CHIVAS USA 2, COLUMBUS CREW 0
CHIVAS USA HEAD COACH PREKI:
On the match:
"I thought we fully deserved to win tonight. From the get-go I thought we were sharp; we executed the way we wanted to play. We were winning every second ball, I thought we were dominating the play, we created a couple of good opportunities and it was just a matter of time when we were going to break them down."
On how the game changed after the red card:
"Once we got our second goal, obviously they commit a foul and it was a red card probably -- I can't tell you because I haven't really seen the play yet -- but the referee gives the red card. Now the most difficult thing I would say in football is you're winning 2-0 and you're a man up so how do you play? Do you attack, do you defend, what do you do? So we had a little bit of difficulty the last 10 minutes in the first half, but we just talked [about] the second half [to] make sure we don't give anything away. We're professional, we know how to close teams out, and how to close the game, and I thought we did a pretty solid job."
On Jorge Flores' goal:
"It looked to me like a great finish. The kid now is getting in the box and the ball is bouncing his way. And not just the ball is bouncing his way, he's finishing it. He has one or two shots and he puts the ball in the net. Give him credit, he still works hard. Good for him."
CHIVAS USA MIDFIELDER JESSE MARSCH
On scoring in three straight games:
"Right now I just think the rhythm of our team is better, so I can find the flow a little better. I felt like in the beginning of the season there was never a real flow to our team so I couldn't ever really see plays ahead of time, where I was able to predict where a good spot might be. Well that's changed a little bit now and it's starting to feel like we're playing better, so I think the results of Sueño [Jorge Flores] and I getting a few more goals is just the fact that the whole team is playing a little better."
On the team's energy:
"We've put a lot into it, more than anything else. We were dissatisfied early on where we weren't putting enough energy and life into the game that it would seem stalled. And so now I think we're seeing guys with a little more energy, a little more life, a little more fight in them. Tackles, 50-50's, head balls; it's not necessarily been all the pretty soccer, it's been more the scrappy plays that have led to some soccer that have allowed us to get better."
On Jorge Flores scoring in a third straight game:
"When he first showed up last year, you could tell that he had a good way about him, and that his work rate was unbelievable. Even in training when he wasn't getting his chances, he just came to work every day really hard and I think everybody came to respect him. I mean, imagine being a guy who wins a TV show and coming into a professional soccer team and trying to earn respect. At first it was kind of a joke, but the way that he came in and worked every day made everybody realize that he was here and he was for real. We all recognized that early on and I'm certainly proud of the success he's had lately."
COLUMBUS CREW HEAD COACH SIGI SCHMID
On the beginning of the game:
"Taking nothing away from Chivas, I thought the first 20 minutes they played well, we didn't defend well enough. The first goal, I don't know if it was a push on Harris on Danny O'Rourke. I think Danny O'Rourke clears the header if he doesn't get pushed. Obviously that changes the whole play but that's the way the game goes."
On the team's play after the red card:
"I thought we got some things. I thought [Brad] Guzan had to come up with a big save and I thought overall I wasn't disappointed with how we played. We needed to come with energy but there were some strange things that happened in the game."
COLUMBUS CREW DEFENDER FRANKIE HEJDUK
On the match:
"We didn't come out ready to play in the first 20 minutes. They came out like the home team and pressured us, and we didn't really respond. They got two early goals and by then we're chasing the game for the rest of the game. Of course the red card doesn't help out either. They did well. I thought we battled for the most part, after that first 20 minutes I thought we played decently. It's going to be tough to come back from 2-0 with a man down so the whole game we're chasing but that's just the way it goes sometimes."
On the next step for the team:
"The usual. We watch video on Monday or Tuesday and see what we did wrong. Then it's out of the mind and we're on to the next game. We'll dwell on it for a couple hours right now, think about the game, but it's a long season and we've got to start thinking of the next game. We can't dwell on the past, the game is over, and now it's on just to see where we made our mistakes and then concentrate on San Jose."
COLUMBUS CREW FORWARD STEVEN LENHART
On making his MLS debut:
"Obviously it's a bummer we lost. Good to get in there at the end and run around a little bit, but the outcome wasn't what we wanted. Not much to say about that one."
On playing near his hometown, in front of friends and family:
"It's a good support crew. I definitely appreciate that and it's good to get out there in front of family and a bunch of friends. Bummer we lost, but you've got to start somewhere."
On the team's mentality:
"Obviously to win next Saturday. We're playing at home and we'll have a good week to refocus and take care of the next game. There's a lot of older guys who have experience with this, so we'll be all right."
