MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER QUOTE SHEET
SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2005 - COLORADO RAPIDS 4, CHICAGO FIRE 1
COLORADO RAPIDS HEAD COACH FERNANDO CLAVIJO
On the difference from Wednesday:
"It was the same players just the attitude was the most different. I think
we know that if we play from the beginning we can make things happen. We
took a little risk today, we played three in the back when we usually play
four. Not having (Mike) Petke forced us to go in that direction. The change
was the attitude."
On bouncing back after allowing the first goal:
"We reacted well, everybody said ,'Hey that was the first chance we have to
keep playing, doing what we are doing.' We had the ball and we had to make
sure we sent numbers forward and (there was) great finishing."
COLORADO RAPIDS MIDFIELDER ALAIN NKONG
On scoring two goals:
"It's a great feeling, to score two goals for the first time in my career
here in MLS, it is just overwhelming."
On rebounding from a 1-0 deficit:
"We felt the pressure after 15 minutes, going down, but we spoke about it on
the field and even at halftime that we have to go out there despite the
score and keep on going, keep on going forward and keep on working to get
the result and it paid off today."
COLORADO RAPIDS FORWARD JEFF CUNNINGHAM
On leading the league in goal:
"Obviously it feels good to be the top scorer in the league but more
importantly it's the result I'm happy with."
On his All-Star snub:
"For sure (I want to be at the All-Star game). I feel like there are a few
players on this team that definitely deserve an All-Star selection. I will
just celebrate with the fans that feel the same way."
CHICAGO FIRE HEAD COACH DAVE SARACHAN
On the score:
"Well it was a pretty promising start with getting the first goal but we had
too many opportunities that we gave away. A number of mistakes were made led
to us directly getting punished and we didn't take advantage of the momentum
of getting the first goal. Our passing and our movement was poor and they
took advantage of that and we never recovered."
On surprising attacks:
"We were prepared for it and the plays they made were a result of our
mistakes. It wasn't a situation where they exploited certain situations and
we had a number of guys that didn't measure up tonight. We were playing a
team that had just lost and were playing at home. When you give away four
goals, it is not a good thought to dwell on. Hopefully it gets better."
CHICAGO FIRE FORWARD WILL JOHNSON
On his first MLS start:
"I was excited before the game and got off to a great start with a few good
tackles and a goal but we just sort of lacked energy today. We made mistakes
and at this level when you make mistakes, you get scored on."
On his first goal:
"You always want to go out there and score a goal, but I am not the guy who
has to go out there and score. I am just trying to help the team win."
CHICAGO FIRE DEFENDER JACK STEWART
On his first start:
"It was good to get the start but I wish that we had a better result. We had
stupid turnovers which cost us the game. I am happy with the first full 90
minutes I got to play."
On what went wrong:
"I mean it was a combination of [the] Rapids' attack and our mistakes."
