Postgame Quote Sheet
LA Galaxy 3, Chivas USA 0
Sunday, Aug. 31, 2014 – 5:00 p.m. PT
StubHub Center – Carson, Calif.
LA GALAXY HEAD COACH BRUCE ARENA
On Gyasi Zardes’ performance:
“He obviously played really well. The first goal was a big goal in this game. Chivas USA played very well in the first half. They were tough to break down. Kennedy was difficult to beat. To get that goal at the end of the half was a big advantage, not only on the scoreboard but psychologically as well.”
On Keane and Donovan as a pair:
“It’s a good combination. I think the whole group has played well together. This has been a difficult couple of weeks for us. I don’t know how many games they’ve been in the past couple of weeks but it has been challenging and demanding for the team physically and mentally. They’ve been held up and did well. In a game like today, bringing Robbie [Keane] in with 30 minutes left, they are chasing the game because they need a goal, and it opens up a little bit. Certainly, it became advantageous to our team.”
On missing Penedo and Keane in the following fixtures:
“You make slight adjustments to your team. We’ve been preparing for this. Robbie [Keane] didn’t play in the D.C United game on Wednesday, he missed 60 minutes tonight, so we’ve played without him. We have some good options in the goal. This is all part of it. When the league plays on the international fixture dates, there are going to be occasions where you lose some players, and others have to step up. That will be the case [next week].”
On Reo-Coker’s performance:
“Reo-Coker is a really good player. You could see his experience. I was surprised that he could play 90 minutes given the fact that he did not play whole a lot of minutes this year for Vancouver. It was a pretty impressive performance. He is obviously a very good player, and they are fortunate enough to have him.”
LA GALAXY MIDFIELDER LANDON DONOVAN
On being six assists shy from breaking the all-time MLS record:
“Just trying to win games. If we get there, we get there.”
On finishing the last game against Chivas USA with a win:
“I thought it was an entertaining game, a fun game for us. We enjoyed it. Certainly it wasn’t perfect, but the guys are really confident right now. They are playing well. We are getting contributions from everywhere. Gyasi [Zardes] has gone several games without scoring, and he scores couple of goals again. We were not expecting to have Robbie, but he pulls off that play. Everybody is making plays right now and that helps.”
On Chivas USA playing well in the first half:
“They played well. We knew that it would be the best game that they will play all year. We had no doubt about that. We had to make sure that we matched that. It is a little bit difficult that we had bunch of games in succession, while they had to wait a week planning for this game. So it took us a little while to get going, but I think once the goal came, then we really settled down, and we really started to play well.”
On Reo-Coker’s performance:
“I’ve always thought he was a really good player. He was a really good player in England. I thought he was a very good player in Vancouver. I was a little surprised that he didn’t play more there. He helps them. He moves well, he is pretty dynamic when he has the ball, he is a good passer, and he is a good defender and he has a really good leadership quality. I think he was a really good pick-up for them and I think he did really well tonight.”
On Robbie Keane’s chip-shot:
“I was just admiring just like the rest of you guys. Like everybody else in the stadium, I was standing away. We were all watching him. A few guys were making runs, but few of us were probably tired and hanging back. When you see a goal like that, it is pretty special. It doesn’t happen that often. I’m not sure if there is anybody in the league who can control the ball like that. Not many guys in the world. You just admire it, shake his hand, and hope that he does it again.”
On the significance of the second goal:
“We needed that goal. We were playing well. It was good at 1-0, but at 1-0 anything could happen. We always emphasize getting a second goal when we are up a goal, because you don’t want teams stealing it. Usually, when we get a second goal, it really settles it if we play well.’
On Gyasi Zardes’ first goal:
“It was a great goal. I don’t think anyone was expecting him to shoot it except for him. Dan Kennedy was excellent tonight as he always is. But I guess he got him leaning against the goal and got a perfect spot and flatfooted all of us, including Dan [Kennedy], and it was a very, very good goal.”
On the chance of winning the MLS Cup:
“There are teams around the world that play absolutely to the best of their ability and they can’t win. That’s just how it is in different parts of the world. This week I feel like if we play to the best of our ability, we have a really good chance of winning. That’s all that comes down to. It comes down to anything else but that if we have the attitude and the effort and the commitment from the guys doing that, we have a really good chance to win, and we know it. So we have to do it.”
On the effect of competition on the team’s motivation
“It does help. It’s precious, because we all know, as we watched the game yesterday, that Seattle won and we have to keep winning. We had a little help from Real Salt Lake, so it allows us to separate a little bit. Kansas City losing helps us a little bit. We are keeping an eye on everything that we can control and try to control them.”
LA GALAXY FORWARD GYASI ZARDES
On his first goal:
“I was just thinking first time. I took a glance at the goalkeeper and saw him drift over and just hit it first time. I thank Landon for that beautiful ball; he’s the one who played a beautiful ball that allowed me to take a first-time opportunity.”
On who had the better goal was between him and Robbie Keane:
“It was Robbie. Give credit where it’s due. He nutmegged a defender and chipped the goalie. That’s a highlight goal. He should win goal of the week.”
On possibly helping Landon reach assist record
“I would love to give him that record. He’s a phenomenal player. We’re talking about Landon Donovan; he helped set me up for two goals. So I would love to help him break that record. I hope he keeps breaking as many records as he can before he departs.”
On getting back-to-back goals to put the game away
“[2-0] is a dangerous lead, so getting those goals back-to-back to put the team out of their misery and not have an opportunity to come back.”
On the team scoring goals in bunches this month
“To be honest, our midfield is just killing it in terms. You look at the stats, and we’re just touching the ball a lot. And the defenders are just keeping a clean sheet, so the whole team is really working together… As a team, we’re just really building off each other and really being aggressive.”
LA GALAXY FORWARD ROBBIE KEANE
On his goal:
“It takes a second to score a goal. I was lucky enough to get passed the defender. Naturally the goal keeper, when you go to the 18 yard box, he naturally comes out a few yards so he expected someone to smash it. Thankfully for me, it hit the back of the net so it can either go in it can just go over.”
On his status:
“Perfect, 100%.I was fine yesterday, but we just had to be careful that there is no reaction. It is an injury that the doctor said could be ten days to three weeks so [it was great] to be back in six days… I think everyone was a bit worried, or a bit nervous apart from me; I felt fine. So it was probably the right thing to come on last half so I don’t have to play the 90 minutes. But very happy with the result, which is the most important.”
On standings:
“Certainly the last six weeks have been fantastic… It’s been a good team effort for the last two months and I think that shows certainly in our performances and the way that we’ve been playing.”
On Gyasi Zardes:
“I think he played well. Ultimately as a striker you’re judged on scoring goals. So if he continues to get himself in the right position, certainly myself and Landon, and the lads up there can certainly get him goals. Seeing the last goal, the combination between myself and Landon, Gyasi at the top end… so he keeps himself in good positions. Chandler as well. When Chandler came on he had a few chances, I told him just to keep going. I keep trying to find him, I think everyone is desperate for him to get that first goal, and he certainly was unlucky tonight. The good thing about Chandler is he keeps getting in good positions. As a striker if you get into positions, it’s great. The worry is when you’re not getting them in.”
On Donovan reaching assist record:
“You want the players that you play with to get as many as they can. So I’m sure with the amount of games, hopefully he can certainly get close to that, if not beat it. Since I’ve come back, that’s what he has been doing. Together we have been creating a lot of chances for each other. So as a team we just have to continue to play the way that we have been playing.”
CHIVAS USA HEAD COACH WILMER CABRER
Thoughts on the match:
“Today was a game that we expected to try to bring a little bit of new faces, new energy. For the first half we thought that we started well. We started with energy, we put some pressure and created options, but sadly little by little we gave up what was one of our best tools. LA Galaxy moves the ball well and has good possession. In the first half we gave up a goal when we lost the ball in the middle and in that transition they scored. We tried to think of a way to organize for the second half and bring more dynamic to look for a goal and keep the game close, but they were clinical and talented in their finish. It didn't help that we lost a man, our top scorer, it made the situation worse, but anyway now we have to face another top team at home and hopefully we can adjust the new players and try to bring a more positive mentality to be more offensive in our team.”
On Erick “Cubo” Torres’ red card:
“At this point, it could be a yellow or red. I don’t want to judge that situation for the referee because it obviously affected us, but it’s a referee’s decision. For me it could have been a yellow, but anyway it’s a situation where he slide tackled and when you slide on the ground you are susceptible to get a yellow or a red card.”
Thoughts on Nigel Reo-Coker’s debut:
“That´s why we brought him, he´s a leader and a player with experience. He has not played often so now he has to get into rhythm. How? Playing. Playing and taking charge of the team. He’s a natural leader, he talks and organizes. He's ready to help us and he helped us a lot today. It’s a positive impact. We know Jhon Kennedy Hurtado is a very good defender and is going to help us. He needs to be playing, also for Luis Bolaños, we have to bring him onto the field.”
On feeling confident despite conceding game’s first goal:
“Yes, definitely. Because we have some guys that can create options. We created options. Leandro [Barrera] was running through the line and we brought in Eric Avila to give us a little bit of flare and movements going forward. The last touch, the last pass, the last cross is something the guys are feeling that they have to score. We have to make sure that we aren’t accelerating the process. We have to continue fighting and this team is not going to give up, that’s for sure.”
CHIVAS USA GOALKEEPER DAN KENNEDY
Thoughts on the match:
“It was a tough game, we knew that the Galaxy obviously have a lot of firepower. Their team is in good form right now, so we had to come out and be strong defensively and hopefully when we could get our chances take them. Unfortunately we weren’t able to take any chances and coming into halftime down one nothing, that’s probably a fair result at half. Once they got the second goal, it kind of took the wind out of our sails and made it a really tough match.”
On not being able to comeback after falling behind:
“Especially when you go down a man, it makes it real difficult. They’re a good team, a real contender in this league and we were just not up to it today.”
On rebounding for the remainder of the season:
“We have a game Wednesday against a very good Seattle team. Recover, and we have to find a way to get better. We have a couple days to rest and sort all of that out.”
On turning the page quickly from Sunday’s result:
“I think whenever you have a game with this much emotion, sometimes with the hard result, the next best thing for us is to have another game.”
CHIVAS USA MIDFIELDER NIGEL REO-COKER
On his debut:
“It was great, it was fantastic to be involved, first game in a long time. There has been a lot of traveling going on behind closed doors but it was a great experience. Just after that performance I think I just needed that one game. I thought we played really well as a team, we can take a lot of positives from that. In my personal belief, I just feel that there is only one way for us to go and that’s up.”
On contributing to team’s confidence:
“We played well, we played some really good football today. I just think that we need to continue to believe in ourselves and gain more confidence in us individually and as a team.”
On the short turnaround for next match:
“In the situation we’re in right now, it’s the best thing that we can want, games coming thick and fast. We can’t dwell on this game, this game is over now. We need to take the positives and concentrate for the next game. It’s the best position to be in right now with so many games coming, it gives us an opportunity to put the game right.”
On his leadership ability:
“It’s something that I’ve always had as a young child. I’ve captained pretty much every team I’ve been at. If I didn’t do that then I would be doing an injustice to myself, I wouldn’t be myself. It’s just something that I naturally do. People recognize me to be a natural born leader. Right now in the situation that we’re in, it’s about the team, it’s about us doing well. If you can help a teammate with football knowledge that you’ve gained from throughout the years then that’s what we have to do.”
