Earthquakes head coach Dominic Kinnear, Opening statement:
"Good morning everybody. I am looking forward to this match-up. Historically it has been one of the best, or the best rivalry in MLS over the years, the 10 years of MLS. I think both teams are looking forward to this match-up and competition that it brings. The fans will not be disappointed with the level of play, level of commitment and level of emotion shown by both teams. I think it is prime for television, ESPN2 to bring this rivalry to the nation. The season series this year has been very competitive, very emotional and sometimes hearted, which I think is always expected between Los Angeles and San Jose. I think that will continue into the playoffs here and I'm just looking forward to getting going and for the nation to see what I think is the best soccer in America."
Galaxy head coach Steve Sampson, Opening statement: "Good morning, everyone. I can't agree more with Dominic. I think this is going to be probably the best matches of the playoffs, this series. I haven't been here more than one and a half years, and I can sense the heated rivalry between the two clubs, I think that is great for soccer in the United States. I think it will be great for the television audience and certainly for the fans attending the match on Sunday. They are going to get nothing but the best effort from both clubs. We are exited about playing and playing San Jose. We know that they have had an outstanding season and we want to congratulate them but at the same time we are looking forward to being MLS Champions, as are they. We are looking forward to it, I know it is going to be a match that at times will be wide open and at times will be very hard fought defensive match. I think you will see a little bit of everything come Sunday and we are anxious for Sunday to come."
Earthquakes midfielder Dwayne De Rosario, Opening statement: "Definitely from a players standpoint this is a well known rivalry. I think it is anticipated on both ends from a player's standpoint and definitely from a fans standpoint. Being that it is televised, it's going to be a great game to watch. I think it is going to be highly competitive, very intense and both teams will play with a lot of emotion and a lot of heart, especially because it is the playoffs. Fans will see the passion and may the best team win, I am definitely looking forward to it."
Galaxy forward Landon Donovan, Opening statement: "Being the only person on this call that has been on both sides of it, I can understand and respect what it means to both of these teams. Last Saturday was a preview of what we are going to see this weekend and it was nice to get a taste of that. We are certainly the team that now needs to show that we are good enough and we can compete with this team and beat this team. I am looking forward to this game. This is the time of year where special things happen and I think you are going to see a great series in the next couple of weeks."
Kinnear, on the play of Pat Onstad and Dwayne De Rosario: "I think with the turnover that we've had, they are two of a handful of guys who have stayed behind. I think they kind of took it on themselves to be their responsibility to make sure the players that do come in are treated well and treated with respect. Also, I think they have been a good example of the good years that they have had here. Dwayne has had a fantastic year with a different position. I think everyone agrees that he deserves the MVP talk that he has been getting and I think Pat is truly deserving of the Goalkeeper of the Year award that he got this year. It is tough to point to two guys, because it has been a great team effort all year, but obviously they are the two bright spots. Dwayne has taken on that new position with a style only Dwayne knows about. I think you have seen him, not only with his goals and assists, but his energy and defending is something that is truly admired in our locker room. I think Pat's professionalism, he takes care of his body in the off-season, we do know how old he is. But he definitely does take care of himself and I think he definitely would like to extend his career and I think he like what is happening in San Jose. I think both of them deserve a tremendous amount of credit and the recognition that they've got this year."
De Rosario, on moving into the midfield in 2005: "The transition from forward to midfield wasn't that much of a change for me, because I tended to drift into the midfield as a forward and collect a lot of balls in the midfield. I would do a lot of running off the ball into the midfield position as a forward. Now playing in midfield, I definitely feel more comfortable, and it is a lot less running for me, in terms of running forward and then running back and trying to play the ball to no one up front. For me it has been a great transition. I am definitely comfortable playing as a midfielder. I would like to see it carry out throughout the playoffs, and I am going to do my best to make sure that it happens."
Sampson, on getting Landon Donovan more involved in the Galaxy offense: "I don't think Dominic or I are going to talk about tactics and how we are going to play. But it is pretty apparent that we have to get Landon the ball more. Whether if that is in a midfield role or a forward role. Landon is the type of player that loves to see the ball and does good things with it. Good players know what it means when playoff times comes, so it behooves us to make sure he finds the ball a lot more."
Donovan, on Galaxy recovering from Saturday's 3-1 loss to Quakes: "A lot of times when you play games and you win you think it is a lot better then it actually was and when you lose you think it is a lot worse than it actually was. I clearly give San Jose the credit for Saturday's win, but looking back they had three real chances and made the most of it. We had a few chances and we didn't. So, as bad as it seemed at the time, we know there is room for improvement and that we can better. It is about us. There is a reason they are the best team in the league, but they are coming to our place to play. Over the years in this facility, this team hasn't lost a lot games. It is on us to put pressure on ourselves to win this game on Sunday. We have a job to do and we have go do it now."
Donovan, on being a part of the LA-San Jose rivalry from both sides: "I don't think each team thinks about the other too much, at least not fondly. I haven't had the chance yet to see it from both sides in a playoff, obviously. Obviously, our memories as San Jose players against L.A. were fond memories from the playoffs. I think the Galaxy feels like they owe San Jose, because in my four years there were two times we knocked them out. I think there are a lot of players here who understand that and realize that. That being said, it doesn't matter who you play at this point. You have to go through two teams to get to the final. We are just looking forward to it. We have a lot of guys here who have a lot of good experience and a lot of guys who know what this is. San Jose has a few still, but come Sunday, it is a different story. It is a different game and I think we are going to see that on Sunday."
Donovan, on the LA-San Jose rivalry: "It is our job to make sure the soccer part is good and it is the league's job to promote it. I have to believe that everyone is trying their best. We are nowhere near where we want soccer to be in this country, but I think we are on the right path. This is something I absolutely believe the league should put a lot of money and put a lot of resources into, because this rivalry always creates games that are unmatched in the rest of the league."
Donovan, on the Earthquakes 2003 Western Conference Semifinal comeback against the Galaxy: "That was one of the top two or three moments I've had as a player here. I liken it to the U.S.-Mexico rivalry, although not quite at that level. When you have a chance to play them, no matter if it is a friendly or a regular season MLS game, it is always more special to win the game. If it happens in a final or a playoff, or with a chance to go to a World Cup or in a World Cup, it is even that much more special. Maybe both teams don't want to play a first round two-game series against each other; at the same time I think we look forward to it. It is fun and that is what soccer is about. I think that is why you see the performances you do when these teams meet, because they know there is something more to it. The game in 2003 was probably the greatest game I've ever been a part of, to be blunt. Things don't happen like that. At the time you don't really understand or appreciate what it is about, but years down the road people are going to look back and call that the greatest game they have ever seen in this league, and that is pretty special to have been a part of that."
De Rosario, on the physical part of the rivalry: "I think definitely from a players standpoint, the coaches don't say go and hurt anybody. I think when you see that, that is just the passion of the individual players in the game. I don't think it is targeted toward a specific player or a specific team. Everyone knows Tyrone [Marshall] is a physical player, Cobi Jones is not really known as a physical player, but of course these tendencies do come out when the emotions flare up, as they do in any game. I think on Saturday maybe it got a little out of hand, but I don't think it was targeted for any specific player or any specific team. Everyone just goes out to win every game and you just go out and tackle hard and try to defend you net as good as possible. Sometimes that means getting a little physical."
Sampson, on the Galaxy's struggles Saturday against San Jose: "We were playing against a very good team. When you play against a team that has given up so very few goals during the course of the season, you have to do something special in order to beat them. Your mobility has to be better; your precision in front of goal has to be better. Certainly losing Tyrone Marshall in the back and having to make adjustments didn't help matters, but I think the bottom line is that you have to give credit to San Jose for shutting down our key players."
Sampson, on Galaxy goals for the season: "Our goal is to win the MLS Championship. Our goal is to win two cups this year, and we have a chance to do that. Certainly we have had a measure of success, but the standards for the Galaxy are higher than that. Our goal is not to be eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. So, we have had some measure of success, but certainly not to the standard that we hold for ourselves and our entire club."
Sampson, on the structure of home field advantage in the MLS Cup Playoffs: "I think there is still an advantage, but less so in this first round. I think the true advantage comes in the second round when you have the one game at home. The Earthquakes obviously have a tremendous advantage understanding Spartan Stadium and the confines, and certainly their fans like the Galaxy fans are really into the game, so that is a big plus for them. Other places around the league during this time of year, it is difficult to fill stadiums and I am sure that Spartan Stadium, in the Western Conference Final if they were to get by us would give them a tremendous advantage. Likewise, anytime we play at home we have a certain advantage. But in this first round, I don't see it being significant."
Donovan, on home field advantage in MLS Cup Playoffs: "It is difficult because you play a long season and you want to be rewarded for doing well. At the end of the day, the advantages are not huge. In San Jose's case, it is probably more of an advantage for them then for any other team in the league to have their second game at home. If you were to ask Dom or Dwayne what they would like to get for running away with first place, I think they would want more than just a two game series with one game at home."
Kinnear, on difficulty of refereeing the San Jose-L.A. rivalry: "I think if referees come in and they think they have to do something different because it is San Jose and Los Angeles, I think that is the wrong way to approach it. If you think about some of the games in the past, they've been handled very well. I think that if the referee sees a foul, he should call a foul. If he thinks there is a yellow card, he should show one. I think the players are emotional about it and you just hope the referee doesn't get caught up in the emotion. Sometimes it happens, it is infectious. But the referee on Saturday was a little bit too emotional, would maybe be the right word. As long as the referee comes in with an open mind, I think the referees know the league now and we are very fortunate to have Abbey Okalaja for our game on Sunday. He does a very good job and he will be able to handle the situation and the emotion. You just hope that the referee comes in and doesn't put too much pressure on himself and just referees the game."
Sampson, on the Galaxy training in Palm Springs for Sunday's game: "I think it is something that we don't do very often, if ever during the course of the season. To bring the team into what in Latin America they call a "concentration", I think it was just a great opportunity for us to be together as a team and do something different and I think games like this warrant doing something differently."
Donovan, on his performance Saturday against the Earthquakes: "It doesn't matter if I play up top, in the midfield or if I played in the back. If I don't do the job, that is on me. I can't blame anything, especially the first goal with [Mark] Chung getting behind me, on tactics that is me not making a play. That is simple. Wherever I play, it is on me to do my job and I didn't do that in the first half. Regardless of where I play, I need to be better. I am fully aware of that and I will be better on Sunday."
