Postgame Quote Sheet
LA Galaxy 4, Toronto FC 0
Saturday, July 4, 2015 – 7:30 p.m. PT
MLS Regular Season
StubHub Center – Carson, California
LA GALAXY HEAD COACH BRUCE ARENA
On Toronto’s performance:
“Think about this Toronto team and you add Jozy [Altidore] and Michael Bradley – they are going to be a very good team as they close out the second half of the season. [Sebastian] Giovinco is very good, with all his teammates around him I can imagine that they will be a very outstanding attacking team.”
On the Galaxy’s decision to release Stefan Ishizaki:
“Tonight was Ishizaki last game for the Galaxy. We’ve granted him a release and he’s going to be heading home to Sweden to finalize his career. His wife is due with twins very shortly, so it’s a move necessary for him and his family. We want to thank him for his outstanding contribution over the last 18 months. He’s done an outstanding job.”
On Robbie Keane’s performance:
“Good job. He’s getting sharper each and every game. It’s been a while. Missing a couple of months is never easy and it takes some games. Robbie’s needed about a month, month and a half to get going again. He’s only going to get better.”
On Sebastian Lletget’s performance:
“He continues to play well. He’s a good player. He uses his body well. What more can you say? He’s probably scored four or five goals for us as well. He’s made an outstanding contribution.”
On Brian Rowe’s performance:
“I thought he had a good solid game. He had to make a big save in the second half on Giovinco, came out, punched some balls and his distribution was pretty good. I think the other night in San Jose was a little bit of a rocky start and game for him. I think he needed that game to get settled in and tonight he looked pretty composed.”
On the team’s performance:
“It was good. The start of the second half wasn’t good on our behalf, but we certainly expected that approach by Toronto. They did a pretty good job getting after us. The third goal was critical.”
On Baggio Husidic’s performance:
“Solid game. Typical game for Baggio. With the addition of Gerrard, we will be able to move him in a more comfortable position where he likes to play. Baggio’s had a very good year for us.”
On Sebastian Giovinco:
“We were aware of where he was and whenever we could – we brought a second player around him to help stand him up – we did that.”
On what Ishizaki brought to the Galaxy:
“We needed a right sided midfielder, an experienced player. He brought that. He was a very good teammate. Well-liked by everyone. In his first year, he helped win a championship for us. He has positioned our team again to be a team that hopefully can make the playoffs and contend for another MLS Cup. He’s been an outstanding player for us and we’ll miss him.”
On the impact that Steven Gerrard will have on the Galaxy:
“When you insert a player of his caliber, things are going to look different. He’s obviously a first class player. He’s going to make us better in the midfield. He’s going to improve our passing as a team; he can score goals; he’s outstanding on set pieces; there are a lot of things that he should add to our team. We are going to let him have the proper time to get him integrated. He’s going to need some games and get used to his teammates and his teammates getting used to him. Once he gets settled in, he’s going to make an outstanding contribution.”
LA GALAXY FORWARD ROBBIE KEANE
On fitness level:
“Like I said during the week, it is important that some of the players stay back because the last game against San Jose, we looked a little leggy in the second half. You can see the difference in the players that stayed back, in the way they performed, that was a great performance. Certainly the first half was a good performance, the way we passed, the way we moved, the players looked really sharp. Certainly feel a lot better than I did. There were signs in the last few weeks, when you’re out for so long, it can be difficult to get into the swim of things. But I’ve worked hard in the gym, and have continued to work hard on the training field, and when you do that, it pays off. Like you’ve seen tonight, I felt very, very sharp and obviously delighted with the three goals, but most importantly delighted with the three points.”
On hat trick:
“No such thing as an easy hat trick. I wish it was, if that was the case I’d score a hat trick every week. You have to finish them. You have to be in the right place at the right time. When opportunities are like that, just be ready. Always wait for someone to make a mistake, always expect the unexpected. The hat trick, the goalie didn’t see me, and I anticipated it and got in. So I’m delighted, but it was about how I felt really more than anything else. I felt like I was just getting there last week, and then San Jose away, it was a bit of a shamble. To play in that stadium, and then getting go-carts to the field, it was just ridiculous. But tonight you can see, Galaxy was back to our self and it was a good performance.”
LA GALAXY MIDFIELDER SEBASTIAN LLETGET
On scoring late goal:
“Like I’ve said before, after today I’m just focused on the next one next Saturday. I’m just focused on getting another goal, and we’re going to use training, and I’m going to use training to the fullest to get prepared. I went in, and it came out for me, but that’s what I practice, that is what I do. ”
On penalty call:
“I did feel contact, and I went down because of it. That’s my spot apparently, that left corner of the box is where they like to get me. It did [ball from Robbie Rogers] that was a great little cutback, and I read it and turned, and I just used the momentum of the pace of the ball and then the guy touched me.”
On Robbie Keane’s hat trick:
“It just shows his quality day in and day out. He is a top player, top captain, and it’s a blessing for me to play with him.”
On fitness level:
“This is what we were hoping for, and I felt a lot better. I made it, and I even had enough energy to get inside the box and score a goal at the end.”
On Stefan Ishizaki’s departure:
“It’s really sad, we only found out not too long ago. So leading up to this game was pretty emotional, especially for him. For all of us, it isn’t easy to see him go. He is such a good guy, and a good player, so it’s going to be a loss. We wish him the very, very best, and I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
LA GALAXY MIDFIELDER STEFAN ISHIZAKI
On emotions during last match:
“Like I told Bruce when I asked him about me leaving back to Sweden, I said this one of the hardest decisions that I’ve ever had to make. But it is for the sake of my family, and it’s always tough. I’m leaving a great, great club, leaving great friends, and great athletes. So I just want to thank everyone, from the head office, to the staff, to the trainers, coaches, all the players, and everyone around. I just want to thank everyone. It has been a great year and a half, and I’m going to miss it. It’s going to be one of those memories that I’m going to have with me for the rest of my life. Getting a cup out of it was all I wanted from this experience. Winning something and going back to Sweden as a champion. I’m happy with what I’ve performed here, but I’m very sad that I have to leave. But like I said, it’s something that I feel that I have to do for my family.”
LA GALAXY DEFENDER A.J. DELAGARZA
On Sebastian Giovinco:
“We know how dangerous he has been for them. Our goal is to limit his chances, limit him running at us. I know he is going to get a few chances every game, no matter how you play. He is a player that is going to find his space, and when he did get the ball, we did a descent enough job to limit those dangerous shots on goal; and his dangerous passes. We just had to get around him, whoever is closest to him has to get around him, not let him turn. We want to get a body on him early, and not let turn on us. A player of that caliber, you want to stop what he is good at, but he is good at it for a reason.”
On playing on the right:
“I’ve done that a lot, especially in the last couple of years. I’ve been in the middle, I think this year even, at the start of the season, when I came back I did that a lot. So it’s nothing new, I just have to get better at it.”
On Robbie Keane’s hat trick:
“You have to be in the right spots, and he definitely knows where to be on those. It’s never easy to get three goals in one game, but if there is any way to make it look easy that was probably it.”
On Stefan Ishizaki’s departure:
“Quality player, we are going to miss his dangerous service, probably the best crosser on this team and Bruce is harped on that since he has been here every day in practice. So I’m just going to miss him, and a great guy off the field as well.”
TORONTO FC HEAD COACH GREG VANNEY
On tonight's game:
“There were far too many mistakes on both sides of the ball to be able to come into this stadium against this team and get a result. A lot of things defensively and offensively were just too loose. They are a good team. They are an experienced team and they exploited the weaknesses we had on the day for sure so credit to them.”
On the team's performance:
“We got off to a wrong start by giving up a PK goal 8 minutes in, I haven't seen it so I don't have an opinion, but we got off on the wrong side of it. Early on we had some good moments of possession. I thought we were finding ways to create some havoc for them but we always looked a little but vulnerable on the defending side and we always looked a little vulnerable in transition when we gave up balls. I thought some things were loose for sure in defending and some of the relationship we developed over a number of games, it's different guys and they are trying to get locked in against a good team that creates some problems and attacks fast in transition. All in all as a group it wasn't good enough and you have to have a good team performance here to get a result.”
TORONTO FC DEFENDER ERIQ ZAVALETA:
On tonight's game:
They are a team that is very good at home. There is a lot of space on that field and we didn't do a good enough job at keeping things tight. From front to back they had a lot of space to operate and when they have a lot of space to operate they are very good. They created a lot of chances some of which we were able to hold up but when you have that many chances you are bound to score goals.
On the team's performance:
“When they have space and create chances they are going to score goals. We started the game off with a penalty within 10 minutes. That is tough to do and come back from anywhere especially in LA that is tough to do. They are a team that is very good and we have to open ourselves up a bit after giving up a goal. We have seen LA do that to many teams throughout the years and today was one of those nights.”
TORONTO FC MIDFIELDER JAY CHAPMAN:
On his first start:
“I think it was okay from my personal stand point but obviously I would like to have got the win with my first start but personally I think I did alright. I didn't do good enough obviously because we lost but it's a full team performance it's not just defensive mistakes guys like me have to score and I have to be better. For my first start it's okay for me but I am not satisfied yet.”
On the team's performance:
“Obviously LA is really good at home and they have a great fan base. It is tough place to play. I think there were just little mistakes, correctable mistakes, that let us down today so we'll get back to the training ground and we'll be better for the next game and we'll just put this game behind us.”
