NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION 1, D.C. UNITED 1
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION HEAD COACH STEVE NICOL
On the second half:
"This halftime was the longest I've spoken since I came here. In every department you want to look at, they were better than us in the first half, so we had a lot to cover. But I think in the second half we came out, we rattled the cage and we got better as the game wore on ... I think we had a couple of chances, you know, they had a couple of chances, as well. I think probably a draw is a fair result. Certainly after the first half, after being outplayed - as I said, in every department - we came out the second half and rattled the cage, and we got better."
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION MIDFIELDER SHALRIE JOSEPH
On the first half:
"The first half it was a little slow getting out of the box. They scored one and we had a mistake there; we should have followed in. At halftime Stevie (Nicol) got into us about defending and competing against them. We came out second half and we just wanted to get an equalizer and keep pushing forward, trying to get numbers in the box."
On Nicol's reaction at halftime:
"Yeah, he had a lot of reason to [motivate us]. We weren't competing first half and we were out there just playing, letting them do what they want and we know we are a better team than that. We know we are home and we can't let that team come here and outwork us, so we wanted to put in the work in the second half. The quality definitely went up. We started moving the ball and getting Clint (Dempsey) involved and getting Rallie (Steve Ralston) and Joe (Franchino) more involved. We know once we get these guys more involved, we are going to create chances and have numbers in the box and that's all we wanted to do in the second half."
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION FORWARD CLINT DEMPSEY
On the changes made at halftime:
"We just tried to do a better job hitting balls behind their defense and getting them on their heels a little bit. I think that, in turn, opened up a little bit more space for the guys in the midfield. When you open up space for guys like Andy (Dorman) and Shalrie (Joseph) and Rallie (Steve Ralston), they are dangerous for us."
On battling back from a one-goal deficit:
"It is a little tough but you just have to make the most of the situation. In the second half we did a better job of stretching them, which created more space and opened up more gaps. Joey (Franchino) did a good job of getting behind their backs and outside mids and (Steve) Ralston did that well in the second half, as well. That created more chances for me. In the first half, I was just a second too late to get on those crosses. I was either barely getting a flick on it or it was just ahead of me. So, I'm adjusting and, if you want to play at the highest level, you have to play at different positions. I'm trying to work on every aspect of my game."
On his goal:
"I don't know who crossed it [Joe Franchino] and Taylor (Twellman) did a good job of putting it across. I just wanted to make sure I put it on target and I was lucky enough to do that. It was good to get the monkey off my back; it's been a few games since my last goal."
D.C. UNITED HEAD COACH PETER NOWAK
On the game:
"I think we overall played a very good first half. We dominated possession, we created chances; there was a lot of good stuff out there. We fell asleep again for one time, and then we paid for it. You know, it was pretty encouraging the way we played - mostly - for 70 minutes. We had a bad stretch for about 20 minutes, but at the end, the team fought pretty good. There was a lot of contact, a lot of fighting, but this is what the game is going to be. I'm glad then that we picked up the tempo and we didn't sit back and wait. So, we had a couple of chances at the end of the game, but as I said, a pretty encouraging effort from all these guys today ... Of course, it would be nice to get the three points, but as I said, the way we played was pretty encouraging and pretty good."
D.C. UNITED MIDFIELDER JOSH GROS
On the game:
"The first half I thought we did real well. I thought we controlled possession. I thought the team did real well the first half. I thought we did exactly what we wanted to do: get a lead, and then just hold onto that. But, you know, unfortunately, it was a tale of two halves. We played a lot better in the first half than in the second."
On the second half:
"I think that was the main problem (that the Revs were more aggressive). And then, we didn't keep the ball like we did in the first half. We really controlled possession in the middle, and in the second half I think that flipped."
On the fact that D.C. has only one win in its last eight games:
"You know, I'm not too concerned about it. Obviously, we would like to have won some more games, but coming to New England on a Wednesday night, it's not an easy game. To come away with a tie isn't the worst result, but obviously we're not completely happy with it."
D.C. UNITED MIDFIELDER BEN OLSEN
On the game:
"It's tough to gauge the game. It's a terrible feeling. It's a scrappy game. We go up a goal, they push (forward). And, once again, we didn't do enough to keep the lead. But, it was one of those games where soccer didn't really matter. It was just a battle. We came to New England, like I said, a tough field, against a team that really was pretty amped up, and we got a tie. If this is the playoffs, that's a pretty good result."
