FC DALLAS 2, CHICAGO FIRE 1
FC DALLAS HEAD COACH COLIN CLARKE
On the victory:
"It was the first game of the year. And to be honest, we're glad it's over. We had so much emotion going on this week with everything that happened. We then came out and got a dream start. After that, we went a little bit flat. But, we got a win and it's the first home opener win for us in five years."
On Carlos Ruiz:
"Carlos worked really hard tonight. We didn't possess the ball well in the midfield and had trouble getting him the ball in good spots. Despite that, he worked his socks off and gave us everything he had."
FC DALLAS FORWARD CARLOS RUIZ
On his first match with FC Dallas:
"I'm glad to play my first game in Dallas. I was a little tired because of the two games I just played with my national team this past week. But other than that, I felt great."
On adjusting to his new teammates:
"I have only been here three days and I still need to get to know my teammates better. Once I get to know them a little better, then we can start bonding together on the field."
On the fans at the Cotton Bowl:
"I thought the fans were great tonight. This team really needs them and once we start winning games, the crowd will grow even larger. They really seemed to be behind the team the entire match."
CHICAGO FIRE HEAD COACH DAVE SARACHAN
On what he wanted from the team at the beginning of the match:
"The idea at the start of the game is to be consistent. We needed to be solid in our patterns on the field."
On the Mulrooney goal:
"As we slid to the ball, Mulrooney hit a seam. Was it a result of lack of concentration? I don't know. They definitely put us behind the 8-ball early."
On nearly tying the match:
"I think we deserved a point in this game but it didn't happen. We definitely had the momentum in this game after we scored."
On the positives of the match:
"I thought we had a great stretch in the second half and couldn't get the equalizer with some patience."
On improving for the next game:
"We clearly had some great chances. When you have headers inside the box, you must convert them into goals. We need a better start, but I thought that we had some positives that we could build upon."
CHICAGO FIRE MIDFIELDER CHRIS ARMAS
On the start of each half:
"We played a great game. We just lost our concentration in the first three minutes."
On the team's feelings after the Gray goal:
"I believed we would get the tie. I believe we had the momentum from then on. But credit them with a great victory."
