Head Coach Ben Olsen
On the team’s performance…
"It was two different halves. In the first, we started slow but after ten minutes we started to make them a little more uncomfortable in the back. The red cards [for Real Salt Lake] obviously changed things then it was a mature second half performance by us. The way we went about it with our tempo was good and we finished off a few plays to make it a great night."
On Júnior Moreno’s performance…
"It’s great. Since he came to this club, he’s been an unsung hero. His feel for the game and his work behind the scenes, goes unnoticed... Not from his teammates and staff, but in a game that ends up 5-0, he’s a guy that really stands out."
On Lucas Rodriguez…
"We’re relying on him to fill some of the numbers we had last year. That’s the responsibility we’re asking him to take on. It was a great performance and goal by him."
D.C. United Defender Steven Birnbaum
On another clean sheet…
“I’m ecstatic. Obviously it was tough for them with two red cards, but making sure we kept that zero was a big deal for us. That’s what our goal is every game, and to start the season with three shutouts it’s huge for us. We want to keep it going and build into next game.”
On the defense working collectively…
“The way that everyone worked defensively when the ball did turnover was big. Our defensive midfielders were great at breaking things up. It didn’t even get back to us that much, so it was great.”
On Lucas Rodriguez’s first goal...
“It was unbelievable. It was exactly what we drew up in the locker room and it was great. What a finish, that was unreal.”
D.C. United Forward Wayne Rooney
On the match...
“We started okay and stuck to our gameplay that we worked on. The red card changed the game and gave more space to us. We were clinical for the most part on goal. It’s a strange game when two players are sent off, but it was a comfortable night in the end.”
On recording his first hat-trick in the MLS...
To score a hat-trick is always great, I’m happy to score three, but I’m pleased for the team. It was a great victory for us. After preparing in the preseason and getting seven points in the first three before break, it’s a good start. Three clean sheets is big for us. We’re working hard in front of Bill in these games and we’re pleased. We know we’ve got the players to go forward and score goals.
On Júnior Moreno’s two-assist performance...
“His biggest quality is getting to the ball and break things up. Tonight the only difference is that tonight he did it a bit higher up. He’s a fantastic player. Since he’s come into the team the second half of last season, he’s been a big part of the team and I’m happy for him.”
D.C. United Goalkeeper Bill Hamid
On the team’s confidence in the match…
“Chemistry is on another level right now. We went about things the right way today. We didn’t lose our heads, stayed calm, and it paid off.”
Real Salt Lake Midfielder Dimar Kreilach
On the match...
“We have to put our heads up because we have a big game against LAFC coming up. It’s difficult to play like that but it is what it is. Again we have to stay positive because there are big games coming up.”
Real Salt Lake Head Coach Mike Petke
On finding positives from the loss…
“Listen, at the end of the day we lost 5-0, doesn’t matter how it happened. The one top thing we can take away from this is that we did play very well in the first 30 minutes and the two goals in before the red cards we just gave to them. So that we can take as a positive, but once you go down to ten men, then nine, obviously things just go out the window and you just fight to hold on.”
On moving on after this match…
“You have to approach it honestly. I feel for the guys, they worked hard tonight. We gave them two goals. The next three goals they earned from being men up. Throw it out the window, move on to next weekend.”
