we should have been up 1-0.”
On the explanation...
“We’re not allowed to talk to the refs, so there’s no explanation.”
On what he heard from the players...
“He (the ref) told them (the players) that Will fouled Acosta, which didn’t happen. It’s unbelievable, guys. It’s unprecedented. Nothing like this has ever happened, where a referee literally gets in the way and then uses en excuse on VAR to bail himself out; for a fair goal that was scored which was 10 seconds after the play. It’s bad that he got in the way, obviously. But even worse that he looked at the VAR, I’m seeing the same thing he saw, and the fact he’s looking at the VAR and trying to bail himself out. There should be massive ramifications for that.”
On filing some kind of complaint with the league office...
“No, no. We’ll see. We’re not gonna get the game back, we’re not gonna get the points back. And that's the way it’s going for us. It’s.. We’re not getting the bounces, the breaks, if you will. We’re not getting respect. That's the thing that really bothers me. No respect, at all. I’ve seen it in the league, when I was in Portland for five years it was the same. The big name guys, so the referees oftentimes are not giving some. It’s nothing new. In saying that, we’ve got to keep fighting for our respect because no one’s gonna give it to us. Even their first goal, it’s not a foul. It’s not a foul. This is the first time all year I’ve said anything about the officials and because I haven’t seen any moments that I didn’t think were fair. This is unfair, completely unfair. So when it’s unfair I’m gonna back my guys, I’m gonna back my club, and I’m gonna call a spade a spade. First goal is a fair goal. Their first goal, not a foul, but he gets a yellow card. They have the same foul the other end, even worse, real foul, no card. How does that happen? I don’t get it. Is it the psychology of the referee? They fan-out on guys like Wayne Rooney? I don’t know. But it’s unreal to me. I’m tired of it. We deserve more respect as a club. My players deserve more respect. And their first goal, no foul. And, our first goal was a fair goal.”
On if the VAR breaks affected the rhythm...
“I think the official botched the whole thing, simple. I think VAR is great, I’ve been a huge proponent of it. I like it, I think it gets calls right. Clearly, he botched the whole thing. He couldn’t make decisions. On the one play, I don’t know what he was waiting on. Six minutes, and then we get four minutes stoppage time? It was a disaster. The biggest one, again guys, the fact that he got in the way, which happens, and we score a fair goal, and he has the nerve to look at the VAR? And then use that to bail himself out? That’s what’s unprecedented.”
On bouncing back against two LA teams...
“That’s my message to the guys. The most important thing is we have to recover, we had to rebound. We have to remember the first 30 minutes today and the fact we should have been up 1-0 because we came out, we executed, played well and we were spot on. We should have been up 1-0. We have to recover, we have to move on, we have to take care of business in the next two home games and that’s the number one thing I said to them. I did also tell them that we have to fight for our respect. We have to fight for your respect because it’s not gonna be given to a club like Columbus. It’s not gonna be given to some of our of players that don’t have, you know, the name. No one’s gonna give us that respect, we have to earn it, we have to fight for it. We have to do it the old fashioned way. I also told them I was disappointed in the third goal. Because, for me, those mistakes hvr ot change. We’re compounding not maybe getting the breaks by making big mistakes, and not finishing”
On the second half response...
“We still have to finish, know what I mean? But again, the goal was totally against the run and we gave it away. Those are the mistakes that we have to correct. Those aren’t acceptable. So I’m not losing sight of those. But I fell for my guys because they came out, it’s not easy. We’ve lost four, we come into DC, one of the top teams in the league, we’re on the road. W come out, we play well, we score a flair goal, and it's taken away from us. That’s the thing that ticks me off and I feel for my guys because they deserve more respect, our club deserves more respect as well.”
On rebounding...
“We have to take care of business in the next game, that’s the most important thing. If we take care of business in the next game and then the next game at home, this period will all be forgotten. I’m thinking today is one of these moments that will galvanize my group. Because again, we are a small market team, and it’s why we got one nationally televised game the whole year. It’s why we sometimes don’t get the respect from officials. I could go on to other things, scheduling, everything. These are things I’m gonna keep fighting for. For my player and for the club. And we deserve better. And also, no one’s gonna give it to us. No one’s gonna give it to us. We have to fight for it. We can’t compound it by making mistakes.”
Columbus Crew SC Defender Josh Williams
On tonight's game…
"That might have been one of the loudest halves I think I’ve seen in a long time. But yeah, I have been around the league for a long time and I’ve seen a lot, but at the end of the day, those things happen and we gotta do a better job of keeping a cool head, playing our game and staying positive no matter what happens on the field."
On time it took for calls to be made…
"I think if you’re gonna take that much time it’s gotta be the right call. From what I saw, it wasn’t the right call. Again, those are things that, at the time on the field, we didn’t know if it was right or wong. So we still get a free kick almost a minute later, two minutes later, and then we’d have a goal. We’ve got enough guys that have been in the league, but we can’t use that as an excuse. We still gave up a goal that was easily preventable. So, put everything aside, we need to look at ourselves in the mirror and realize we need to maintain focus."
On how to respond in the moment…
"It’s tough. But like I said, I think this is a locker room where enough guys have been in the league for a long enough time. Duncan said we’ve pretty much seen it all now, so now it’s just a learning experience, something you grow from, and that’s when like myself, Will, Jonah, leaders on the team, bring everybody together and double down on focus and realize that whether the call was made or not."
On how long he expects the feeling of being robbed of the game to last…
"I think it’s something we need to use as motivation for Wednesday. I don’t think any team is going to let us off the hook, the LA teams. They’re the top teams in the league right now. If anything, these teams are thinking that we’re going to be down. So, we need to pick our heads up, and I think we did that. Caleb came in for whatever happened out there, tried not to get fined, so I can’t use the real words. Whatever happened out there, we need to put that behind us and the next team is coming in on Wednesday."
On this stretch of the last several games…
"I don’t think I’ve ever had a stretch like this where there have been some calls that have gone against us and weird goals being scored on us. Almost one play in a lot of games, one play, one decision goes this way or that way and the game is over. Weird stretch, but that the same time I’m not someone to sit here and make excuses. We need to create our own luck and this is the perfect time, and we got two more games in a week, so you could look at it as a disadvantage or as an advantage, you get to go right back out there in a couple days and try to make the rounds."
On this team not getting the respect it deserves…
"Absolutely. But at the same time, I think it’s on us to create our own luck. We need to look at this as...that’s a bad call on Will, the yellow card, that’s not a foul but they called a foul. We had our defense set up for a free kick goal and they still laid in a goal. Also it’s not something that was preventable."
On what can be taken into Wednesday in terms of defense…
"I think that’s a good part of our game, it’s almost been missing. We’ve got a couple of good chances here and there, but we just gotta maintain the belief in Gyasi, Pedro, Justin, Niko, Robbi, whoever gets in there that we can hit guys on the counters, because I think that’s a dangerous part of our game. Today, we let up three goals, but defensively, we felt sound. And also as long as we maintain a good defensive stature, I think we can start to hit teams on the counter and become dangerous in that area of the game."
Columbus Crew SC Goalkeeper, Zack Steffen
On disallowed goal...
“He thought that Will fouled Acosta but that was not the case and so for some reason, he thought it was clear and obvious and he wanted to bring it back and VAR took it and we did not respond too well. We were too emotional that kind of killed our focus a little bit for the set piece, and I have no words on the referee tonight.”
On the penalty kick...
“Yeah, Will was right in front of me and his arms were in a natural position. I feel like he tried to even bring them in more and he said that his arms are out here I mean he’s the ref.”
On recent form...
"Yeah, we are underdogs in this league, we know that and we are treated like that. I think the events that occurred tonight will bring us closer and give us some fire and give an edge, get our edge back."
On tonight’s game...
“I thought we were in a good spot. You get a good goal it’s fair they took it back and here we go again. Then we let in the goal off a soft foul again and here we go again but hey that’s life and I’m looking forward to the game on Wednesday to get back on track.”
On upcoming games against both Los Angeles teams...
“I mean it happens so quick we have to leave it behind because there are two really good LA teams coming to town. We are going to have to get our bodies back and our minds back and get everybody back on the same page and ready to get 3 points and a shutout on Wednesday.”
On the beginning games...
“Yeah, I thought we started the game really well. They had the ball for maybe the first four or five minutes we didn’t touch it and I thought our defensive shape was amazing and we were patient, they had nothing. They had nothing up until their goal, we shot ourselves in the foot with that free kick not clearing it and the ball bounced yea weird night weird night.”
