MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER QUOTE SHEET
SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2005 - COLUMBUS CREW 2, KANSAS CITY WIZARDS 0
COLUMBUS CREW HEAD COACH ROBERT WARZYCHA
On the game:
"To be honest with you I wasn't happy with the first half, because it looked like we were a little bit slower than Kansas City. They moved the ball really well and I thought they moved well without the ball and it caused us some problems in the beginning. Especially Klein coming in the middle and Sasha, the two dives in the box that could have gone either way, I'm glad they went our way this time. The second half I felt like they had some long range shots, but I really wasn't even worried about it."
"I think from now on we are going to see Kyle Martino like we always wanted to see. Tonight he has a terrific game. The first goal was all him. He went after that ball even knowing that he could have been injured. The second one-two with Simon [Elliott] was a terrific ball by Simon, but an even better run by Kyle. His performance was very, very good today."
On Knox Cameron:
"He [Knox Cameron] scored two goals, so I think so. He's a guy that works very, very hard, since the beginning of the season. I think right now he's on the top of his game. He's scored two goals today, so what more can you ask from a forward?"
On the defense:
"Overall I was very happy about the three guys in the back - Robin Fraser, Chris Wingert and Chad Marshall. We had some issues against New York especially in the second half, when Ante Razov got free two times and had the chance to actually do something with ball. But today I thought they played very, very well. There was support and cover, and Kansas City didn't score a goal, so we have to be happy."
On the win:
"It's good for everybody, not only for me, but for the players and you guys too I see".
On the All-Star break:
"I'm worried about this All-Star break, but on the other hand we're going to work on getting in shape and our fitness and other stuff. Hopefully this week will help us perform even better next week."
On Chris Henderson:
"I don't think Chris Henderson was happy about his performance a month after we picked him from Colorado, but I think right now he's very comfortable with what he's doing. We aren't asking him to go forward as much as he was in Colorado. We just want him to be on the flank and be a defender. His role is just very simple, to support who's in front of him. He's doing very well too."
COLUMBUS CREW FORWARD KYLE MARTINO
On the game:
"We put strings that play together that are going to get us goal scoring chances, and that's something we've been struggling with a little bit. At times we possessed the ball well, but it died somewhere and I think tonight the final product was there. And luckily I got to be involved in some of those plays."
On the first goal:
"I thought I was actually going to take a crack and fall down, but he only caught me on the shoulder, so I regained my balance and kept going and saw daylight after that. Cornell [Glen] made a great far post run, but unfortunately he didn't get to finish it. But he kept the play alive and Knox [Cameron] was in the right place at the right time."
COLUMBUS CREW FORWARD KNOX CAMERON
On the game:
"If that's respect than I guess I've got to get used getting knocked in the head."
On scoring:
"We just really want to really continue to work hard under Bobby. We're just getting break right now. It was a great header under the circumstances, but I wasn't having a great game all together. A striker's number one job is to score goals, so I guess all is forgotten once you score a goal. Just getting that first one was a little surreal. It's good to get it out of the way."
On his goals:
"The first one was just Kyle doing what he does best on the wing and was able to get a great a cross. I made a near post run and the ball went far post and I was able to adjust my run, and the ball was just right in front of the goal. I was just telling myself not to trip because it was so wide open. The second one Kyle did another great job beating his guy, and I was able to get front post and tuck it away."
COLUMBUS CREW MIDFIELDER SIMON ELLIOTT
On the game:
"When we get the ball quickly from one side to the other it makes the game easier. Now that we've got three high we always have someone wide. When we were playing with a 4-4-2 the midfielders are working so hard defensively it was tough for them to get back out and high and wide. Sometimes the strikers were more used to playing inside than making little diagonal runs outside, so I think with the three we've already got guys in the right spots, so it makes it easier to get the ball to people."
"I tend to agree with coach Gansler, I think they played [very] well to be fair to them. I don't think they got behind us a whole lot, but they tried to challenge us the first 15 minutes and we couldn't sort ourselves out. I thought we were too square in the middle. If you're going to step on teams you've got to be tight and compact before you do it. I didn't think they played badly at all to be honest."
"It's the first time all year we've got a bit of steam going, but it's a chance to get guys a rest as well, so you can look at it both ways. We're just happy that we've given ourselves a chance to get into the playoffs, since we're almost halfway through the season."
KANSAS CITY WIZARDS HEAD COACH BOB GANSLER
On the game:
"They scored at absolutely the right time of the ball game in order give them the lift going into halftime. For sure we had the better of the game for the first 15-20 minutes. They didn't have a shot for the first 20 minutes or so, but possession is sometimes a fool's paradise. You have to turn that possession into chances and you have to realize some of those chances. It is a 'we' thing. We need to score some more goals and we need to prevent some as well. Last time we won here 4-0, that was not a four-nothing game. Tonight was not a two-nothing game; they were not two goals better then us. Sometimes this game is cruel."
