D.C. United Captain Steven Birnbaum
On the match…
“Obviously giving up a goal in the first couple of minutes in the game is tough. I thought the team responded really well after that. We had some good spells and controlled the game for the rest of the half. Then the second half was wild. The red card, penalty kick, and what a goal by Fred. That was awesome. After that, we have to take control of the game better, we were not good enough for the last fifteen minutes. But we grinded it out and got the win. It’s always good to get that monkey off your back for the first win of the year, and we were happy to do it in front of our fans. Now we’re on to Cincinnati.”
On Brillant’s goal…
“It was beautiful. There were two of us across the goal wide open, but what a banger he hit, it was great.
Midfielder Felipe Martins
On the team’s performance…
“We are a group that likes to play together as one and we showed it today. We showed a lot of heart. The soccer part will come with time, but the important thing is we got the three points.”
On getting the first win of the season…
“It feels great, especially for our fans. It’s good for the group, the morale, our confidence, especially coming from behind to win 2-1. We fought until the end and showed that we are a team who sticks together, and we are going to fight for everything.”
On the fans’ support throughout the match…
“The fans’ energy helped us so much. Sometimes they don’t know how important they are for us, but today they showed how much it means to them and it brought us energy. You guys are so important to us. We are going to fight for this jersey, and we are going to bring our fans the happiness they deserve."
Defender Frédéric Brillant
On his goal and getting the win…
“I came in at the right time and took my chance, and fortunately I scored. I think they were ready for the cutback cross and it led me to score. I am happy for the result as well because it was necessary for us to bounce back after last week, especially here in front of our supporters."
On the disallowed goal and red card…
"The game can change right away. But the VAR ruled in our favor and it turned out well. Even the goal that didn't count, we need to go back and look at. In the end we fought and got the result. We have a team that shows character."
On receiving man of the match honors…
"It feels good to receive the award but it is especially good for the team to get the win. Of course it is good to be honored but we think about the team first and getting the result."
