MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER QUOTE SHEET
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2004 - METROSTARS 2, DALLAS BURN 0
DALLAS BURN HEAD COACH COLIN CLARKE
On the game:
"I thought we had a lot of opportunities in front of their goal that we didn't get on the end of. I'm disappointed with the goal we gave up. They came out sharp in the early part, had us a bit under pressure and it was a good tussle early on. Our passing wasn't sharp but we had enough good chances. Carey [Talley] had a good chance; Brad [Davis] had a very good chance right before halftime to tie it up. And in the second half we controlled the play and again there was a lot of stuff in front of their goal and balls across their box but we just couldn't get the one we needed."
On the team's lack of finishing:
"We just didn't do well in front of the goal. To me, the amount of balls we got into the box we didn't get on the end of enough of. I didn't see enough guys throwing bodies to get on the end of them and that's disappointing."
On his lack of available offensive substitutions:
"Without Ronnie [O'Brien] or Ramon [Nunez] we had no other offensive subs. We put Clarence [Goodson] on as some fresh legs and hope that maybe he could get on the end of a set play. We were lacking a little bit offensively on the bench tonight."
On the play of Milton Reyes:
"He was very good. He caused them a lot of problems, particularly in the first half. The amount of times he got in and the amount of balls he put in their box and we just didn't get on the end of them. But he was good tonight."
DALLAS BURN MIDFIELDER OSCAR PAREJA
On the game:
"I didn't think we played well in the first half and we gave the ball away too many times. That let New York have a little bit of confidence and then they have a chance and they score a goal and then it was a lot tougher for us. Even though we didn't play that well, we still had some very good chances but we just weren't able to score."
On the team not coming through in a big match:
"It's very disappointing. Tonight was on of those days when you don't have many explanations about it because soccer is just about playing hard and putting everything on the field. We couldn't step up and we couldn't win a game that was very important for us. It's very disappointing."
METROSTARS HEAD COACH BOB BRADLEY
On the game:
"Tonight was a good overall effort and win. I thought that the team responded very well this week from the loss in Columbus. They were determined to come here and get three points."
On Gilberto coming back tonight from injury after missing three months:
"It's nice to have Gilberto back on the field. He certainly gives us a little bit extra aggressiveness in the midfield, and I think that really helped us in the first half tonight. Hopefully we can continue to move him forward over this latter part of the season."
On having Craig Ziadie back in the lineup:
"Craig had a good start to the season and went down with an injury. During that time, we were really fortunate that Tenywa [Bonseu] stepped up. Now with Tenywa injured, I think that Craig is ready to finish the season on a strong note."
On clinching a playoff berth:
"It's nice to take care of that part of business [clinching a playoff berth], but hopefully we can continue to build our team and reach for higher goals now."
METROSTARS DEFENDER CRAIG ZIADIE
On getting back into the starting lineup:
"It feels good. I am not completely 100 percent game-fit, but I went out there and gave it my all tonight. I was tired there at the end, but we got through it."
On his assist on John Wolyniec's goal:
"I just made a break for it and caught Amado's [Guevara] eye. He played me a great ball, and I got a good touch on it to play it around [Milton] Reyes and I got down to the endline. I saw John [Wolyniec] making a run so I played him the ball, and he put a great finish on it."
METROSTARS MIDFIELDER GILBERTO
On returning to action tonight after three months of being sidelined due to injury:
"I am very happy. I felt the confidence of every teammate. Next time I hope to do a little better, and to play even longer."
On how he feels about the team heading to the playoffs:
"I am very happy about the way the team is playing. I love our team, and I just hope to continue to play and play well, so that the team can do well."
