MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER QUOTE SHEET
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2004 - MUNICIPAL 0, D.C. UNITED 0
D.C. UNITED HEAD COACH PETER NOWAK
On the performance of the team:
"I'm very happy for these youngsters. They showed up today and had a great mentality and actually could play. If you believe in them and give them a chance, they still believe in the work we do and they still believe in what they can do and how they can perform. Guys like Santino (Quaranta). We've been waiting so long to get him healthy. We're going to bring him (along) slowly, but he still did pretty good. Jason (Thompson) still needs some polish, but he's a very strong and very physical guy. At some point, we're going to need him. David Stokes had a very good performance today. He scored a goal and was very solid in the back. Nana (Kuffour) did his usual stuff, with some good moments, but he's still very young. For the first time after his injury, Eliseo Quintanilla played and he ran the show pretty much throughout the first half."
On the team's discipline within the match:
"I think the tactical discipline was alright today. We made a couple of mistakes, we didn't cover where we were supposed to, but they're learning. A couple of guys need to be polished, but they needed the time. Games like that can give us the answer as to where we are and what we need to do to make them better."
On tonight's performance affecting the starting lineup for Saturday's match:
"Jason (Thompson) and Santino (Quaranta) made a very good impression tonight. Regardless of the condition of Jaime for this weekend, it's going to be a tough decision to see what our midfield will look like. Christian (Gomez) looked good tonight, but we still need to find him more and faster. We're certainly going to consider a couple of the guys who played tonight for Saturday's lineup in New York, but I'm not sure they'll be in the starting lineup."
D.C. UNITED FORWARD SANTINO QUARANTA
On returning a second time from injury with two goals:
"It was nice, especially coming back like that. I'd forgotten how much running it was. To score like that and to be a part of the team again is a thrill."
On breaking down the Municipal offside trap and his partnership with Jason Thompson:
"We're not used to - at least I'm not used to - that, the defense holding such a tight plane. But once we broke it down, I saw him and knew the whole time I was going to pass it to him. I'm just glad he scored. I felt good with Jason (Thompson) tonight. I thought we were pretty powerful up there, two strong forwards. It was good to finally get a game in, and for him to score and then for me to score with him rewarding me, it was nice."
D.C. UNITED FORWARD JASON THOMPSON
On scoring his first goal with D.C. United:
"I've scored a decent amount of goals in exhibitions, but any time a forward scores a goal - no matter what the situation is, what the game is - it's a good feeling. Sometimes you go a while without scoring any, so even in practice it feels good. The team played really well tonight and it was really hard not for us to feed off each other's energy."
On continuing to pressure after going up two goals:
"A lot of us out there are trying to earn time, to earn positions. There was really no reason to let up. I know I want to play every Saturday. Games like these give me a chance to show that I'm ready."
D.C. UNITED DEFENDER DAVID STOKES
On scoring his first professional goal:
"It felt good to get 90 minutes in, but it felt good to score the goal. I was in the right place at the right time and it was a great service."
D.C. UNITED MIDFIELDER CHRISTIAN GOMEZ
On the game:
"Today, we played very well and we took advantage of the spaces the opponent gave us. It was a great opportunity for our younger players to get significant minutes. They took advantage of it and played an excellent game."
MUNICIPAL HEAD COACH EVER ALMEIDA:
On the game:
"The difference in the game was simple. D.C. United converted all of the chances they created, while Municipal failed to execute our opportunities."
