COLUMBUS CREW 2, KANSAS CITY WIZARDS 1
COLUMBUS CREW HEAD COACH SIGI SCHMID
On his team's play tonight and fast start overall:
"It's great to be 5-1. I think we made the second [half] a little more dangerous than we needed to, though I felt like we played fairly well. I thought that we deserved to be up 2-0. We did a good job, as we have in the last couple of weeks, of blocking shots and getting in front of things."
On the team's strategy heading into the match:
"We have talked a lot in the last couple weeks of getting goals off of set pieces. So we got another goal, Chad Marshall did a good job with the header, but we really talked about opening the game up and trying to get them on the weak side. I thought in the first half, we had a couple of good chances."
On his team's run of success at home this season:
"Obviously, it was a goal we set for ourselves as a team, something we talked about an awful lot in preseason, that we wanted to make sure that we were better here at home. The fans have been great and the team has responded to that. It helps spur us on; we become a different team at home, which is good.
COLUMBUS CREW MIDFIELDER ADAM MOFFAT
On his goal:
"It was a great ball back across, and when Chad's going for the ball you just know he's going to win it, so I just anticipated and got to the back post and I was in the right place at the right time."
COLUMBUS CREW MIDFIELDER ROBBIE ROGERS
On his goal in the 34th minute:
"I have some speed, so I try to get on those as much as possible and when the defender's going against his own goal, and the goalie is coming out, there's usually some kind of miscommunication, and so I just tried to get a little foot on it, I got lucky, so I got the goal."
COLUMBUS CREW FORWARD ALEJANDRO MORENO
On the play of recently acquired midfielder Emmanuel Ekpo:
"I think it will take some time, but obviously, he's a talented player. I think we've been doing okay, we've been doing pretty good in terms of our organization on the field, so it's something that perhaps, he has to adapt to, but we're happy that we got the three points, that's all that matters."
On the differences between this year's team and last year's:
"I think it's a change in attitude, a change in terms of our organization on the field. I think that we're a little more disciplined. Today in the second half, we probably could have done a little bit better with how we managed the game, but in the end, we were able to get three points at home and that's what matters."
On what the Crew need to do to continue their success:
"Well, we keep doing the things that we're doing. We don't get away from our script. We're a team that has to be organized. We're a team that has to battle and take advantage of the opportunities that we create and be solid defensively. As long as we do that, we're going to give ourselves a chance in every game."
KANSAS CITY HEAD COACH CURT ONALFO
On his team's defensive play:
"I think that there were a couple of times when our back line was stepping when they should be dropping. We have a lot of young players on our team, so we are going to make those mistakes. We can live with that because we feel that we are building a team for the future, a team that is not only going to be good in the future, but darn good now."
On his team's strategy after going down a man:
"When you lose a player, you have to somehow make sure that you have some good defensive shape. Our plan was to drop back a little bit and get something out of counters."
On his team's week off ahead:
"You never want to have any time off, you always want to get right back into it. We want to continually get better. We are right in the middle of a very long away stretch. It will only make our team better. They are going to learn through this experience."
KANSAS CITY FORWARD SCOTT SEALY
On his role in helping get Kansas City back into the game:
"We were already a man down, so my job, basically, was to stay as high as possible and look for some counter attacks because we knew that they were going to come and attack us, being a man down. In the second half, we took it to them, we created the most chances and got a penalty and got back into the game, but weren't able to get a second one, so that's how the game goes sometimes."
KANSAS CITY FORWARD RYAN PORE
On returning to his home area of central Ohio for the game:
"It's always nice coming home and playing in front of your friends and family, and unfortunately it was on the losing side tonight. We got down early, the red card hurt us and we were fighting for points at the end there. Coach told me to come on and be dangerous and that's what I tried to do."
KANSAS CITY DEFENDER JIMMY CONRAD
On what Kansas City needs to do during the rest of its long road trip:
"Ultimately, it's just continuing to play the way we are playing. I think we've suffered some unlucky breaks, or given up a great goal, I think Amado Guevara in Toronto hit a great goal, but the first goal we gave up in Toronto was kind of a broken play; the first goal we gave up tonight is a broken play. The second goal was a mistake, but those are going to happen over the course of 30 games. It's unfortunate it happens on the road, but ultimately, I thought we played well when we went down a man. With 10 guys, I thought we showed our mettle and could have come away with a tie tonight."
