Head Coach Ben Olsen
On the nine-point week…
“It was a long and great week for the team. I asked a lot from these guys both mentally and physically… whether it was the preparation or the minutes they put in, it was a long week for the players. They dug in and there was some great and entertaining soccer throughout the week."
On tonight’s match…
“What I’m pleased with today is that we had to dig in and show a physical presence… Something our team haven’t dealt with in the greatest way over the last year-and-a-half. That’s what [New England] do, they came here to pick a fight and we did well at matching a very physical team.”
On the team’s shutout and defensive effort…
“We’re defending better as a team. Putting Russell [Canouse] and Júnior [Moreno] in the center is going to help our defense in a big way. Kofi [Opare] has come in and done a good job of defending and obviously, having Bill [Hamid] in goal doesn’t hurt either.”
On building a home field advantage at Audi Field…
“It’s growing. The first time I came to the building, it didn’t feel like home. Each week that goes by, we create memories in this building and the fans start to take over. I think it’s a special place already in a short amount of time. Part of that is because we’re winning, scoring goals and playing some entertaining soccer. It’s been a fun ride and we want to continue and keep pushing.”
On the effect that Wayne Rooney’s leadership is having on the team…
“We needed somebody on the field that could take the reins and I think Wayne has really helped out in that department. Even if it’s just taking a little bit of pressure off that they’ve been shouldering.”
On maintaining focus with the recent success…
“You do that with messaging to your group and leaders. I have a lot of faith in our captain and our players, that they understand that we don’t have any room for thinking we’re better than we are. We’ve been successful because everybody’s showing up and playing at a certain level… if that dips for a second, any team in this league can beat us. The standings are the standings, and that’s a constant reminder that we’ve got a long way to go to where we want to end up, and that’s in the postseason.”
Goalkeeper Bill Hamid
On how the club is playing right now...
“I think we’re turning in the right direction. We’ve put together a few good performances, but we can’t get ahead of ourselves. We dominated today and put it together against Portland. The chemistry is very solid right now, and hopefully we can keep it going.
On settling in, getting a clean sheet...
“I feel good. I have four quality defenders back with me and protection with Cannouse and Moreno. I think we’ve played really well. It was big to get a clean sheet. Today was very clinical, and the chemistry is at a high.”
On the building excitement in the District…
“I’ve had friends that usually go to Wizards, Capitals, and Nationals games, but not D.C. United games all the time. Now my phone goes off the hook, getting calls for tickets. It’s like D.C. United is the hottest ticket in town right now, and that’s very exciting. We just gotta embrace it, and the atmosphere is unbelievable. The fan base is bringing it every game.”
Midfielder Paul Arriola
On next match against NY Red Bulls...
“We played them a few weeks ago, and they caught us a bit off guard. But now there’s no excuse for us to go in there and get points.”
On the assist to Luciano Acosta…
“I was looking at Wayne, and when I’m out wide my job is to put it in a dangerous position. I did that and Lucho trailed, I thought it was a great finish. I did half the work, and he finished it off with a tough goal.”
Midfielder Luciano Acosta
On how the team is playing right now…
“Obviously we’re enjoying it a lot. Winning is something we want to be consistent in doing. We need to be confident and keep doing what we’re doing.”
On playing many minutes in a week…
“We’ve been playing a lot of games in a row, but it hasn’t been a big deal. I came out today, but it was no problem. It gave Junior some more freedom to play, and he got the assist for the second goal. So it worked out.”
Forward Wayne Rooney
On the club’s mentality after a few wins…
“Confidence is high right now. I thought today in the first half we played some of the best football you’ll see in the league. The second half was tougher and we dug in. Good to get a clean sheet, good performance all around.”
