COLORADO RAPIDS 2, D.C. UNITED 1
COLORADO RAPIDS HEAD COACH FERNANDO CLAVIJO
On the game:
"We knew that we were playing a quality team. I think we managed it well. There were a lot of emotions in this game. We were able to give opportunities to the players coming in like Herculez Gomez and Roberto Brown. They were a big part of this win and I'm extremely pleased for them."
On the atmosphere:
"The fans were absolutely outstanding. We need to see more of that in the coming weeks. We're very excited about what happened today."
On maintaining possession:
"We allowed them to have the ball in areas of the field that we didn't feel like we were in danger. We controlled it and always had a lot of people behind the ball."
On play of Herculez Gomez:
"He's a very young, talented forward. We transferred him to a new position. He's hopefully an upcoming young star for us so I'm very pleased."
On play of the defense:
"In the last 20 to 25 minutes I think we gave up the ball a little too much. We lost possession and that's when it can be dangerous."
On what he told the team at the half:
"Don't change anything. Let's keep playing the way we're playing."
COLORADO RAPIDS MIDFIELDER HERCULEZ GOMEZ
On the game:
"It's always nice to get a goal. Even nicer to get a goal coming to a new team at a new stadium. Really though, it's just nice to win. We wanted to come out here and make this a tough place to play in. We defeated one of the best teams in the league. I feel like we opened up a new chapter."
On his goal:
"I don't remember goals too much, to tell you the truth. Everything is going a thousand miles per hour. I just remember (Terry) Cooke sending in a brilliant ball. It happened that it dipped and I got on the end of it."
COLORADO RAPIDS MIDFIELDER KYLE BECKERMAN
On the game:
"It was one of our things to bring a lot of energy in the first 15 minutes. We wanted to have the better start than them. It just went from there. As the energy came, we started to relax and we started to create some chances. We just kept with it. There was a little pressure. We haven't won the opening game before so it wasn't on our side to win. We all thought this is a new chapter so it was a fresh start with the new stadium, new colors and all that. We all knew it was a big deal. We didn't want headlines to say 'Rapids lose home opener.' Once we got out there the nerves went away and we were able to play."
On the atmosphere:
"It was really loud. You can't really hear anybody speaking out there. Today either way, I couldn't really tell because my lips were frozen. The pitch was a lot wider than at Invesco. You can kick it as hard as you can and the ball's not really going to go out. It was a nice change, definitely."
COLORADO RAPIDS FORWARD ROBERTO BROWN
On the game:
"We knew it was going to be more difficult for them, not only because of the altitude but also the temperature. It's a great first step and hopefully we can keep it in the same line."
On his goal:
"I followed the play all the way to the end. I never stopped during the flow of the play. I first thought Kyle (Beckerman) was going to make contact with the ball. Eventually I saw how Terry Cooke played the ball to me. It was very difficult inside of the small area (I had). I was lucky enough to be able to control it and put it in the back of the net."
D.C. UNITED HEAD COACH TOM SOEHN
On the game:
"We weren't getting off on the ball. We also had a problem possessing the ball. Given the buildup of the game, including our altitude training, our guys have been through a lot. They have gone from winning to losing in the spring season as well as playing in tough environments. It's going to be refreshing for us to get home and recharge our batteries. You always evaluate what happens. We will sit back and watch the game, see what we can do better. It's good to go home, refocus and get back to work because today wasn't good enough. We didn't get enough service. We had one service and one goal. The field size didn't make a difference; when you can't get off on the ball you are going to have problems. It wasn't good enough today. We all expect more from ourselves. We found it hard to find the game, like everyone else; we worked it in with the ball."
D.C. UNITED DEFENDER FACUNDO ERPEN
On the game:
"We didn't have as much to deal with in the second half. We had the let down in the beginning and they were able to score two goals and we just couldn't come back from it."
