Head Coach Ben Olsen
On the match...
“Things went our way tonight. There were some really good goals and individual performances from our guys. There were periods where we weren’t that sharp, so we’ll take a night where things went our way. We were a little undisciplined with the ball but we made it to halftime. In the second half, the guys got higher up the field, made them [Montreal] uncomfortable, and we were efficient on the counter. Next thing you know, we were up 5-0 and the game was over.”
On this year’s team showing up for big games…
“Since Wayne [Rooney]'s arrival, bringing Bill [Hamid] back and the younger guys we have on the team, there’s a certain moxy to the group. I like the group’s mentality and I hope they understand what we need to do over the next month to reach our goal. We need to forget about this very quickly and focus on Chicago. We’re not there yet. We’re closer to our goal, but still far from where we need to be.”
On the second half performance…
"The second half was great from the guys. It wasn’t going well for 20 minutes in the first half, but we made them uncomfortable in possession which allowed Lucho [Acosta] and Wayne [Rooney] to get a bit higher. We were efficient as well and made them pay when they turned it over."
On Luciano Acosta exceeding expectations…
“I didn’t think his growth would come this quickly. He’s changed the trajectory of his growth over the last couple months. It’s coincided with Wayne’s arrival, and the entire group playing well to get him in better spots. It’s been a joy to watch him grow over the last couple of months."
On seeing the team come together down the stretch…
“It’s rewarding. We started this process the day we didn’t make playoffs last year. To see this group in the form they're in and to be in the conversation for playoffs, is a good feeling. We knew we were going to struggle a bit at the start but we had an opportunity to get some wins at home and make progress. This win doesn’t do any good if we don’t take care of Chicago next weekend. It was a great night though and I think most of our fans went home happy… it’s a big boost.”
Midfielder Luciano Acosta
On the team’s effort in the 5-0 win…
“Honestly it’s incredible. It was a great effort, soccer’s a beautiful game. We scored some great goals and we had to win this game, and we won it.”
On his impressive stretch of games since July…
“I do feel like I’m at a great level, playing at a very high level. Obviously there’s still things we can improve. If I continue growing, continue working hard and getting better, that’s what makes you better everyday.”
On putting the game away in the second half…
“Those were two very different games. We play every game differently depending on our rival and luckily this game worked out for us well.”
Forward Wayne Rooney
On the team’s performance…
“Second half was very good. The first half way okay, we were a bit fortunate to go in at halftime one to nil. It was a big goal for us to get the second goal so soon after halftime. And then I thought on the break we were fantastic after that.”
On the feeling of the team’s ability to make the playoff…
“I think the last few weeks we’ve been unlucky not to win the New York game, we got the win against Atlanta and the draw against New York City, we’ve been building momentum at the right time. We’ve put ourselves in a great position and we knew we didn’t want to let all the hard work slip tonight.”
On the attack’s ability…
“It’s obviously great to score five goals. It’s very important because it gives us more confidence and especially it’s great tonight to have so many attacking players score goals. It gives you confidence and when you do that on a regular basis, you finish teams off.”
On the fans at Audi Field…
“It’s great, obviously a bit different from England. The fans over here have been great to me since I arrived and hopefully I can repay them with, first of all, a spot in the playoffs but also good performances and goals. For the team, since we’ve been here, they’ve been great.”
Midfielder Paul Arriola
On the second half...
“Yeah it was great. Obviously you know if we can do that every game, that’s what we’re going to do. We knew the type of team that they are, how they were going to come in, where they’re dangerous; they’re front four are dangerous on the counterattack. It’s very good to hold the true number six. I think we knew the game plan and it was just about execution. Every game I say, ‘big players will make big plays in tough games’ and today was obviously a massive game for us. Going into it we knew that, so it was great to get the win and get the result we did the way we did”
On scoring three goals in two games...
“Yeah, I mean on the second goal I give half to Lucho. It is always the same, getting your opportunity and making the most of it. Obviously, on the first one you have to be in the right space at the right time and on the second one you have to have that in the back of the mind, when a goalie is coming out to rush you and just trying to make himself as big as he can, you know get under it. Today it went in there will be another day where it doesn’t, hopefully it does but I am very happy with my performance. It was a tough game where we spent a lot of time sitting back, we did not have much of the ball. In the end we were able to get the result and now we keep pushing.”
On Luciano Acosta’s performances over the last few months...
“I think it comes down to just trusting your team mates. There is a lot of trust in us now. He obviously has a lot of confidence and the way he is playing is great not just with the ball but off the ball. He is being held accountable for defensive movements and I think that’s great because without him in the middle to take away the six, the way that him and Wayne (Rooney) work together really helps us defensively, at least the other eight that are behind them. So credit to him for what he is doing and everything he is touching now is a goal which is nice, you give the ball to him in the right spots and he will give the ball to you. He is not a selfish player at all. Which obviously shows now this season.”
On the development of team chemistry...
“It is kind of a mixture of the chemistry, understanding and our attributes that we have. Are characteristics counter each other and we work together. It is one of those things that is fun to be a part of you don’t really think about it too much you play and you know where your players are going to be. That is kind of what is going on right now. Obviously they are playing great and I am just trying to do my part.”
Goalkeeper Bill Hamid
On the importance of the win...
“Montreal’s right above us and I’m sure they came into this game with a lot of confidence and ability and belief that they were going to take three points away from us. But we were sharp on the day.”
On his key save in the 21st minute…
“I’m just doing my job. It was just a little breakdown and some good runs from them. Bacary Sagna played very high throughout the course of the game and he found himself at the top of the box, got a good strike on it, but thankfully I made the save.”
On the feeling of finishing off the game…
“You could see that it was a very physical match. Both teams really wanted it and really put their best foot forward. But our sharpness was the key tonight. Everybody came and showed up and fought. The communication, I think that was the biggest thing throughout from front to back.”
On the team having its playoff fate in its own hands…
“It’s nerve-racking but it’s good. We’ve got Chicago next and we’re only looking one game at a time. Chicago won today, so we know they’re going to walk into this stadium with confidence and we have to do our best to kill off their confidence as quickly and early as possible.”
On the team’s cohesiveness…
“We are playing well as a team, as a unit. We have good chemistry, we’re together. The coaching staff, the team, the medical staff, everybody, we’re all together in this. The camaraderie is good and let’s hope this continues.”
