CARSON, Calif. – LA Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena’s thoughts on LA’s 1-1 draw with Seattle Sounders FC.
(On the play of the midfield…)
ARENA: “Solid job. They did a solid job. Maybe at times our passing could have been a little bit better.”
(On Jose Villarreal’s play filling in for Landon Donovan…)
ARENA: “Jose did a good job. Still a young player and playing a game against team with some experience in the back [four] and obviously, they played him hard, they fouled us a lot and obviously had a player sent off because of that. He did a good job.
(On his overall thoughts on the game…)
ARENA: “We just weren’t good enough in the final third of the field, with the final pass or our look at the goal, and it made a difference in the game. We obviously got the one goal called back. I think the officiating was a little bit inconsistent at times. If that was a foul, then maybe Eddie [Johnson] doesn’t get his goal in the first half. I thought it was inconsistent and in a tight games like that, obviously those kinds of plays and calls are what decides the outcome.”
(On how Eddie Johnson ended up wide open on his goal…)
ARENA: “Omar was picked. That simple. He ran around 3 players. We didn’t play it right. That’s why he was wide open. We obviously corrected that in the 2nd half.
(On Franklin playing right back…)
ARENA: He’s been there for a while. I thought that he had a solid game.
(On Juninho’s goal…)
ARENA: “We’ve been waiting all year. On the night, we had a couple of good looks at the goal, and we didn’t force their ‘keeper into making a whole lot of saves. The final product on the night for us was poor, and it was obviously the difference in the game.”
(On the physicality of the game…)
ARENA: “A physical game and the referee decided in the first half not to call anything, and then in the second half, in the last 15 minutes, he called everything. It was a little bit inconsistent at that end, but having said that, it was a fair game that was hard fought between two good teams. What more can you say?”
(On the Galaxy being five points behind of first place with five games remaining…)
ARENA: “Do the math. Figure it out. You have to win games if your five points behind.”
