United head coach Ben Olsen
Overall thoughts on the game…
“It was a tough night. We weren't good enough all around the field tonight.”
On what team mentality should be heading into next week's match against Toronto…
“We’re a touch fragile right now. We’ll get back, stay together and compete in training this week. We'll put out a lineup that’s going to wear the D.C. United crest with pride. I think that’s a good place to start right now.”
United midfielder Marcelo Sarvas
On the recent run of form...
"I can’t put my finger on what’s going wrong but I want to be very clear when I say that this isn’t Ben [Olsen]’s fault. As players we need to put our hands up and take responsibility for what’s happening on the field. It’s not fair for people to blame this on Ben [Olsen] and the rest of the coaching staff. We need to figure out what’s going wrong, correct it and move on to the next game.”
United defender Steve Birnbaum
On the team's performance…
“We lost 4-0 and the result says it all. It was a poor team performance and we let ourselves down on some plays. Obviously in the second half we had a little bit more of the ball, but it’s never easy when you’re down 2-0.”
On the team mentality in training this week...
“We’ve got to find a way to stay positive. It's tough and it’s been that way for a while now. We have to try to improve individually and collectively in training this week, and get ready for the game at home. We need to figure stuff out.”
United midfielder Nick DeLeon
On making his first start since April...
“Bittersweet. It’s nice to be back out there, but obviously not the result we wanted.”
On playing multiple positions…
“It’s nothing new, I’ve been doing it the majority of my career. I know most of the positions well.”
On the solution…
“I’m not sure. If we could put our fingers on it, we would fix it. I just think we need to get together and regroup. We've got to look at ourselves in the mirror. It comes down to personal motivation in my eyes. There’s going to be some gut checks coming up this week.”
Minnesota United FC head coach Adrian Heath
On how much the win over D.C. was needed for the team …
"Obviously, winning games of football makes everything feel that much easier and better. But if we’re going to get better, then that’s what we have to do. And I thought there were some really good performances."
On if he saw anything different from Kevin Molino against D.C. …
"No. I think he’s had a really bad ankle for about three or four weeks. And to the extent that for a couple of weeks we were thinking about not playing him. Today is probably the fittest he’s felt and I don't think it’s a coincidence that he played a lot better. So, in the next couple of weeks, next 12 days, 10 days is it, or 11. I don’t even know what day it is these days, we’ve got. Hopefully we can bring one or two more in to add to this group."
On Sam Nicholson’s performance …
"I thought he showed more again today. He’s getting a better understanding of what we’re looking for. He comes in the pocket at the right time. He’ll be better for today as well. He’s slowly coming to terms with what’s expected of him. I think it’s, you know, we have got really good competition for spots. If Abu [Danladi] can stay fit, I’m really confident that he can become what we thought when we drafted him. One of the best strikers in this league. Because he does have a knack of getting in the right spots. I thought our first two goals were really, they were excellent goals. Especially Christian’s."
On Christian Ramirez’s injury diagnosis …
"He’s got a little tweak on his hamstring. We don’t think he’s too bad. As I said to him when he came over to the bench when he came off, “If this means coming off today and being ready for next week, that’s better than trying to work through it and then it’s five, six weeks.” Because we can ill afford him to go down."
Minnesota United FC forward Christian Ramirez
On how it feels to win by four goals after a tough run of games …
"It felt nice. We had been on the wrong end of some bad bounces before and we were on the deserving end in this one."
On the playmaking ability of Kevin Molino and his assist...
Yeah, I mean, I saw it building up and I just started running. I wasn’t even looking at him. If you watch the tape, I just took off because I knew the ball would be there. And it was my job to put it away once he got in that position."
Minnesota United FC forward Abu Danladi
On finding the back of the net again...
"It’s just all hard work, you know. It’s good to have all the guys back and have the whole team back and everybody. We’ve been losing a bunch of games and it’s just good to know the guys are just tired of that and we need to win. Everybody showed up today, worked hard. And if you work as a team the you’ll see the goals will come. That’s what happened today."
On getting back in the lineup and scoring...
"It’s all about trying to stay fit and just working. I’ve been on a different program with Jarryd [Phillips] and just working and trying to make sure I’m getting my body strong and stay fit. It’s all about that for me. Just staying fit. And just trying to make the team every weekend and try and help the team as much as I can. It’s just good and I could tell it’s paying off with all the hard work. So, I just gotta keep on the program."
On Kevin Molino’s playmaking ability...
"I mean, he’s an incredible player. I saw him with the ball and just a wide space on the outside. I knew if I opened up to the space he would give me the ball and that’s what he did. I just tried to bury it."
On this match being a must-win...
"It’s not that. I think it’s just for every game, you know. It’s just starting today and it’s just one of those games you need to win and you need to keep winning. It’s not only D.C. The game could’ve gone any way. It’s all about hard work and just working hard as a team. Just keep doing that in every game and I think we get a result. Everybody needs to show up and everyone needs to give 100%. That’s what we did and we need to keep doing that. They’re a good team. It’s just things are not going their way this season. I think we just need to play as a team, otherwise it could go the other way as well. Just keep doing what we’re doing as a team."
