D.C. UNITED 2, CHIVAS USA 0
D.C. UNITED HEAD COACH PETER NOWAK
On the game:
"I'm going to be grey pretty soon if we have to change the whole mentality and the lineup in the second half. I think all of the talking like, 'We know the first game wasn't the best game in the first half and we have problems.' So, I was working with our players to make sure they treat the game with respect. Chivas played a pretty good game in the first half. They had a couple of chances, basically from the free kicks, but I'm glad we have three points."
On whether he saw a replay of the free kick:
"Not yet, because you guys [the media] were waiting for me, so I didn't want to keep you waiting."
On the game:
"Chivas played pretty good all around the field. We struggled in the middle of the park; this was our main problem. This is why we needed to adjust the situation at halftime, to make sure that they're not going to have an advantage in the middle. I think Ben Olsen and Brian Carroll did a pretty good job. In the second half Clyde Simms came on and I think that was pretty significant and we got better and moved better going forward. We came a very long way to get these three points and we're happy with the win."
On making adjustments:
"We don't need to adjust the situation after every 45 minutes. We have to know what we have to do. As I said, there was a big hole in the middle in the first half, the same as there was against New York, so we need to make sure we recognize the problem and make the adjustment at halftime. Before the next game it will be better and it's going to benefit our team - there's still a lot of work to do."
On not starting Freddy Adu:
"With Christian [Gomez] coming back there was a difficult decision. I talked to Freddy before the game and let him know, but our relationship - you know, his mentality did change. He can impact the game. He played a great ball to Jamil [Walker] and we scored a goal. Unfortunately, for him he didn't score a goal and he's supposed to score, but he impacted the game and it was very good to see him coming in this fashion. As I said, everything is open and we're going to work this week to reward his performance."
On Christian Gomez:
"Christian did pretty good. He was anxious to play the first game and for everybody right now, I wasn't sure that he wasn't going to get his power to go the full 90 minutes, which is why I made a substitution. He will know what he needs to do better in future games."
On Jaime Moreno's first goal:
"He didn't stop even though the ball was played too far. He went there, he put the leg there - you can see in other leagues that some plays just stop when the ball is too far, but he was rewarded for his effort and you know for me, it's important that I can see 11 bodies like that running all around. So, lucky bounce yes, but he went there [and scored], so good for us."
D.C. UNITED DEFENDER BOBBY BOSWELL
On the referee's decisions:
"You know you have to respect the [referee's] decisions. You know we didn't agree that it was a free kick, just like they didn't agree that it didn't go in. I didn't see it, though - I was in the wall. I was in the air and jumped and turned around to see the ball get cleared."
On his play after being ill:
"I was a little sluggish. To say I was feeling really great before the game would be a lie. But, it was good to get out there with the guys and get back on the field and start the season, for me. So, the game was ugly, but the result was good and we're happy with that."
D.C. UNITED FORWARD FREDDY ADU
On coming off the bench:
"You know, you have to just do what's asked of you - no matter what your role is, you just have to come in there and do it. You know that's your job. Today my job was to come in and energize the team."
D.C. UNITED MIDFIELDER JOSH GROS
On the game:
"They're creative and they made some good runs and some good plays. They were dangerous a couple times. I think we sorted it out better in the second half. They were dangerous a few times and we'll learn form that - it's early in the season."
D.C. UNITED FORWARD JAIME MORENO
On his goals:
"The first goal was a ball by Christian [Gomez and] I was fortunate to get there, the keeper tried to hit it out of bounds, but he hit my foot and it went in. And the second one it was a nice ball from Jamil [Walker]. I tried to place it on the side, the 'keeper kind of saved it, but I was fortunate that the ball went in."
On the team's performance:
"We struggled the first half. I didn't think we created good chances, but there were a lot of positive things. We just have to try to get everyone for the next game and try to see where we lack in confidence and try to stop making mistakes."
CHIVAS USA HEAD COACH BOB BRADLEY
On the game:
"I thought we had a good second half; I thought we were able to get at them a little bit more. First half they pressured a lot and it was just good to get through the first half. Again, it's a frustrating game for us - right before their first goal we had created a pretty good chance. Mendoza had a little ball to Razov who whipped in a cross and Palencia was right in front of the goal and Perkins was able to hold onto it - and then they came down and scored, so that was tough. But, I thought we did alright to create some chances to tie it up."
On John O'Brien:
"He's still working his way back into full fitness and it's a wet field, so it didn't feel like it made sense to use him. We'll gauge where he is and hopefully we can keep moving along."
On Claudio Suarez:
"Claudio's been a great leader for us. He organizes the people around him so well, reads the game very, very well - I think he's been a really important player. He's very good with the other players, he's a good example, so we're delighted with what he's been able to do for us."
On the two non-goals:
"Games in D.C., it's very hard given the baseball lines to even see an offiside line, so I can't tell you for sure on the first play when the ball got played to Razov. It was very close, the play continued and the linesman kept his flag up. Replays of the freekick seemed to indicate that the ball was over the line."
CHIVAS USA FORWARD JUAN FRANCISCO PALENCIA
On the difference from last week's game:
"The main difference is this team plays a lot different than Salt Lake. The whole team plays different. The team builds the play from the back to the forward better than other teams. It's different - they know each other. They are a really, really good team and they are going to fight for the championship."
On whether or not the team was unlucky:
"Well, maybe, but I don't believe in lucky - I believe in work. But, I'm happy with the team, that they fought from the beginning to the end. We are fighters and that's what I like about Chivas USA. We want to be one of the most important teams in MLS and we are working at it."
On the team now compared to last year:
"Right now the whole team has two and a half months of playing and practicing. We get along with each other - we're practicing, we're playing, we're fighting. We are much better than last season and we want to show every week when we're playing. I think that it's different and this is a better Chivas than last year and you can feel it when we're playing."
On next week's game versus the Galaxy:
"We have to think about the Galaxy. We want to beat them. We want to erase the losing record that we have to date. We have to work at it from tomorrow to Saturday, so we have to get focused on them and think about them for right now."
