NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION 1, CHIVAS USA 1
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION HEAD COACH STEVE NICOL
On the game:
"We tried to play nice passing football too early in the game. You have to win the battle first to earn the right to play, and I felt we made it easy for them by putting too many short balls in the middle of the field. That's ideal for them to close the ball down. And it's a bad goal we lose on that corner, but what leads up to that is losing the ball in the middle of the park. But after the first 20 minutes of the first half, we really took control of the game. From them on, it was one-sided. I don't think we played particularly well in the first half, but we still had a couple of great chances. And then second half, that was the real team you saw second half. We wanted to make a statement -- we wanted to show that we were coming at them and looking to move forward at all times. And once we won the battle, we could start to play football, and that's exactly what we did right from the word go in the second half."
On Taylor Twellman's return to the team:
"We didn't want to labor him. He's had six weeks (with the national team) and hasn't had a day off in six weeks. I wanted to bring him on in the right situation where it would benefit him and that's what happened. Unfortunately, their goalie has made two phenomenal saves and he hasn't got a goal."
On Steve Ralston's tying the MLS career assist record:
"Well it's huge. I mean you just tell the guy, you ask the guy to do a job and it doesn't matter what it is, he goes and does it. He's invaluable to us and we can use him left, right, up the middle, forward, back ... but that's not the beauty of him. The beauty of him is wherever you play him, it's the quality you get from him. Anybody can play in five positions, but they can't all play as well all the time in every single one."
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION MIDFIELDER ANDY DORMAN
On tying a career-high for goals in a season:
"(Steve) Ralston was playing in good corners all day and I was able to make a back post run and put it into the goal first time. I'd rather be at the top of the league than score goals though. I just wish we should have taken the three points tonight because I think we deserved it."
On the team's chemistry:
"Other than the L.A. trip (last weekend), I think we've been doing really well attacking. Unfortunately, today we couldn't score a second, but we're doing a good job getting forward and getting chances. Once we start finishing we'll be even better."
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION MIDFIELDER STEVE RALSTON
On giving up the early goal and the team's overall performance in the first half:
"They had a lot of chances early and I think Matt (Reis) did a great job making some great saves. We had a talk at halftime and we had to do a lot of things different and get better. I think we did a much better job in the second half; we were all over them. It's a little disappointing we only got one point instead of the three."
On the performance of Chivas USA goalkeeper Preston Burpo:
"I think that was one of the great performances by a goalkeeper I've seen in my career. There were different sequences in the game where he made some unbelievable saves. It was like he was a magnet for the ball; Taylor (Twellman) had a shot that hit him right in the chest. He just had a great game."
On tying the all-time MLS assist mark:
"I'm more upset about the fact that we didn't win the game honestly. But one more and I'll be at the top. Like I've said before, it's just a reflection of the longevity of my soccer career and I've played with some great players so that's helped as well."
On the play of midfielder Andy Dorman this season:
"We're only halfway through (the season) and he's tied his career high for goals. He's been playing great. He makes such great runs, and times them so well out of the midfield and into the front third. He finds the holes and he's been doing a great job, he's becoming a big-time player."
CHIVAS USA HEAD COACH PREKI
On the play at the end of the game:
"It was a difficult second half but it could have been two or three nothing in the first 15 minutes of the game. It could have gone both ways. We came here short-manned and we took home one point."
On the play of Francisco Mendoza:
"He worked really hard. Obviously we need some offensive production from him right now but he is having a tough time in front of the goal and getting chances. Hopefully in the next couple of games he can get himself more involved offensively."
On the chances that they had at the beginning of the game:
"It happened the way that it happened. We came out, we played a very good 20 minutes and we had some chances. It could have been easily a two or three nothing game. We didn't put them away and they had a chance to come back in the second half. We had a chance when it was 1-0 to get a second goal. It was probably one of the best chances of the game. It could have gone either way. They had a lot more chances in the second half. They are a very good team."
CHIVAS USA GOALKEEPER PRESTON BURPO
On how he handled the second-half shots on goal:
"We were a little bit lucky. We were tired. Playing two games in four days and being able to get a point tonight, I think, was important for the club."
On how he has played in the absence of Brad Guzan:
"I am happy to play. (Brad) Guzan has played great for the first 11 games. I am just happy to get the last three. Next Saturday, Guzan will be back in there that is just the way that it is set up at this point. Obviously, I would rather be playing but like I said I am happy to play the last three games. I felt good tonight, I have felt good the last two games. If they need me again, I will be ready."
On the chances his team had in the first half:
"Claudio (Suarez) found some space and banged a nice ball in past Matt Reis and then [Andy Dorman] on the near post. Ante missed a header, which is unfortunate, and then Reis came up with a huge save on the one on the near post, which is a great job by Reis, but that is the way it went. They put a lot of pressure on us later in the game, but we held off and we got a point. Walking out of here with a point and being under the gun for a lot of the game, we can walk away happy."
