D.C. UNITED 3, NEW YORK RED BULLS 1
D.C. UNITED HEAD COACH TOM SOEHN
On his thoughts on Jaime Moreno's record:
"I am just glad it's over with. No matter who it is, and you see it in every sport, when you have something like that, lingering over you, just the relief of getting it over with. I'm glad it's done and he deserves it. He's done a lot for this league. It's in the past now, and I hope he lights it up and does a lot with it."
On having thoughts about someone else taking the penalty:
"No, not at all."
On whether he's teased Moreno:
"We don't really talk about that stuff. We knew it was going to come eventually. Like I said, I'm glad it's come and gone."
On the start of the game:
"We talked that New York went through a bit of a rollercoaster ride against L.A., and it was a game with a lot of emotions and a lot of energy. We thought, if we could come out and dictate the terms in the first 15 minutes, then we could establish the game and, for the most part, we did. So I give the guys credit that they executed it."
On the starting lineup, especially the defense:
"Those guys did a great job in Columbus. We were under a lot of pressure during the first half, and they did a great job in terms of the weather. They earned another shot and they did a great job tonight."
On Moreno's evolution as a player:
"He is a smart player. He came in as a goal scorer and has developed into a guy who has learned what his body is about and he is more of a playmaker. He has been able to adapt and not everyone can do that. You've got to give him a lot of credit. He has been able to adapt to what he can do and what the game asks of him, and he does a great job."
On team's confidence with Moreno:
"That confidence comes when he holds the ball for us, and you can give him the ball with three guys on his back and he does a great job of holding it. We look to possess the ball and he is a big key of why we do that so well."
On holding back Jozy Altidore:
"They have a couple of pieces that you know are going to be trouble. Juan Pablo Angel is one of them, and Jozy Altidore is one of them. We just made sure that we kept things tight for them, and I thought our guys did a good job of closing when service came to them and making it tough for them to create chances."
On the quality of defense when Clyde Simms plays:
"Clyde has been on the field several times and one thing we do when Clyde is on the field is we win. He works hard. As a coach, it is great to have a lot of options and we are going to keep changing it up and keeping our legs as fresh as we can."
D.C. UNITED FORWARD JAIME MORENO
On breaking the career goal record:
"Benny told me to go ahead and get it over with. I always knew the record didn't matter to me. For me, in the back of my head the main thing is the team. I think everyone knows it's a big achievement, proving I work hard for this. Anything you do is because you work hard at it, and nobody can take it from you. I'm proud, and now I'm just going to keep working, keep scoring, and we'll see what happens."
On being fifth all-time in assists:
"Everything, I think it counts whatever it is. At the end of the day, we got three points. That's what's most important."
On hitting the record counting playoffs:
"Like I said, for me it doesn't matter. I want to be in November in the final. That's what everybody wants and that's what we're working for."
On scoring the goal vs. the Red Bulls and Bruce Arena:
"It's a big rival. Bruce is a good friend of mine, a good friend of the family. We're pretty close. I don't think you want to score against someone you appreciate a lot, but in this business you've got to do what you've got to do. He knows that, and I did my job as much as he did. At the end of the day, we all compete for a job, and that's what it's all about."
On the current location of the ball:
"I don't know, my son's got it."
On what his son is going to do with it:
"Probably kick it around the house with his friends. I'm sure my wife's got a plan for it, so I'm sure we're going to put it somewhere."
D.C. UNITED DEFENDER MARC BURCH
On United's defensive play:
"We worked good as a back four, and then we came together when Jozy Altidore came in."
On the team's play and solidifying his position on defense:
"I just think it's the whole team. I don't think it's any individual right now. We have to score a lot of goals, and everbody's working hard out there. The team's really coming together right now at a good time, too. We have 10 games left in the season, and hopefully we'll go on a roll and continue into the playoffs."
On what it means to be starting right now for D.C.:
"It means a lot. I think this has been the best team in the league, since the league started, and it means a lot to me to work my way in there and help the team as much as I can."
D.C. UNITED DEFENDER GREG VANNEY
On United's win:
"I think everybody's coming back and getting into a flow at the same time. We're taking our chances. We took our chances early in the game and put us up early, 2-0. That's great. That's the start you want at home."
On United's defense:
"I think we're all just trying to get on the same page together and get organized. Devon (McTavish) and I have had the opportunity to play in the last two games together. We're eliminating attacks before they get dangerous and that's a good thing. We're covering each other well. Everybody's playing pretty solid. Everybody's playing well, and we're getting "W's." We're getting three points. We're making a run at the top of the East and, really, the top of the league."
NEW YORK RED BULLS HEAD COACH BRUCE ARENA
On the game:
"I was real proud of the way our guys fought back. We had some chances. We got the penalty, which I thought the referee made a mess of the whole situation, but it was 2-1 at the half. And then we come out and we gave the game away. I don't know if that was a penalty or what. It is what it is and that's the game."
On energy level:
"I was pleased at the why our guys worked hard to stay in there. I think the effort by some of our guys was excellent. When mistakes are made, you can't overcome them, but the way our guys fought all the way I was pleased."
On opportunities :
"We had some. We didn't have as many as we had the last game. We had a couple of chances in the first half. I think Mike Magee had that good chance toward the end of the game, but at that point it's near the end of the game."
On the penalty:
"It was that last defender, I think, when Angel was fouled. There is always that debate again. And it wasn't even a card issue. There is always that debate. Angel is the last defender with Richards and they get pulled down. (The referee) gives and advantage and Richards gets fouled. There is two fouls in the box on that play and there wasn't even a card issued on that. I thought it was made obvious in the L.A. game that the refs have got to have the courage to make that play but maybe ... the whole thing was a mess. There should have been a card shown on that particular play and, if it was a red card, it would have changed the complexion of the game. Again, those are decisions that the referees have to make and it's a heck of a lot easier for us to make those choices on the side."
NEW YORK RED BULLS MIDFIELDER CLINT MATHIS
On looking tired in the second half:
"Yeah. If you look at the second half and see how many chances we did have. Jozy had one, then Troy made a good save, and Magee hit the post. I had the free kick at the end that Troy ended up saving. We're still a bit in the game if we get one of those chances. That puts a little more pressure on them, but we lost the game on our mental mistakes. You look at the first two goals, one gets over our right back's head, the second one our left back gives up the ball and their running one-on-one with the goalie pretty much. Then we give up a PK. We fought hard and even though it was a 3-1 game we still did create chances and we could have got back in that game but I think we lost it on mental errors."
On positives:
"We played for 90 minutes. We just got off a game on Saturday, a emotional game against L.A. with the score 5-4, a hard fought game. We kept fighting at that was a positive thing we can take, because that'll go a long way in this league. Granted we lost a conference game, but we've just got to focus and rebuild on that work rate in the dying minutes. I think we three great chances in the last 15 minutes. So, you need build off that and, hopefully, we can go into Boston and get a different result."
NEW YORK RED BULLS DEFENDER JEFF PARKE
On missed opportunities:
"We were just giving up too many chances and they just got at us. We talked about coming out strong and we didn't go out and start well. It's our own fault. They've got our number right now, but we've got to get over it and move on to the next game."
On playing in D.C.:
"Every time I come down here, I don't like playing here. I don't think it's really a mental thing. They just outplayed us from the back to the front, all the way up. That's what happens when you give up chances and we don't put away our chances."
