LOS ANGELES GALAXY 3, KANSAS CITY WIZARDS 1
LA GALAXY HEAD COACH RUUD GULLIT
On the result:
"I saw Kansas City and they had a really good team. I think their passing team is excellent. We know also we had to be tight on it. If you let them play, they'll have an easy day. We did all the preparations, but if you see how we start. The first two minutes of the game was ridiculous. We were giving the ball away. We looked nervous. They were growing into the game. Despite that, we had to be one-nil up. I think that overall that sometimes we forget what we need to do; therefore, there was a lot of irritation on the pitch, but especially for the staff because you see things that are slipping of your head. The good thing is that in the second half when you can interfere, you can do something to get the team a little bit tighter, a little bit better in formation."
On how the team reacted:
"In the second half, it was a different team. I'm very proud how our players responded to the demands that I had. The key factor today was that Landon Donovan played an excellent position in the second half. It was the key for the game, to change it. He did excellent. Therefore, it was a very good performance, character also. Still not all the time as I want to, but I think with what we have, we got the maximum out of it. I'm very proud of the performances."
On taking out Joe Franchino:
"I thought that he had a difficult time. You see something like this already very early in the game, you ask it also, of course he always says yes, but if he could see he was not in his shape, I have to do something that's good for the team. It's not always nice, but it was necessary."
On David Beckham playing on the left side:
"I think the second half he had a little bit more freedom in the way we played. It's not that I gave him the freedom. Being a good player, he tried to find the right spaces to play a good game. He found that space there, not because I told him so. That is a difference between a good player and a very good player. They understand where they can hurt the opposition."
On Beckham's goal:
"If he would have missed, he's reputation would have been gone."
LA GALAXY MIDFIELDER DAVID BECKHAM
On getting the win:
"It's great to get two wins in a row."
On playing Kansas City:
"It was a hard fought match. The first half wasn't very good. The second half showed the character of our team. I give all the credit to K.C. They are the best team we have played in MLS so far."
KANSAS CITY WIZARDS HEAD COACH CURT ONALFO
On the match:
"It's a tale of two halves. I thought we were very, very good in the first half. I thought we started the game very extremely well. We changed the pace of the game. I thought we played some great soccer all through the first half. Having said that we still broke down in a couple of occasions, where the Galaxy did a good job counterattacking, and Kevin (Hartman) had to make a save or two. Second half, I think we started out OK and then we started to fade. I attribute that to starting to get some players back to health, kind of playing them back to fitness, and the Galaxy took it to them in the second half. I think we just hit a wall. My overall assessment was that it was a tale of two halves, and I thought we weren't good the second half."
KANSAS CITY WIZARDS MIDFIELDER SASHA VICTORINE
On the game:
"The first have we did well possessing the ball, and controlling the game a little better. Maybe we didn't create as many opportunities as I think we wanted to, but I felt we kept them to limited opportunities and limited possession. I thought our shape overall was pretty good. In the second half, I think we got to a point where we let them turn and run at us. At that point, I think we had Landon running at us and Buddle running at us. I think the game opened up for them. We never got control back. I think we just needed to make sure we were a little stronger defensively."
