COLORADO RAPIDS 4, LOS ANGELES GALAXY 0
COLORADO RAPIDS HEAD COACH FERNANDO CLAVIJO
On the game:
"The first 15 minutes, I thought we played outstanding, but then we lost possession, we didn't keep the ball well, we allowed them to have some momentum, but we still managed to give them almost no chances. When you look at the team, there are seven players that I would consider rookies in that lineup, and that's something to make you proud. It's pushing some of the veteran players really hard to get into the lineup."
On the Rapids lineup:
"I thought the young guys performed really well. I thought we did really well; throughout the game we possessed the ball and we broke out of the back extremely well. We never really allowed them to get any rhythm to the game. Playing against a good team and great players, I thought my young guys did extremely well."
COLORADO RAPIDS MIDFIELDER NICK LaBROCCA
On the game:
"We worked hard, we worked for each other. That's the most important part, especially in the beginning of the season. The Galaxy are just another team, just another game, you take it more seriously, but you know, you're out there with your team, you're not playing against another team. It's important for the team to get a good start, and it definitely feels good to get in there and help my team out."
COLORADO RAPIDS GOALKEEPER BOUNA COUNDOUL
On the victory:
"You want to always start the season with a strong vibe. Today, beating them 4-0, it boost up the team's energy. But hey, we have to worry about next week again because this one is gone. The past is the past, and now we have to work on getting better because before, other teams didn't know much about us, but after we beat L.A. we open up the league's eyes. The atmosphere was great. The fans really know what it takes to be behind the whole team, cheer them on and really believe in us, it was great."
LOS ANGELES GALAXY HEAD COACH RUUD GULLIT
On the game:
"I think we knew that we would have troubles with the altitude. We tried to keep it as tight as possible. I think in the first half we played reasonable football. We created a lot of chances. In the second half, the turning point was obviously the penalty kick. When you already have difficulty with the altitude and you have to chase a game, it's going to be even worse. You can see that our players were tired; they were all one step behind. After that, I think the Rapids deserved to win it."
LOS ANGELES GALAXY MIDFIELDER DAVID BECKHAM
On the game:
"You know, it's not our best night. But when you lose four-nil, you look back at things, and you analyze the game and you analyze the goals. Like the coach said, at one-nil we still had a chance even though we were chasing the game. In the first half, we didn't play our best football, but we were still creating chances. When you get hit by a second goal, it sort of deflates the players and deflates the team. It was a struggle from then on. It was tough for us tonight; congratulations to Colorado."
