MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER QUOTE SHEET
SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 2005 - SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES 3, LOS ANGELES GALAXY 0
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES HEAD COACH DOMINIC KINNEAR
On the game:
"I think that we deserved the victory tonight. We felt like we were in control the whole game even though it was a battle throughout. Los Angeles made it tough on us, but we were very strong up the middle and it was a great team performance."
On the performance of central players:
"Eddie (Robinson), Danny (Califf), Ricardo (Clark) and Dwayne (De Rosario) were great tonight. We did not give them much up the middle and I thought we created a number of chances through the midfield. Those guys also won a lot of second balls which I thought was key tonight."
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES FORWARD RONALD CERRITOS
On the last two games:
"The team has played great the last two games. The game against Real Salt Lake last week really gave us some confidence coming into tonight and we had another strong performance. Having the defense play so well gives everyone confidence as well. We are looking forward to Wednesday and hopefully we can come out with another win against Colorado."
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES GOALKEEPER PAT ONSTAD
On the game:
"I thought we did an excellent job today. We limited their opportunities, obviously we kept a close eye on Landon. I thought we limited his touches, which you need to do, because he is the best player in the league, the best player in the U.S. We played a great game all over the field. I felt that all 11 players contributed tonight."
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES FORWARD ALEJANDRO MORENO
On his goal:
"Ronald [Cerritos] made a great run behind, and I just tried to find my way into the box. I knew that Ronald was going to play a good ball in and I just tried to get on the end of it, and obviously I was able to put it in."
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES DEFENDER DANNY CALIFF
On the importance of a win against L.A.:
"It was a tremendous win. I think we built on last week and it was another great team performance. If you look back on the game, I think that we played well and they didn't have much of anything. They had one little flurry in the second half, but other than that they weren't really dangerous and I think that was a credit to the way we played and the way we kept the ball all night."
LOS ANGELES GALAXY HEAD COACH STEVE SAMPSON
On the Galaxy's play:
"Our guys came out with some great energy in the second half. We had a flurry of chances in that one series and not to be able to put that in the back of the net, and then to take an own goal after that, I think that was the difference in the game. We put the ball in the back of our net, and it changes the whole dynamic of the game. And then to make silly mistakes in the back, we just can't afford to put that kind of pressure on ourselves. But I was very proud of the guys. Even down 3-0, they didn't give up. They played hard."
On the San Jose - Los Angeles rivalry:
"It's very clear that this is a great rivalry and it will continue. I think this is the best rivalry in the entire country. Both teams came to play tonight."
LOS ANGELES GALAXY FORWARD LANDON DONOVAN
On his return to Spartan Stadium:
"As much as it sucked for me, it's pretty damn cool that people care this much. It felt like a foreign place, I give the fans credit for that. I give the Earthquakes credit for playing well. It's really a good thing. It's not good for us, but it's a good thing for the league."
On the fans' reaction to him:
"I think [the fans were like that] because they care about their team. They don't want people leaving. Passion is a good thing. Booing's fine. Some of the things they said were a little nasty. I'm considered the source, I guess, but that's OK, though. I have no problem with people. They bought tickets so they can do what they want. The nicest thing of the day was when the game ended."
On game:
"To be honest, I really didn't think we played too badly. I think we played better than we had the last three games. Maybe it was a karma thing that we didn't score in that little flurry and then they get two own goals. I don't know what the deal was, but it just wasn't going to happen tonight."
