METROSTARS 3, FC DALLAS 2
METROSTARS HEAD COACH BOB BRADLEY
On the importance of the game:
"Yeah, we talked about it; I think it was (a very important game). We felt like we had had a good stretch going into the Colorado game, we had one loss in the previous eight games. Then we sort of focused ourselves on the fact that we had four games going into the All-Star break and we felt like we let the Colorado game get away from us. Then we go on a road trip and Amado (Guevara) isn't with us, and the Columbus game is a game where you got to just take a point. We didn't play particularly well, and then you have a tough game in San Jose. With all of those things going against you and again I think before tonight, in six of the seven games we had the lead, so you can look at a lot of things, but if you are taking the lead in six or seven games you want to take home points and we have not done a good enough job of finishing games, so it was especially important tonight to get three points and especially important when the game is on the line to know how to finish."
On Ante Razov and Youri Djorkaeff:
"Ante is still just working himself back. The good thing about Ante is that even when he is not 100 percent sharp and fit and everything else, he is still a threat to score goals. Since he's been here I think that's five. That's his plus. I see him little by little rounding into shape. And Youri, he was really frustrated after the Colorado game. And we talked about trying to have a little bit of a plan. We had tentatively talked about the next Dallas game, but he has worked very hard with Pierre ... and if we can get him over that hump and keep him in it game in and game out, I know he's got a lot more to give."
On Eddie Gaven:
"He's been a little disappointed with his play. The older guys have challenged him to compete harder and keep going. If you're not having a great game, do other things to make up for it. Little by little I think it's important in his development that he understands that because that's still what good players have to do, so hopefully tonight was a step in the right direction for him."
METROSTARS MIDFIELDER/FORWARD MIKE MAGEE
On going into the All-Star break with a win:
"Now we have five days off and the last thing you want to do is go on a five-day break with a bad mentality. This way I think we will all be a little more cautious on our break, realizing that we are a good team and that we are capable of doing things like we did tonight."
METROSTARS FORWARD SERGIO GALVAN REY
On the win:
"It's a great satisfaction to be able to help the team and I'm hoping that we have more goals coming from me that will be able to help the team."
On his goal:
"I recovered the ball about three-quarters of the field and was able to pass it to someone and then I got it back and passed it to Razov. Then when Razov got it I made the run and indicated to Razov where I wanted the ball and that is exactly where he put it and I was able to put it in."
FC DALLAS HEAD COACH COLIN CLARKE
On how the team played tonight:
"We dominated the team (MetroStars) on possession and stats, and I thought we survived a little dodgy spell in the first 10 minutes or so, and scored, and from there on I thought we were pretty much in control of the game. We got the equalizer, and then the second one, and then individual mistakes cost us the game."
On Dallas' play with the one-goal lead:
"I don't think we let down. I think we did a good enough job of keeping the ball and tried to be a little too direct with our passes in looking for the third one. We could have moved it around a little bit more and made it a little harder defensively. But we were still in control of the game, and there's only going to be one team who is going to win it, who is going to score the third goal. Just when you think you've seen it all, they come up with a second goal."
On the performance of his team and signs of fatigue:
"I thought we dominated the game and outplayed them, so no, I don't think this is a tired team. It's just not going their way at the minute, we're just not getting the breaks. It's important we stay positive. It's the only way we're going to get through this."
On what he thinks the team needs to do during the All-Star Break:
"We're having a sticky patch right now and have to fight our way through it. We've got to go away and get ourselves right for next week. We've got an Open Cup game next Wednesday. I believe and everyone in this room believes, we're a good team, and we're going to be there at the end, and we've got to go away and come back and focus on cutting out the individual mistakes."
