Postgame Quote Sheet
LA Galaxy 1, FC Dallas 2
Saturday, May 9, 2015 – 5:30 p.m. PT
MLS Regular Season
Toyota Stadium – Frisco, Texas
LA GALAXY HEAD COACH BRUCE ARENA
On tonight's game...
We didn't do well at the end of the game, the last 15 minutes or so, and that's my responsibility. When a team plays that poorly on the road, they're not well coached. We blew a lot of points this week. We could have walked away with maybe six points this week, instead we walk away with one, and that's my responsibility. I have not done a good job with this team to get them tactically right at the end of games.
On the LA goal that was nullified by an offside call...
I think the ball hit Tommy Meyer in an offside position.
LA GALAXY FORWARD GYASI ZARDES
On tonight's game...
It was the last 10 minutes. We played our butts off for 80 minutes and then we made a simple mistake on a set piece. We could have easily gotten a point out of this game. All it takes is being switched off for one second and that happened.
LA GALAXY DEFENDER OMAR GONZALEZ
On tonight's game...
I thought for 75, 80 minutes, whenever they scored, I thought we played very well. Second half, we played too many long balls that, with the wind, weren't connecting at all. We got our goal and the tide sort of changed then late in the 70th minute when they got their goal, we just fell apart. It's disappointing. We could have come out of here with a point, but then we let them score the second goal.
On how the team performed late in the game...
Sometimes we try to attack too much and that left us vulnerable in the back with their very fast attackers. (Fabian) Castillo doesn't play much defense and that allows him to stay up top and get ready for any counterattacks. He's very good at that, and we have to be aware of that and have someone protecting our backs. Instead, we got too spread apart pressing their backs when we should have been tighter together playing more as a unit.
LA GALAXY MIDFIELDER ROBBIE ROGERS
On tonight's game...
I thought for most of the game we played very compact, and it was a whole team that defended well. We were very smart at times, when to go long, hold the ball, draw fouls, or when to foul them, and I thought in the last 15 minutes we lost that about our game. We were a little naive at times and got caught really spread out with open spaces and they are a team that will punish you with so many great, attacking players. I thought there were a lot of positives about tonight, but we have to learn how to finish that game off.
FC DALLAS HEAD COACH OSCAR PAREJA
Thoughts on the match…
When this group of players is asked to push their limits, they go beyond that to make things happen even when adversity comes. That's what happened today in a very tough game where we found a team who tried to control the middle with a lot of players there. I don't think any of the team dominated at any part of the game, but I knew the game could go any way in any moment due to the way both teams played tonight. When [LA] Galaxy scored, we saw one more time that they really pushed their limits high and I'm very happy today.
On Tesho Akindele's performance...
Tonight [Tesho Akindele] came and pushed his limits. I'm proud of him, because he showed us that we have a team, a group of individuals that get on the field and try to develop an idea. When they do it together, it looks good.
On Mauro Diaz playing a full 90 minutes...
The last 15 minutes for Mauro [Diaz] were great, unbelievable. I was happy to see him that strong and that brilliant still, even when he was tired. That's when the game demands the most. In the last 15 minutes he was Mauro Diaz.
On Je-Vaughn Watson...
We all know Je-Vaughn - he gives you his heart and more than that. The most important thing for me tonight is that he's sticking to the fundamentals tactically. I don't think anyone will notice that was the first time in that position, ever. He did it tremendously and I think it just shows his personality and commitment.
FC DALLAS FORWARD BLAS PEREZ
On getting the win in the final minutes of the match…
The team always manages to find that second push…an extra breath of air that it needs at the end of the game. In the final 15 minutes of matches, we know that if we work hard, we will find something. It is emotional. We were suffering a bit, but in the end we were able to find the full three points at home.
On playing with Mauro Diaz…
With Mauro, you need to expect anything. He is a magician with the ball at his feet. Today, he was able to give us a bit of magic and lead us to the win. We’re very happy to have him back in the lineup.
On being the named the team captain for the match…
I guess it was my turn to be the captain after Zach [Loyd] and Matt [Hedges] went down. It gave me an extra bit of motivation. It was an additional bit of responsibility but you always have to work hard and look for the respect of your peers in each training session and each game. The experience I have… the years I have played have built a lot of character in me that allows me to be an example for the younger players. It gave me an extra kick for today’s game and it helped us get the victory.
FC DALLAS MIDFIELDER VICTOR ULLOA
General thoughts on the match…
It is a great win for us. Going down, 1-0, and then coming back to get the win shows we never gave up. We always believed. We pushed forward and got great goals from Blas [Perez] and Tesho [Akindele].
On the importance of collecting points at home before going on an extended road trip later this month…
We knew we had two games at home and then we go on the road for five straight. We knew the importance of getting the win here tonight. We’re glad that we did.
On the LA Galaxy’s tactics…
They were pushing a lot of players into the middle. They were trying to outnumber us. Oscar [Pareja] came in at halftime and told us that we needed to be more involved in the attack. We needed to be a little bit more dynamic and have more mobility. We did that in the second half.
FC DALLAS FORWARD TESHO AKINDELE
On coming out of his ‘sophomore slump…’
I guess… It’s the media’s job to write about the things that are happening and I had not scored in a while but it’s my job to stay focused and score goals. Everybody is doing their job. It was a fast break for us. They were playing a bit cautious – probably trying to delay until help could arrive. We work on that in training every day. People only see the one in the game, but I did that 200 times this week. That is what comes of it. It was an amazing feeling. Mauro [Diaz] had the ball on the opposite side of the field. Everyone was concentrating on him. I just tried to stay open. I know he can pick people out on a pass. When I received the pass, I had a one-on-one in the box, which is always a good situation to be in for a forward.
