COLUMBUS CREW 1, COLORADO RAPIDS 0
COLUMBUS CREW HEAD COACH GREG ANDRULIS
On his halftime talk:
"We talked about moving the ball quicker, looking for some combinations, playing in the direction that you're facing. We thought that we didn't have much patience and that we were pressing it a little bit. Clearly, with some combinations plays and some good movement it opened up for us in the second half."
On new Crew forward John Wolyniec:
"John was a very smart player. He was finding gaps and finding seams. Obviously fresh legs in this kind of weather made a difference as well."
On Crew forward Cornell Glen:
"He's a good player and he does make a difference with that explosive pace and speed; it's hard to contain. He had a great chance off the bar, but stays with it and creates a great chance for himself and finishes it. So, good things for him."
On the game:
"We did a great job defensively limiting their chances. We need to get better offensively; we need to do a little bit better with our wide guys, getting Mario (Rodriguez) and Chris (Henderson) involved a little bit more, but it will come. It's something to work on. But it was a good, gutsy performance out there tonight."
On hitting the woodwork multiple times:
"I felt sorry for the post. At this point in time when those things happen I don't even shrug; we're beyond shrugging about stuff like that. It's just the way things are. You hope for the best and move on."
On Crew rookie forward Knox Cameron:
"Knox holds the ball real well. What we'll work on with him is his movement when he doesn't have the ball, trying to find seams and that will come with him. He's a big physical force, and it was great for him to get a game and a meaningful game with the first team.
On Mario Rodriguez and Frankie Hejduk returning from international duty:
"Going into it we obviously, in the back of our minds, we're concerned about Mario and Frankie because they both played games late Wednesday and had to travel and you never know how that (is) going to have an effect and then on top of it, the weather. But they are true pros. Mario had a couple of great chances and Frankie was as solid as ever."
On the decision to have Glen take the penalty kick:
"I'm not going to tell you who I asked to go up there. The thing is, Cornell is a forward, he wanted it, and there was no doubt it was going to be his, and you have to believe in that. I like the attitude and the determination, he went up and stuck it in, and it was a well taken kick."
On Rapids (and former Crew) forward Jeff Cunningham:
"Jeff (Cunningham) is very good, he's a very good player, he's very dangerous. He had a couple of chances. Our defenders, because I think they know him, were able to stop him early in the penalty box. He had a couple ones, that if they were just a half a step more, he would have been there. I thought Stephen (Herdsman) did a decent job on him and Robin (Fraser) did well when he was picking him up in the second half."
On building momentum:
"We are 2-1-1 in our last four games. You build on your last game, and now we can build on a victory going into three conference games. We need to continue to pick up points. Part of it is playing better soccer and the results will come. And this is certainly a step in the right direction."
COLUMBUS CREW FORWARD CORNELL GLEN
On the game:
"I think we played well today. The team is starting to gel and some of the guys who came back from the national team did pretty well. Hendy (Chris Henderson) and Mario (Rodriguez) did a great job on the wings and that is what we need, guys coming in and giving us that heart and soul performance every week."
On taking the penalty kick:
"I was confident that I could score. I wanted a goal and I wanted the first goal to get me going. Hendy also wanted it but I stepped up and did what I had to do."
COLUMBUS CREW MIDFIELDER CHRIS HENDERSON
On taking the penalty kick:
"Cornell and I talked about it a little bit. Greg (Andrulis) had said from the bench for me to take it. I walked up and he felt confident so the biggest thing in that is someone who wants to take (it) and is confident. He buried it so that is all that matters."
On converting chances:
"If we can get the ball wide and get service into our forwards, with all the chances we create they are going to start going for us."
COLUMBUS CREW GOALKEEPER BILL GAUDETTE
On getting his first shutout:
"It feels good, but really for me the most important thing is the team winning, those three points. If it is a shutout, that is fantastic, if its not it really doesn't matter to me as long as my team is successful."
On shutting down the Rapids and Jeff Cunningham:
"Jeff is a fantastic player as everyone here knows but the guys in front of me played fantastic. I can't say enough about them. Frankie Hejduk, Robin Fraser, Mark Schulte stepped in tonight and played fantastic, and of course Steve Herdsman were all fantastic."
COLORADO RAPIDS HEAD COACH FERNANDO CLAVIJO
On the game:
"We had some chances at the beginning that we need to put away. Scoring those goals changes the game completely. Without them we give life to the other team. We held possession in the first half, but that was not the case in the second in which we needed to make adjustments due to the fact that the returning players are still not at 100 percent. We need to continue working for 90 minutes at a time."
COLORADO RAPIDS FORWARD JEFF CUNNINGHAM
On the reception from Crew fans:
"It is very nice to be welcomed by the fans like that after spending seven years with the organization. You feel at home and I appreciate it."
