D.C. UNITED 1, COLUMBUS CREW 0
COLUMBUS CREW HEAD COACH GREG ANDRULIS
On the game:
"We obviously have to take it a game at a time. We had a good performance on Wednesday night. It was all about getting three points tonight and we didn't get the job done."
On the Crew's poor luck Saturday:
"Clearly [it] was trifecta of bad things we weren't able to overcome, with the missed penalty kick, own goal and red card. You can't paint yourself in a worse corner than that."
On Mario Rodriguez:
"He [Rodriguez] ran out of gas. He was cheating defensively. They were getting behind him six, seven times in a row. We needed to get some energy out there. He left his heart on the field Wednesday night and we just felt he was out of gas."
On Jonny Walker:
"We've seen Jonny for a year and a half. He's a very good goalkeeper when he's healthy and he's got a lot of experience. I think the fact that what he had to mop up was pretty easy says an awful lot about the job he did organizing the guys in front of him, and that's something you get with an experienced goalkeeper."
COLUMBUS CREW GOALKEEPER JONNY WALKER
On his Crew debut:
"I was pretty happy with the way things went. There was some good dialogue between myself and the defense. We kept one of the better teams from really having a whole lot of offensive things going on. If you took a look at the production that the other team had I think the real danger they had was a free kick and one shot from medium distance, which is 25 yards out. Everything else, due to a lot of yelling and defensive guys stepping up, created a very light evening from my standpoint."
On the Crew's luck:
"It's one of those nights where we missed a penalty kick, scored an own goal and had a red card in the game, and whenever these things happen it's very difficult to combat those facts and come away with three points, even if you're home."
On the goal:
"It really doesn't matter to me whether it's an own goal or a goal. I'm taking away the positive from the match, which was the defense played pretty well. D.C. really didn't have very much, but once again they're going to go home, thanks for the business, and they took three points that we so desperately wanted."
D.C. UNITED HEAD COACH PETER NOWAK
On the penalty kick:
"It's behind us (the penalty kick call). Nicky [Rimando] made a great save. He was outstanding today, excellent. The back line did a pretty job in the second half. We gave too much space in the first half. The second half was much, much better. We moved the ball well. Nicky was very active and vocal."
On the play of the midfield:
"I felt like we left too much space in the middle. We had Christian [Gomez] and Freddy [Adu] and actually we didn't do a good job with that, so I decided to move Dema [Kovalenko] to the middle and David [Stokes] to the right side. I think Dema did very well. We have options with Clyde [Simms], but he got hurt in training yesterday."
On United's history in Columbus:
"The last time we played here we were unlucky. Sometimes soccer works this way. The most important part is that we keep ourselves in the game and think that we can win the game and get the three points. Some of the situations in the first half weren't pretty and I was concerned about that. We made adjusts during halftime and I think our team played very well in the second half."
D.C. UNITED MIDFIELDER FREDDY ADU
On his play:
"I'm especially happy we earned the three points. I'm playing better, though. I played a solid 45 minutes in Chicago and got a lot of touches tonight."
D.C. UNITED DEFENDER JOHN WILSON
On the game:
"I think Nicky's save was the turning point in the game. Our goal wasn't great, but we'll take it. This win, on the road, is huge for us."
On the penalty kick:
"I felt that I got all ball, but in the end, the play [Rimando's save] gave us a big lift and put us in great position to win."
D.C. UNITED GOALKEEPER NICK RIMANDO
On the penalty kick:
"I faced two in Chicago earlier this week in addition to the one tonight. Fortunately, the penalty kick gods were on our side."
"I tried to delay, get in his head a bit. I didn't know if I did, but I guess it worked."
On the win:
"We haven't won here since 1999. I was just talking to some guys in the shower about it. We're happy to have these three points."
On Henderson's shot:
"I didn't see it at all. He did well with it, but I was positioned well enough to make a reflex save."
