MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER QUOTE SHEET
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2004 - KANSAS CITY WIZARDS 1, COLORADO RAPIDS 0
KANSAS CITY WIZARDS HEAD BOB GANSLER
On the team's third win in eight days:
"We have played three 1-0 games in a week and they have all been of significance. Tonight the first 15 minutes were the most important because for sure the other team is going to come in here and find a tired bunch. It was mind over matter and we came out and were the better side totally in the first half. The only thing that was missing was the goal. We got it in the second half and understandably you start playing a little more tactically. We certainly wanted to get another one, but they were spent and you can only run so many miles."
His thoughts on his team:
"They have been outstanding. I'm speechless. I didn't expect them to bring that much in terms of work, in terms if intensity, in terms of concentration, as they did tonight. We know we had a motivated team on the other side and a good team. We played three good teams in eight days and not allowing a goal, with some different people playing here, there and everywhere."
On Igor Simutenkov:
"Igor has a new title, it is called 'designated scorer'. I tried to explain it to him that in baseball you have designated hitters, and for us he is going to be the designated scorer. Igor only has enough right now for 30 minutes. I would have preferred to bring him in a little later. Diego Walsh gave us a good first half. I wish he could have given us another 15 or 20, but we had to bring in Igor a little early. After while, we had to play a little tactically. It became a matter of being resilient enough not to give up a goal."
KANSAS CITY WIZARDS GOALKEEPER BO OSHONIYI
On when he knew he was starting:
"I didn't know (I was starting) until about 10 or 15 minutes before kickoff. It is just one of those things with Tony's (Meola) injury, we just have to play it by ear. He tried to go in warmups and he just couldn't go. So it was basically a spot start for me and it was great to get a result. It is difficult to get in the right frame of mind that quickly before the start, but it is all part or my job."
On the team's defense:
"Defensively we are playing good with Jimmy (Conrad), Nicky (Garcia), Jose (Burciaga) and Alex (Zotinca) and Kerry (Zavagnin) and Diego (Gutierrez) ahead of them, they have a good understanding and are limiting teams chances and they are making my job a lot easier."
KANSAS CITY WIZARDS MIDFIELDER DIEGO GUTIERREZ
On the team:
"We are gaining some confidence. We have put together three consecutive pretty good efforts obviously with whoever is manning the nets, whether it's Tony or its Bo. Even though we would like to score more, we are showing we can win those tight games. I think we are getting the kind of results we need at the end of the year."
COLORADO RAPIDS HEAD COACH TIM HANKINSON
On the Wizards goal:
"We were trying to make a substitution because we felt that we needed better defending on that side of the park, and Simutenkov came in on that side before we got our sub in and took advantage of it."
On the play of his team:
"Overall the fight was good, the boys battled hard and should feel good about the effort they put in. Certainly it's a reversal of what we saw in New England a week ago, but we didn't create enough quality chances tonight, which is hard to do on the road in Kansas City. We knew that it was going to be a match where we had to continue to play and battle for 90 minutes and look for your moments, but unfortunately the moment came for them."
On the playoff picture in the West:
"The only team that doesn't matter in this scenario is the last place team. We're not in the playoffs yet, but our focus all the way has been to make the playoffs, and until we do it's not an analysis of the other teams, it's about playing better so we can get a playoff berth and be playing well entering the playoffs."
COLORADO RAPIDS FORWARD JOHN SPENCER
On the contact in the box late in the second half:
"I don't know. All I know is that I got WWFed to the ground, I felt like I got hit by "The Rock" for sure and all I could hear was the fans going 'oooohhhh' so it must have been something. But unfortunately the referee didn't see it that way."
On the Rapids playoff hopes going into the final two games:
"It's important that we know how important the next two games are. If you cannot go and win games at home to get into the playoffs then you probably don't deserve to be there. We know what he need to do and we've been pretty strong at Invesco Field so hopefully we can do it."
COLORADO RAPIDS CAPTAIN PABLO MASTROENI
On the play of his team:
"Going from last week's game I think that this week was a great improvement it that we battled for 90 minutes, and it was only one mistake at the back cost us the game. But I think that we have some positives to take home with us into training."
On the playoff race in the West:
"Regardless of where other teams are, we just have to focus on what we need to do in these two home games. I think that these next two home games in two weeks will give us the opportunity to continue working on things that we've had trouble with in the past, but also getting the maximum six points and rolling into the playoffs with a head of steam."
