Postgame Quote Sheet
LA Galaxy 5, New York City FC 1
Saturday, August 23, 2015
MLS Regular Season
StubHub Center – Carson, California
LA GALAXY HEAD COACH AND GENERAL MANAGER BRUCE ARENA
On the game:
“Well another game where we won and got three points, that is the most important thing. Certainly the goals are great but we played well today. After the first 15 minutes I thought NYC FC was all over us, but once we settled in we played pretty well.”
On the atmosphere of the game:
“Yes, I think anytime you are in this kind of environment and you take success it’s good, and I think this will eventually become a norm in this league; not only here, but in all the venues around the league. If anything, today, I think it tells about the growth of this league and the kind of support we are getting in the market is phenomenal. I do remember I coached in the opening game of this league in 1996, and we’ve come light years. Today was maybe a bit of recognition of the growth of the league, and certainly we have a long way to go, but we are certainly pleased to have these types of games today and obviously more in the future. We wish it would’ve been 30 degrees cooler, but we don’t control the weather.”
On Robbie Keane’s performance:
“He played very well. I think he and Dos Santos have a great relationship. I think Gyasi had an excellent second half. Lletget continues to play well and the tandem between Juninho and Gerrard is spectacular. Our back line was very good. Robbie Rogers played one of his better games of the year. Leonardo continues to do well along with the whole group. It’s been a real team effort and I am pleased with Robbie’s performance and the guys who scored goals, but it’s all about the team here and I think today we continue to see this team grow in this first eleven get better and better the more they play together.”
On difference between performance during the first half and second half:
“I think we just started passing a little bit better and certainly in these conditions today, if you exert a lot of energy to start you are going to hit the wall a little bit and I think they were tired towards the end of the first half. I just give them credit , and we didn’t play well in the early going.”
On performance from the defense:
“Well they’ve played very well for a long time and I think we are certainly aware of the danger of Villa, and he still had opportunities and continued to be dangerous and we tried to get around Pirlo a little bit. The guy is an exceptional player and once they get Lampard on the field they are going to be a real good team. We had a good 65 minutes or so, and we were tough to beat today.”
On Galaxy continually building momentum in second half of season:
“Well I think our quality gets better as we get into games. One of our faults has been that we haven’t started games well enough and maybe today is another example. We didn’t concede a goal but when we get into a rhythm we get pretty good, and certainly anytime you have a lead going at the halftime it’s difficult on the opponent. In our case, teams get aggressive and they come forward when they throw a lot of people in the attack. Our counterattack is very good and we have an advantage of finding Keane and Dos Santos and then others join in and we are very dangerous going forward. When we are positioned where other teams have to get a goal, I think we get even better.”
On Giovani dos Santos’ first 90 minutes in MLS play:
“Again, like most of the team his start to the game could’ve been a little bit better, but his passing and running off the ball and his understanding with the players is getting better. He had a goal and set up a couple other goals, but just an overall good performance.”
On the difference between Giovani dos Santos’ position out wide and up top:
“I think Gyasi [Zardes] is better suited right now to play in the midfield than Gio is, and that is the reason for it. Gyasi’s got an incredible tank and can run all day, and I think over 90 minutes he certainly gets an advantage to the guy he’s matched up against. Gio’s fitness is coming around, but I think you will see both of them switching positions as we get into the remainder of the year.”
On national team taking a closer look at Sebastian Lletget:
“I used to be the national team coach and they don’t need anyone’s recommendations. That is their job, and I’m sure he gets plenty of recommendations. He’s still young and he’s growing and we need to give it a little bit of time, but those are decisions they are going to make.”
LA GALAXY FORWARD ROBBIE KEANE
On scoring another five goals at home:
“Towards the end, we looked like we were going to score a lot of goals. In the first 15 minutes, we didn’t have control of the game, but once we got a hold of the game and stopped them from playing, from getting on the ball, I thought we were the better team and once we got that first goal, I think it was always going to be the case that we were going to win… I’m disappointed with giving the goal away obviously. But it was a good day at the office, a good performance as a team. I thought in terms of the way we played, we moved the ball quickly, I thought that was fantastic.”
On having one goal despite multiple first-half opportunities:
“It’s just the way it is. That’s football. We could have been two or three up [by halftime]. The most important thing we said at halftime was to be patient, to keep moving the ball. I said that as soon as we start getting four or five passes together, we opened the team up and we caught them a lot of times with the counter-attack.”
On how they can continue this form:
“It’s up to us to continue. We know we have the players that are capable of continuing to do this. If we don’t concede too many goals, we’re going to be a hard team to beat because we’ve got quality in this side. We’ve got players who can score goals. The good thing is, if you look at the front four, everyone scored today, which is always a good sign. And you’ve got [Juninho] and [Steven Gerrard] who can also score. Certainly, there are exciting times ahead. But we’ve got to continue, not get carried away, continue the way we’ve been playing for the last month. As long as we can do that, I think we’ll be fine.”
On what playing an MLS match with so many stars means:
“It says that this league is serious. It’s the league that people want to be in. We get phone calls all the time from international players that want to come here, that want to play. Years ago, there were certain leagues that people want to go and play. This is the league.”
LA GALAXY FORWARD GIOVANI DOS SANTOS
On the team’s perfomance:
“I think we have very good players. We are playing very good. We have very good midfielders and also [Robbie] Keane is playing very good, Gyasi [Zardes] as well, Sebasian [Lletget] as well. We are doing food things up front.”
On playing 90 minutes in each game in the past week and how his fitness is:
“Better, it’s getting better. I feel fit, and I’m happy for the confidence the coaches give me. I hope to keep working hard and help the team.”
On his performance:
“I’m getting better. I know my teammates better every single day. I’m working hard every day so I think we are having fun every single game and that is good for the team.”
On partnership with Robbie Keane:
“I know [Robbie] Keane from my time at Tottenham. He is a top class player and he is a good friend of mine. We feel very comfortable out there on the pitch.”
On reaching top fitness and being able to shift down to midfield:
“I play wherever the coach needs me. We have a lot of players that can play in that part of the pitch. I feel very comfortable playing behind Keane and I feel very good there.”
[Translated from Spanish]
On feelings about the game:
“I’m happy. Truth is I feel happier every game.”
On the game’s atmosphere:
“The support from the fans is very important to us. The support was just incredible. The players all felt it and we are very thankful with the fans.”
In comparing the game’s atmosphere to games played in Europe:
“Well it’s different settings. Every time I would come play to the U.S. with the national team all the fans would treat us very well and now with the Galaxy the support is incredible. I’ve said it before, I feel right at home and you can tell I am enjoying myself on the field. The fan support really motivates me and that’s why I’m even happier.”
On his great start with the Galaxy:
“I always try to do my best with the team. I am very happy with the start and with the team’s performances. Like you said, this is just the start. There are still a lot more games left to play and more objectives to achieve.”
On his message to fans for all support they have shown:
“I am very thankful to all the fans that have shown their support. I always take them with me and I’m always thankful for all their support throughout my career.”
On the team scoring 10 goals in one week:
“I think that the team is doing great up top, and it’s also true the team is performing very well in defense. Obviously the team is playing very well and that puts us at ease. We are all fit and you can notice that on the field.”
LA GALAXY MIDFIELDER STEVEN GERRARD:
On amount of goals scored:
“It’s because we are a good team and we’ve got good players, but I think to get the goals and rewards you have to do the dirty work. You have to run hard and work together as a team and I thought we did that.”
On finding themselves after the first 20 minutes:
“Well I think New York is a good team and we sort of had to work them out, and that did take a bit of time. When we settled into the game, I thought we completely controlled three quarters of the match and certainly deserved to be comfortable.”
On Robbie Keane’s performance:
“It’s the same most weeks, when the guy is in form, sharp, and injury free he is always going to get goals. His movement is clever. The one disappointment I’ve got personally is that third goal on the hat trick. Everyone in this dressing room is desperate for Robbie to go on and achieve the MVP again. We all have responsibilities to keep serving him and keep providing goals scored and chances for him, and we are certainly doing that.”
On passing between him and Keane that almost resulted in a goal:
“I’ve never been a selfish player and I am certainly a player for the team. The important thing today is always the win. It’s nice to always get goals and win in style, and it would’ve been nice to get an extra goal, but maybe in the future I need to be a little bit more selfish.”
On talking with Frank Lampard:
“I spoke to him before the game and was disappointed he wasn’t available to play the game today. It was a great match and occasion. The good thing is that he’s nearly fit and we all want to see Frank do well in the MLS. He was a good teammate of mine and we wish him the best of luck for the rest of the season.”
On playing with so many international players on the field:
“I think it is normal for me. I am quite used to being surrounded by talented players and I think the good thing for me today which makes me smile is that the supporters are getting the chance to see quality players coming and embracing the league. I think it showed well today and it was good to be a part of it.”
On the atmosphere:
“I thought the fans were terrific today and it was a very nice atmosphere to play in. You can feel the fans behind us and with us the whole game. It was nice to reward them with a good performance.”
On A.J. DeLaGarza and Leonardo:
“I thought Leo was the man of the match today. It might surprise a few people, but he’s been growing every week and I thought he was very calm on the ball tonight and made some very vital interceptions. He’s a young man who is learning the game and I was really impressed.”
On Sebastian Lletget’s performance:
“He’s a good player. He’s certainly come here with a point to prove and week in and week out he is growing and learning the game. I thought it was a very unselfish performance from him today. He combined very well with Robbie Rogers on the left side. He got his goal and he put in a really good shift for the team. I think all around from front to back today we all gave a good shift for the team.”
On his and Juninho’s performance in the midfield:
“I’m happy. I’ve settled in well and I feel in good form. I feel confident, but for me the special mention should go to Juninho. He’s a pleasure to play with and we are learning off each other very quickly. He’s a good guy and I’d like him to get all the attention. I thought he was superb today.”
NEW YORK CITY FC HEAD COACH JASON KREIS
On today's game:
“I think we ran up against the best team in the league and they punished our mistakes pretty severely. We started out the game, I thought, really really well but the first sign of a bad mistake in the back, a giveaway in the back, led to a clear chances for the Galaxy and the momentum completely shifted and I don't think we ever gained it back. We still have a lot to learn about how to be mentally strong and how to get the momentum back in games because I think it is happening to us quite often where we have spells where we are good and them something happens in the game and everything completely shifts and we have a hard time getting that back.”
On not having Frank Lampard available:
“I think a player like Frank [Lampard] in the midfield for us would certainly make a difference. He's a veteran player with a ton of experience that can communicate and can lead the guys around him. He might be the guy that we need to stem the tide when things are going a little but south for us. Unfortunately we wasn't quite fit enough to really contribute for us today. We will have an entire week to try to get him involved in full trainings and fit for next weekend.”
On what the team needs to defensively:
“I think its continued work with organization with our back four and the players in front of them. I think today we got caught on counter attacks a lot against a team I said before they are the best in the league at that right now and you see that with a lot of the score lines that they have. They are scoring a ton of goals, they are a defensively sound team that hits you in transition very well.”
NEW YORK CITY FC FORWARD DAVID VILLA
[Translated from Spanish]
On today's game:
“We got outplayed by a better team. After the first 20 minutes they started to get into the game. They played better, they defended better and they attacked better and the score reflects that.”
On the team's performance:
“We trained hard for this game. In the first 20 we played the way we prepared for this game. We were playing well and almost scored a goal but them we stopped doing what we were doing. We you play against a great team, let's acknowledge that they are a great team, they are a better team than us, they are the defending champions. When you play against a team better that you the only thing you can do is stay 100 percent focused and after the 20th minute we didn't do that.”
NEW YORK CITY FC MIDFIELDER KWADWO POKU
On bouncing back from this loss:
“We came into the locker room and everyone was talking about it. It is not something that we expected. It happens we just have to forget about it. We have our next game on Saturday and that is a crucial game too, we definitely have to win that game if we want to make it to the next stage.”
On today's game:
“We didn't expect that, we know that is what they do but we played well for the first 20 to 25 minutes handling that but after the first goal everything changed. We were a little bit disorganized and they took care of their chances, great stuff from them.”
On playing higher up the field during the second half:
“When it was 2-0 or 3-0 I thought we just had to push forward because we were already down. We just had to push forward and try to create some chances or get some goals to come back in the game that is why I pushed forward but it didn't work that way but like I said we are just going to keep our heads up and forward and focus on the next game.”
