Head Coach Ben Olsen
Overall thoughts on game…
"It’s been a long day with the later game, but I’m pleased with how it went. There was a lot of weight on the guys to open this stadium the right way. The first half looked like we had plenty of energy, but then we lost some of the tempo. I thought we looked sharp in the second half, in particular when Rooney came on. They were all great goals and Paul Arriola came back into form in the second half. He grabbed two goals and I’m happy for him."
On Wayne Rooney…
"We saw what Wayne is - a high quality, elite soccer player. He didn’t lose possession, made some key passes, and got on the end of a few balls in the box. This is what he’s going to do for us. There’s been a lot of talk about where Wayne is going to play. In my mind he’s a number nine, but he’s a versatile number nine. He can drop off as a 10 in scenarios and even make plays as a number eight. It’s nice to have versatility and I think he’s going to be fine wherever he plays."
"He is looking forward to his role here. I’ve always been a coach with an open door policy. I’m always looking to learn and we’ll have plenty of dialogue. He likes that I am going to be an open coach. With his character, he’s here to help the team get better on and off the field."
"He just made the right play. There’s a lot of value in that, making the right play in the moment. We’re still a young team so he can help with the soccer aspect and the mentality he brings with his experience. That’s the exciting part about this, we’re lucky to have him."
On Audi Field atmosphere, the night…
"This is one of the great nights in D.C. United history, and we’ve had some good ones. I got here early and took a nice walk and had a look around. With a three goal lead, your heart rate slows down and you can look around and feel good enough to enjoy the moment. After four months on the road, to play the way we played, score goals and be entertaining was just a great night for the organization."
On Paul Arriola…
"When we moved Paul centrally, it changed the season. That’s the kind of impact he can have on this team. We can now press a little higher and we’re more dangerous in transition. He’s a winner and we’re happy he’s back and healthy, I’m glad he got a couple goals tonight.
On challenges the team still faces, the overall team…
"We got the difficulty of the travel out of the way. Our challenge is going to be consistency. Staying at the level we were at tonight is going to be a challenge. That’s a normal thing with a young team. We need to find a more consistent high level of play and that will be the challenge over the next couple months."
"I’m enjoying coaching this group. I think we are capable of playing a variety of ways. We haven't changed much tactically, but we can. Now that guys like Russell [Canouse]and Júnior [Moreno] are coming back, we can get creative. We can switch it up if we need to be more aggressive. There’s a lot we can do with this group, but for now I’m happy with this win. Now we have to get back to work."
Forward Wayne Rooney
On taking a big ownership of the team...
"I have said this since I committed to the club, I want to win and I am vocal on and off the pitch. Im vocal with the coach, vocal with my teammates and we speak which we think is the best way to win a football match and next week might be completely different how we prepare for the game. I think the most important thing is communication not just for myself but for the players and the players know that. We spoke about that in the preparation. Of course the players might look to me as someone whose career has been with Manchester United and Everton maybe they are yet to get to that level and hopefully they will do but I am a D.C. United player. I am exactly the same as these players and I want to win and what I can bring is my desire to win, and that¹s is every day on the training pitch and every game."
On the fans desire to see him (Rooney) play...
"The fans have been fantastic since I arrived in the airport and then meeting fans out in the city and then today, they were out there chanting it out and I was just as eager to get onto the pitch. It is great and hopefully we can bring the more wins in the next few weeks."
On what it means to him to get his first assist...
"It is great and I think for this team the last few weeks has been difficult. They have had a difficult schedule and it was nice to get a three goal lead. It is important that you enjoy that. I think from the third goal, we knew the game was won so I think it is important we enjoy that and that the fans enjoy that."
On England¹s world cup effort...
"Excellent! I think it was a great tournament for all the players and a great tournament for England as a country and for the fans. I said two years ago, this team is an exciting team with a lot of talent. Let's get behind them and support them.
"I think the England fans have done that and the players have absolutely gave them a great performance."
