LA GALAXY HEAD COACH AND GENERAL MANAGER BRUCE ARENA
On the team’s approach to facing a 10-man San Jose in the second half:
“Obviously in possession we had to do a better job with our spacing and our passing. When they had the ball, we really had to get after them and press. Certainly the two early goals in the second half were the difference in the game, and probably the red card in the first half.”
On midfielder Baggio Husidic’s substitute performance:
“He did a solid job. It’s never easy in the beginning of a game for a reserve to come on that quickly, and I thought he adjusted quickly and did a solid job.”
On Jelle Van Damme’s performance:
“He had a big game. [Quincy] Amarikwa is a difficult player to play against and they had a good battle on the night. For the most part I thought he did pretty well.”
On potential injuries testing the depth of the LA Galaxy roster:
“[Having depth] is important. Obviously I’m concerned about it, but I’m also looking forward to seeing some of the other guys get on the field and help us. Over the next couple weeks, we’ll figure out what we’re going to do. The travel for the international players will be difficult and likely, when we travel to Vancouver, we are going to have a number of changes in the lineup and that’s good to see where we’re at with some of those players.”
LA GALAXY FORWARD GYASI ZARDES
On the game:
“In the first half they were very compact, but in the second half we knew they were down a man so we tried to capitalize on attacking and going forward and I think once we bagged in the first goal, they really opened up because they knew they had to score so they couldn’t really sit in deep.”
On his second goal:
“It was a cross and it was obviously misjudged by the keeper and a couple of players and I actually read it wrong, as well. Luckily I have long legs and was able to catch it and guide it towards the goal.”
On what Jelle Van Damme offers to the team offensively:
“Offensively, he is a great attacking threat. His left foot is clinical but he can spread the ball. He can find our wingers and he can find our forwards and I think that is a key thing for a defender. Especially a center back who can see the whole field. He’s a huge threat on attacking set pieces and even defensively. He’s a great addition to the team. He’s an aerial threat. Once you see him strike a ball with his left foot, you know he’s clinical.”
On the team’s injuries and how it affects the group:
“It affects us having key players go out, but that gives an opportunity for the younger guys or the guys who have not seen the field to bring it all at training and try to play a specific role for those guys. I’m hoping our injured guys get healed up and I think we have some time off.”
On scoring two goals tonight:
“It feels amazing to score some goals and get back on the score sheet; first couple of goals for the year. It feels great. It’s wonderful.”
On his first goal:
“As a striker, I always know the ball is going to come to me. I’m just always thinking that way. Even if it doesn’t, I’m just thinking the ball is going to come to me. I saw it deflect off of Jelle Van Damme and the other defender’s head and my first initial thought was to go to the ball before [Chris Wondolowski]. Sure enough, I got it.”
On tonight’s hard fought game:
“It’s a California Clasico, one of the big games of the year. Our fan base knows it and we know it as well. We knew once we stepped foot on this field we wanted to win.”
LA GALAXY FORWARD ROBBIE KEANE
On if he was impressed with the way the team came out in the second half:
“Not really. I think the only reason we came out was because they had 10 men. It’s simple as that. I think it would have been a completely different game if they didn’t get a man sent off in the first half. We weren’t good enough at creating chances and we were just a bit slow at times.”
On what needs to change about the team’s offense:
“Create more chances. Keep the ball. That’s two games that I haven’t touched the ball very often…so changing the system or something because when you play the front on your own, naturally you don’t get many touches as a number nine. But what you should be doing is getting some chances in and I haven’t gotten any chances in the last few games so that’s a bit disappointing. So hopefully that will change in the next few weeks.”
On if it was still a positive for Gyasi [Zardes] to net his first goals of the season:
“It’s always good for any player to score goals. It builds everybody’s confidence, certainly as a player. It’s good for him and good for the team that we got the three points. But, I don’t know. I wouldn’t say it was a great day for us, apart from the win.”
On the lone goal the team conceded:
“I wouldn’t say it was laziness, we switched off thinking that the game was over. The game’s never over. Everybody was going on the attack trying to win 3-0, 4-0… it doesn’t matter whether you win 1-0 or 2-0, it’s still the exact same amount of points. So I’m disappointed we didn’t get the clean sheet.”
LA GALAXY MIDFIELDER NIGEL DE JONG
On having multiple players being injured to start the season:
“It’s always hard. They’re important players for us. But you’ve got to give credit to the guys who came off the bench as well today. Baggio [Husidic] and the rest of the guys, you’ve got to give credit to them.”
On Jelle Van Damme being on the squad:
“He’s a great guy for the team and for the dressing room, always joking, and you need guys like that. And on the pitch, he’s a great force on the pitch. He’s the only left-footed center back that we have. And the way that he plays – the long balls that he is hitting – is just phenomenal.”
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES HEAD COACH DOMINIC KINNEAR
On the red card issued to San Jose midfielder Simon Dawkins in the first half:
I haven’t seen the replay so I won’t comment, but it hurt us playing down a man. Especially for a good period of time like that.
On the team’s first road game of the year:
We did OK. We started out good the first 10-15 minutes, but then we started playing too narrow and they gained possession a little bit. But we showed good spirit I thought. But we just tried to play a little too much through the middle and not enough wider and maybe over the top against these guys. 0-0 halftime is not so bad on the road, but we knew going down a man at halftime was going to be a tough thing for us and it was.
On bringing in midfielder Matias Perez Garcia:
We needed a spark going forward because obviously we were down and needed to take chances going forward and he’s a guy that can play a nice pass for us.
On Scott French:
“I just want to go on record saying Scott French is my favorite reporter.”
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES MIDFIELDER SIMON DAWKINS
On the red card:
“It's not a red card it's as simple as that. I have seen it already, I have seen the highlights and seriously disappointing because we were down to 10 men and it is hard for the team to stand a chance but like I have said I have seen it and I know I won the ball I have seen it on the replays.”
On the team's defending:
“We did so well obviously up to that point [getting the red card]. Even in the second half we did but they had a lot of possession of the ball and once I got sent off it is difficult for our players to get a hold of the game. It is just disappointing obviously because I feel that I have done that.”
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES FORWARD CHRIS WONDOLOWSKI
On tonight's game:
“A bummer it's never good to lose especially going down a man. I thought we showed a good fight. They are a good team and you can't give them those advantages.”
On the team's performance:
“It's hard because half the game was with a man down so it's hard to put it in but I thought that our fight and effort was good.”
