D.C. United head coach Ben Olsen
Overall thoughts on the game…
“I thought it was a gutsy performance. As a defensive exercise it was impressive; the guys looked after each other. I thought the back four, wide midfielders, and wide backs did a good job at dealing with aggressive overlaps. Offensively, we were maybe not as sharp as we wanted. You’re going to have days like that and you have to try to get something out of them. When I think back on the game, we had just as many good chances as they did and I think they’re one of the better teams in the league. They’re going to be good this year and I give [the guys] a lot of credit.”
On Sean Franklin and Nick DeLeon…
“I thought they both did well, but Nick [DeLeon] was fantastic. I think he’s born for that position and he just needs to fine-tune some things. If we’re better in the center of the field then Nick [DeLeon] and Taylor [Kemp] can get involved in the attack a little more. Sean [Franklin] was great; he didn’t do much wrong all night.”
On the offensive responsibility without Luciano Acosta…
“Julian [Büscher] is a guy that can contribute. Ian Harkes has some of that skillset. It’s not a single person. It’s the responsibility of Patrick [Nyarko], Lloyd Sam, Patrick Mullins...everybody. There’s not just one player that singlehandedly relieves pressure. Lucho [Acosta] would certainly have helped but he wasn’t out there. I thought Julian [Büscher] was very good for a while, but started to get a little fatigued. He went through preseason with a couple of injuries and he’s not fully sharp yet.”
United defender Steven Birnbaum
On his first game with the Captain’s band…
“It was cool. Obviously it was my first time, so I was pretty excited and happy to do it at RFK with a bunch of fans, so it was fun.”
On playing with Nick DeLeon and against Dom Dwyer …
“I thought they both played well. Nick [DeLeon] kind of shut down the right side and…Dom’s [Dwyer] a handful, so anytime you can keep him off of the score sheet, it’s a good thing.”
United defender Taylor Kemp
On the result…
“You can’t be too disappointed to get the clean sheet for the first game of the year, especially because our back line has gone through a little bit of a transition. I thought, defensively, we were good. I thought we worked hard, but some of those early-season jitters were still there or we’re not understanding each other quite as well as we want to, but that will come in time.”
On the defensive line…
“I thought we had a good night. For how much pressure we were under at times, we held strong pretty well and the chances they had weren’t that good, so I think we’ll look at this game as a positive for sure—but there’s always work to be done. For having our first real game with Sean [Franklin] in there--Nick [DeLeon] played a little bit last year--and having two new guys in there, I thought we did pretty well. I thought our understanding was pretty good, so definitely a positive tonight.”
United defender Sean Franklin
On dealing with defensive switches…
“That’s what preseason is for. We had a lot of time back there to work on our game and it was good today—I think it was an improvement. We did alright and although we got the shutout, a ‘W’ would have been nice on our home opener.”
On finishing chances…
“We had some chances, we just didn’t finish them. I would’ve liked to have had a little bit more, but on the day, I think if we were sharper we’d win this game 2-1 or 2-0, but we’ll look at the film, see how we can get better as a team and hopefully we can go up to New York and get a result.”
On playing at home…
“I think everyone’s disappointed that we didn’t come up with a win. We’re at home—we’ve got to get three points at home—and it’s only going to get tougher. We’ve got New York next week, which is going to be a tough game and we need a result there.”
On the defensive line…
“It’s good. Everyone is talking to each other, and that’s the main thing, as we have new guys in new spots and everyone communicating with the next guy is going to help our team be successful is.”
On appointing Steve Birnbaum to Team Captain…
“We’re on board with the coach’s decision and I think Steve [Birnbaum] can lead this group and he’ll do fine as captain.”
On goalkeeper Bill Hamid…
“It’s good to see him back. Bill [Hamid] was doing what he does best and he made some big saves for us tonight and that’s something that we’re going to need throughout the season. He’s a voice back there—he’s always talking to me and helping. Bill knows that playing center back is new for me and he said he’s going to talk me through it and, like I said, I think everyone talking as a whole in the back is going to make our team better.”
Sporting Kansas City head coach Peter Vermes
On the overall result…
“It was a well-deserved point. I thought our ball circulation was excellent. What was difficult for us tonight is that at times they had seven across the back, and they were very hard to break down. We’ve got time to get better in that area, but I thought getting on the road for the first game of the season, getting a point, and getting a clean sheet was really big.”
On the new additions to the Sporting KC roster…
“Ilie Sánchez was fantastic—his ball distribution was superb and his reading of the passing lanes was excellent. Gerso Fernandes did a solid job at making something out of nothing and eliminating guys in a 1v1 situation. Both had very good performances and, more importantly, there’s a lot to build from.”
On Graham Zusi's performance tonight…
“Graham was fantastic. He has a great mentality no matter where you put him, and he anticipates things tremendously. He stepped in front, he cut off passing lanes, and he won the ball and put us on the counter quickly. He doesn't just win the ball and boot it away, he finds the next player to play to."
On the end of RFK Stadium and new Audi Field...
“It’s been a good place but I think it’s time for a new place. I'm looking forward to that.”
SKC goalkeeper Tim Melia
On SKC's overall performance...
“I thought the guys did an excellent job. Everyone was committed to defending. Guys made a lot of huge plays—goal line clearances, tackles, headers. I thought collectively as a group, with the amount of new guys we have, there were a lot of positives. You could see little sparks of how good some of these guys are. I think there are a lot of positives moving forward and going into our first home match.”
On saving the Marcelo's penalty and Mullins' rebound…
“I just stepped hard at them. The penalty hit my left hand and my momentum carried through. Fortunately we got out of there with two saves and the penalty didn’t hurt the game.”
On SKC's final trip to RFK…
“This is a cool stadium, a historic stadium. It’s a cool place to play. But I’m happy they're getting a new stadium—it will be beneficial for the whole league.”
SKC defender Ike Opara
On SKC's overall performance…
“It was a decent game for the first game of the year. We did a lot of good things offensively and defensively. It’s not going to be a perfect first game, and we know that, but I think if we take a step back and look at it, we'll be pleased with how we came out today.”
On Melia's penalty save…
“Tim did what he’s always been good at—just reacting. His save picked us up and helped us finish off the half.”
On SKC's final game at RFK…
“It’s a little bittersweet getting to play in RFK one last time, but at least I get to say that I played in it. D.C. United was my first MLS game as a kid. They were the team I rooted for. It’s kind of a dream that I got to play here.”
On going on the road and getting a clean sheet…
“Getting a clean sheet is always the goal, especially when you are on the road. If you can keep a 'zero,' you have a chance to win every time. Unfortunately we didn’t get a win but we did get a point, and that's important, especially in the first game of the year.”
