August 6, 2005 vs. Columbus Crew - Dwayne De Rosario
Can you talk about how you felt the Earthquakes played as a team Saturday in the 2-1 win over Columbus at Spartan Stadium?
Dwayne De Rosario: "I thought we did very well. We played exceptionally well in terms of keeping the ball and keeping possession and putting them under pressure and letting them cough up mistakes. It could have been more, but fortunately we were able to get two and hold onto the lead. It got a little scary in the end when they scored, but we kept our composure, we kept the ball moving and saw the game out."
You scored the first goal of the game off a record-breaking assist from Ronald Cerritos. How did you see that play develop?
DDR: "When I saw Ronald [Cerritos] come out to get the ball from the forward position and drop back to midfield, I saw [Robin] Fraser come out with him and leave that area. I knew it was time to make that run, and Ronald has great vision, he played a perfect ball over top. I felt the defense charging after me and I pushed it to one side to hopefully drift the keeper along with me and keep that left side of the net open."
What do you think is one of the keys for the Earthquakes in terms of continuing this recent run of good play?
DDR: "I think the more we keep the ball in the midfield, the better we play. Everybody gets into the game when we do that. We create a rhythm. When we have the ball in the midfield, at the feet of some of the guys we have, I don't think a lot of teams can beat us. If we continue to do that then we will be on the right track to keep on winning games."
August 8, 2005 vs. Deportivo Alavés - Julian Nash
What was it like for you personally to play against a team from the Spanish First Division like Deportivo Alavés?
Julian Nash: "It was really fun to play against a team like that, a high-caliber team from another country. Spain is known for its high-class soccer players, and that team is in the first division now, they are going to be playing teams like Real Madrid and Barcelona, so it is awesome to be playing against a team that plays at such a high level and has such good players."
What was your assessment of the way the team played on Monday in the 1-1 tie with Alavés?
JN: "I thought we did pretty well, especially considering that a lot of us haven't played together for awhile now. A lot of the guys that are usually in the starting eleven didn't really play; we put in some other players that haven't played for a while or are on loan [to USL First Division teams]. We were kind of thrown together for this game, and I think we did pretty well."
Can you talk about the play that saw you score the game-tying goal and your first goal at Spartan Stadium?
JN: "It was a really good cross by Chris [Wondolowski]. I was able to get in front of my man. I got the flick on it, and then I had to turn around and make sure it went in because I was facing the other direction after it left my head. But it was awesome. I was really happy that I was able to do that against a team like this, and it was my first goal at Spartan Stadium, so it was an awesome feeling."
