D.C. UNITED 0, CHICAGO FIRE 0
D.C. UNITED HEAD COACH TOM SOEHN
On the game:
"Overall, it wasn't our best day and the part of the game that we usually do a good job with and that's possession and when you don't do a good job with possession it's going to be a harder day for you and we made it hard on ourselves. We didn't adjust to how they were playing and it took us a talk at halftime to get organized but we've got to learn how to do that on the field."
On Chicago's desperation:
"Again, I still look at us and I see that we weren't sharp and they are a much better team than when they started [the season]. But, on a day where we aren't good enough it makes it easier for them, so we've got to do a better job."
On substituting Fred:
"Well you just want to make sure [he's OK] -- he's coming back from muscle strain and you never want to push a guy too far. Fred takes a couple games to get himself sharp after he's been out."
On clinching first place in the Eastern Conference:
"Supporters' Shield isn't clinched, so no one is celebrating in there [the locker room]."
On whether or not the last game of the year is important:
"Absolutely. It is no different from the rest -- we've set our sight on the Supporters' Shield and yes we won the conference, but not one guy is mentioning that in there. We set our sights on the Supporters' Shield and that is very important to us."
On whether or not the last game of the season is a must-win:
"Absolutely, it's a must win game. Listen -- these guys are focused and we've made the playoffs. A lot of teams celebrate when they make the playoffs. Tonight, we won the conference and I think they expect to do that but we've got something out there that is very important to us and they are very focused on that. So, they are actually very disappointed about that right now."
On Chicago being a potential playoff opponent:
"I am not concerned about who we face I think we are going to be ready when the time comes and that will all play itself out so you don't sit there and watch each game hoping that a team does that or not. We've got to worry about ourselves and the rest will fall into place."
On Luciano Emilio:
"We didn't provide him good enough service. We went through stretches where we were not good enough with the ball and we were not creating the service he needs. He is a goal scorer and he makes a living in the box and if you're not giving quality service he is not going to score those kind of goals."
On Chicago's attack:
"Organizationally, we didn't handle their formation well. We made adjustments at half and I think we were able to diffuse a lot of their attack and we are going to have to look at that and watch the tape and make sure the way we approach them is going to be better. On a day where we weren't good with the ball, there is two things unaccounted for that they were pressuring us but we weren't sharp and the combination of that hurt us today."
D.C. UNITED DEFENDER GREG VANNEY
On the changes made at halftime:
"Tactically, we changed it up so we had some numbers in different places so that we could eliminate the counterattacks. We added another central midfielder and we pushed a defender up on the outside and attacked and defended in a different shape. That prevented their ability to find that first pass out, and you can defend one-on-one on the back if you can prevent that first pass."
On the ineffectiveness of the team's second half attack:
"It was a little bit of urgency, trying to get the ball forward and pick up the second knockdown. I don't think it was anything that was talked about. We didn't see much, so we got the ball up and hoped to get the knockdown. Christian [Gomez] is really quick and good at picking up those second balls, and you want to find him somewhere around the area facing forward, and it was just a method of doing that. It was ineffective at the end of the day, but at the end of the day we didn't take a goal either."
D.C. UNITED MIDFIELDER BEN OLSEN
On the importance of the Supporters' Shield:
"It's huge. To me, it's the hardest thing to do in this league. The MLS Cup sometimes is about who is hot or who gets a break. The Shield is the best team throughout the entire year. It's 10 months of soccer, and to be the best team over a 10-month span in this league is pretty impressive. I know the team and the front office feel the same, not to mention the opportunities it creates for next season, it's a great feather in our cap if we can win it."
D.C. UNITED GOALKEEPER TROY PERKINS
On his season-high nine saves:
"It's good and bad, so it's no big deal. I was busy, but that's what they pay me for and this is a good time of the year to do that."
On the team's defensive breakdowns:
"We were pushing too many numbers forward in the first half. We were basically playing with two lines, so no one was pressuring the ball when they cleared it out. They were running at us the whole first half and we couldn't sort it out."
On the adjustments made at halftime:
"We moved a guy into the midfield so we could clog it up a little bit, and give Ben [Olsen] and Christian [Gomez] a little more freedom to attack."
On the team's overall performance:
"It's frustrating -- we really didn't have solid opportunities like they did tonight, and I think we are still figuring ourselves out without Jaime [Moreno] up there. Christian did well for us and Luciano [Emilio] worked his but off for us, but we didn't keep the ball well. There are going to be games like that in the playoffs where you just have to battle and battle."
On the possibility of facing Chicago in the playoffs:
"Now is the time of they season to send messages, and at least we sent a message to them that they aren't going to get any [goals] here at home."
CHICAGO FIRE HEAD COACH JUAN CARLOS OSORIO
On whether or not he expected three points from the game:
"Well, first of all, we knew we were playing against the best team in the league. I mean if you look at the table it is no coincidence that D.C. United has the amount of points they do and over 50 goals scored. They have two or three quality forwards, but we knew we had to take care of our own business. We really thought that we could have won tonight, and I think we proved that. We created many chances in the first half, and we came out and did the same in the second. We knew we were playing a very disciplined team. I believe we had enough to win."
On the missed chances:
"I told the strikers Paulo [Wanchope] and Chad [Barrett] after the game that I would rather have them get the chances and be in the right positions than not get any chances at all. It goes without saying that we keep having finishing sessions at practice, and hopefully we will be more clinical next time."
On United's formation adjustments at halftime:
"I think that when they changed to a 3-4-1-2. They had wide players and an extra man in midfield. If I look at my notes I don't think they really got in behind us. We defended crosses very well and chance for chance -- I think we deserved to win."
On the Galaxy:
"I think they are doing well. But, we keep telling our players if we do our business -- which means get draws on the road and keep winning our home games -- we will be OK and hopefully that will be the case next weekend against the Galaxy."
On how exciting the last game of the season versus the Galaxy would be if it were for a playoff spot:
"I think it is very good for the league. Three months ago I think people had written us off, and we proved a lot of people wrong. We are playing well -- seven unbeaten games. It would be good for the league in general and obviously for us."
CHICAGO FIRE FORWARD CHAD BARRETT
On the game:
"I put myself in great places, had great opportunities [to score] and feel like I've let the team down. I think [Troy] Perkins came up with some good saves, but I should have finished at least one of those opportunities."
On how exciting the last game of the season versus the Galaxy would be if it were for a playoff spot:
"We hope that doesn't happen but that would create a lot of interest in the league. We are just trying to make the playoffs. We want to make the playoffs. We don't know if [David] Beckham will be there but if he is that's great."
On whether or not Blanco is better than Beckham:
"I think so. I mean I would like to see a shootout. Blanco is definitely showing some great stuff right now."
CHICAGO FIRE MIDFIELDER CHRIS ROLFE
On the game:
"Tonight we had countless opportunities but we just weren't quite getting there. Troy [Perkins] did a great job getting in position all night. It is unfortunate. I mean, Troy had a good night. He made a lot of saves for them."
