EASTERN CONFERENCE QUOTES
D.C. UNITED & EAST HEAD COACH PETER NOWAK
On the match:
"It was a privilege to coach this group of players. I've played with a lot of them, but that is a different story. It was great today and I'm happy for Amado (Guevara). He got the MVP. He deserved it with his two beautiful goals. It was pretty competitive for an All-Star game, but these guys wanted to show what American soccer is all about. I really enjoyed working with them and it was a great weekend."
On the heat factor:
"I know that the weather conditions were not really good. I played the game before this one and I played 25 minutes and I know how I feel. We had a couple of substitutions we used including Amado (Guevara). I didn't want to keep him too long on the field and I think he deserved a standing ovation. We had five or six rookies playing in the second half. This is the future of American soccer and it was good to see them all."
On Honda MVP Amado Guevara:
"I'd love to have this kind of player on our team. Maybe we'll talk after the game a little more about that. I've enjoyed to work with him and in watching him, every single pass makes sense. I love these kind of players."
HONDA MVP, METROSTARS & EAST MIDFIELDER AMADO GUEVARA
On the game:
"I am very happy for the nomination, but I'm happier because we won the game. I'm really satisfied to be able to share this with my teammates. I'm also very thankful to the media and fans for always supporting me."
On taking the penalty kick to the left post once again:
"Yes, the same way. I have the confidence. That's where I go and that's what works for me."
COLUMBUS CREW & EAST DEFENDER FRANKIE HEJDUK
On the game:
"We're in it to win it. I think the heat wore on a lot of people and you can't blame anyone. It's really tough to play when it's that hot."
On playing in the All-Star Game:
"I'm a professional and I was asked to be here by the fans so it was an honor to represent the League and to represent the Crew. Bottom line is that it is our job."
D.C. UNITED & EAST FORWARD FREDDY ADU
On his performance in his first All-Star Game:
"I thought I played great. It was fun. It was hot. The game was kind of dull and I felt like I had to do something to keep the fans a little bit involved and go with it. I got the ball and started doing some tricks and it all turned out great."
On playing with so many great players:
"There are a lot of players here who are really good players. These guys are better and they've been there and done that and it's my first time. I went in and felt like I did a great job. It's an All-Star Game and we had fun. I had a lot of fun, and yet we got the win. It was a great day."
On his favorite part of the weekend:
"Getting to play was great. I haven't played in a while. I've been on break all week and I finally got a chance to play and I was a little bit out of shape. I was tired out there because it was so hot, but it was great to play in an All-Star Game and it's an honor and I'm glad I experienced it."
On his playing style during the All-Star Game:
"I love one-on-ones. I just love coming at a defender. That's me. I grew up doing that all the time. My eyes just open up and I say 'here we go.' I'll try to do something but sometimes it doesn't work. But sometimes it does and when something works you hear it from the crowd and it's great."
On playing the All-Star Game at home in Washington, D.C.:
"It made it even better. This is the most perfect situation we could have. We get the win and we're at home. For me personally, I'm playing in front of my home fans and we get the win. I felt like I played well. Everything came through the way I planned it."
On entertaining the crowd:
"The All-Star Game is pretty much what the fans want and you've got to go out there and give them what they want. I felt like I went out there and gave them what they wanted. Whenever I got the ball and did something everyone got a little excited. That's what it's all about, keeping the fans satisfied and they'll keep coming back for more.
On the second half of the season:
"It took me a while to feel comfortable to play in this League. I've put together five solid performances in a row prior to today and I just hope to continue the second half of the season. If I get one goal, I'm sure the floodgates will open."
D.C. UNITED & EAST MIDFIELDER DEMA KOVALENKO
On what his team is facing at this juncture of the season:
"We've been saying before the season that we have guys who've got to step in off the bench and do the job. It's very important. Especially now, we've got (Ryan) Nelsen out and maybe Mikey (Mike Petke) and Nicky (Nick Rimando) and we can't play like we did in Dallas (5-1 loss). It's not acceptable. We go back to work on Monday and we have some time and I think overall we're playing well."
On playing against Dallas Burn midfielder Ronnie O'Brien after last year's incident which resulted in an injury to O'Brien:
"We don't talk at all. It's weird that we played against one another today. We matched up. I don't have hard feelings and I hope he doesn't either. I want to apologize again for what happened but it's soccer and it happens and I hope he doesn't have hard feelings. It's been a year and it should have passed by. I'm glad he's doing well and that's the most important thing."
CHICAGO FIRE & EAST DEFENDER JIM CURTIN
On the weather conditions:
"It was hot. I'm sure the fans probably felt we might have been dogging it a little but it was hot. Both teams probably defended a little harder than I would have expected in my first All-Star Game. It was a good competitive game."
On resuming the second half of the season with D.C. United:
"We're struggling big time. We're in a hole right now. Hopefully everyone got a good break. It's down to 11 games. The season is almost coming to an end now and we don't have times for mess-ups."
On facing the Richmond Kickers in the U.S. Open Cup in midweek:
"We know they're a very good team and they beat D.C. United to advance to where they are. We want to make a push to win the Open Cup. We're going to put a lot into the Open Cup because we have struggled a little bit and we want to win a trophy at the end of the year."
D.C. UNITED & EAST FORWARD ALECKO ESKANDARIAN
On his first All-Star experience:
"It was an awesome occasion and I was trying to soak as much of it in as I could. It was extremely hot and I thought we were all dying - it doesn't matter if you're the fittest guy I think. Frankie was probably the only guy not affected by it. But it was fun for all the players ... This whole week has been a whirlwind for me. I got to meet all these unbelievable players I looked up to as a kid. I've been wishing it wouldn't come to an end."
On the second half of the season with D.C. United:
"I think we have a bunch of injuries right now. We just can't make any excuses. We have to get out there and get the job done and win games."
WESTERN CONFERENCE QUOTES
LOS ANGELES GALAXY & WEST HEAD COACH SIGI SCHMID
On the game:
"It was real hot and then it got hotter. I think that probably sums it up. For the players obviously you know it is never easy to play in that sort of heat and I thought the effort it was a good All-Star Game ... For an All-Star Game I thought it was good, there was five goals. And I think there were attacking chances on both sides."
On his team's scoring opportunities:
"In the first half we created some chances. We did not finish those chances we created and there were a couple of good saves by Henry Ring. You know on the penalty kick they scored a good goal as well. But I thought we in the game in the second half."
On the tactics:
"We came out in a 4-4-2. We switched into a 3-5-2 at half time and got more attacking players off the bench. It was one of those things where you try and pick and chose your moments and I thought at times we did it well. But like I said, the final pass was off sometimes. I was on the bench for both games and I am beat."
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES & WEST FORWARD LANDON DONOVAN
On the Reunion Game which preceded the All-Star Game:
"I don't know if you call it a game, but it was fun to watch; it was entertaining. It was good to see my GM (Alexi Lalas) out there getting slaughtered and diced up. It was a great idea bringing them back. It was really cool for them. I hope that in 10 years, or however many years, we get called back to play in a game like that."
On the heat factor:
"I can't remember every playing in a game that hot and I know I have been out of shape all week. It was definitely a factor. But that said, it wasn't so bad. I don't think an MLS regular season game would have been different. There's a point when your body gives up."
On his memories of the 1994 FIFA World Cup:
"It was the summer of seventh grade and I remember that I got to go to one game, the Argentina vs. Romania game. It was one of the better games. At that point, I didn't know too much about the National Team. I was just a kid playing soccer. It is crazy to think that they were going through things that I now going through."
On Freddy Adu's play:
"I thought he was terrible. What do you want me to say? No, he did very well. After five minutes, he said, 'Man, it is hot out here' and I said, 'Five minutes, man. You're 15-years-old!' No, he did well. It would have been nice had he been able to score a goal. As you can see, he absolutely holds his own at this level and that is incredible at that age. I can't even fathom that."
On Amado Guevara:
"I think that he's a great player and I think that Bob (Bradley) has done a great job with the MetroStars. When he (Guevara) first came, I think he was a little lax defensively and he kind of just hung out. Bob (Bradley) has him now and he works and he links up and he's connecting and he almost always makes the right decision. I'm glad we're not playing against him in qualifying, I'll tell you that."
DALLAS BURN & WEST FORWARD JASON KREIS
On the weather conditions:
"It was miserably hot. Difficult conditions to play soccer. You even find yourself even having difficulty thinking. Really when you're playing with players that good the ball wants to move. It makes it hard when you want to do things quickly but it's just not going to work in that kind of heat."
On the All-Star Game as a celebration of American soccer:
"I've said that I think the level of the play has gotten better every year and I'll still say that. I think this year we see that there is so much parity in the league and that's because we have so many good players. There are good players not only in the first XI of teams but also there are talented players to step in when they need to."
On the second half prospects of the Dallas Burn:
"I think our team has shown a proliferation for being in the playoffs and I think we'll be there this year."
KANSAS CITY WIZARDS & WEST DEFENDER JIMMY CONRAD
On the match:
"I came out and I was buzzing in the first 20-30 minutes. But then the heat hit me head on. It turned into a little bit of a track meet. That was fun for a while until I got tired. Overall it was a good time and it's not over yet. Everyone will go out tonight to have a good time. It's a great event because there was no pressure. You want to go out and show well and have some fun. The heat was a big factor. It is what it is. Both teams had to go through it."
On the low-scoring affair:
"We had chances both ways. It could have been 5-4 no problem. The goalkeepers made some good saves and we (defenders) made it as difficult as possible but you can only hold up the fort for so long."
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES & WEST GOALKEEPER PAT ONSTAD
On the match:
"It probably wasn't a very thrilling All-Star Game by All-Star Game standards. Both teams had guys who played midweek games last week and there are games in midweek this week. You don't want guys running end to end especially in the heat. The guys put out the best effort they possible could."
On the resumption of MLS play:
"We have a Wednesday quarterfinal in Minnesota, a U.S. Open Cup match. Obviously we have to get things ticking in the league. We're not playing well right now but we have the players that can turn it around."
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES & WEST FORWARD BRIAN CHING
On his first MLS All-Star Game weekend:
"It's fun. I've had a good time this weekend, meeting all the guys and getting to know a lot of the great players in the league. Being here with the guys has made my weekend worthwhile. It's been a good weekend"
On whether San Jose can turn it around in the second half of the season:
"I definitely think so. I think we need to come into the second half of the season with a different attitude than we came with in the first half. You know, I think once our team gets the right attitude, we have a lot of talented players, and we have a good team. We just have to go out there and play like it. We haven't done that so far so I just think it's just tweaking our attitude in the second half of the season."
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES & WEST DEFENDER JEFF AGOOS
On how far the League has come since his first All-Star Game in 96':
"I think the League has come a long, long way in a very short time. In the environment that it started in it was very difficult but we've made huge strides both on and off the field. You see what it is on the field with guys like Landon (Donovan) and Freddy (Adu) and all the young players coming up who had the role models come from MLS in 1996. We're building our stadiums and fan bases and we're on the right road."
On the second half of the season for the San Jose Earthquakes:
"We have to turn it around. Either that or we make some golf dates for October. It's not the performances but the results we've been getting. We've been playing pretty well in some games. It's a little like Jekyll and Hyde I ever know when we come out if it's a team that's going to perform for 90 minutes or not. Right now we need to change our mentality."
On the growing role of American players in the All-Star Game:
"You've seen more American players fill the All-Star role. They are becoming dominant force in this League and that's what the League is about - developing the American player. It's nice to see guys coming out and making a difference on the field like Eddie Gaven."
On the Reunion Game that preceded the All-Star Game:
"It all started with one goal. Everything you see from today comes from that goal. Those guys created a legacy and I feel I'm a little part of that. I was in the second wave. We had a bunch of college kids go to the World Cup in 1990 and we've been making strides since. On the international we're making big strides and that's down to having talented players here and in Europe."
On Freddy Adu being part of the All-Star Game:
"All-Star games, whether soccer, football or baseball is all about what the fans want to see. Freddy (Adu) is an exciting, marketable player. That's what people want to see. I was at the clinic yesterday and they announced Freddy and it was chaotic. It's good for the League but it's a heavy burden for him. But I think he's been doing great."
LOS ANGELES GALAXY & WEST FORWARD CARLOS RUIZ
On the loss for the West:
"We wanted to win but in the end but it was a good spectacle and that's what people wanted ... We did what we had to do. We gave a show and at the end of the day people left happy."
On his performance:
"Unfortunately we lost. But there will be more opportunities for me to score in the future. What was good about this game was that there were goals and people wanted to see goals. It was very hot but as players we played and gave it our best so people stayed until the end. People were able to leave satisfied with what they saw."
On the showing of Central American counterpart and Honda MVP Amado Guevara:
"It's something positive that there's always a Latin representation in MLS with me and Amado (Guevara). It's something nice for Central American fans to know we're here and representing them. We thank the fans for dealing with the heat. They were all screaming until the end and I want to thank all of them."
On his return to Washington, D.C. to play for Guatemalan National Team:
"The Galaxy gave me the opportunity to travel here for the game between Guatemala and El Salvador next Friday in preparation for the World Cup qualifying."
LOS ANGELES GALAXY & WEST GOALKEEPER KEVIN HARTMAN
On the All-Star Game from a goalkeeper's perspective:
"It's obviously a reward and the entire weekend is a celebration. As a goalkeeper it takes a lot of pride to be part of an All-Star Game. You don't want to be giving up goals and in an All-Star Game with this format you give up goals. It messes with your psyche as a goalkeeper but it's a great opportunity for fans to come out to support you. And it's an opportunity to get together with the guys in the League and wish them the best throughout the rest of the year."
On the second half of the season:
"I think right now we've (Galaxy) played a lot of games, the most in the League right now. A couple of other teams have games in hand and we need to deal well with that and when we do play our games we need to put forth an effort that will keep us at the top, especially against Conference opponents."
