Crew Head Coach Robert Warzycha
General thoughts on the match;
“I think that was a difficult game for us to play. After 20 minutes that we were trying to figure out what to do on the field and maybe we were giving up too much space. I think in the first half we should have probably scored a couple of goals. Great saves by their goalie and we hit the post. I was happy with the overlapping, with the commitment and the tackles and with the passing. That was good. In the second half it was a little bit different. We scored a goal early and then they pushed us very hard and to be honest, before we figured out how to act, it was 1-1. They pushed us to the end of the game. It was good defending and it was good to see Sebastian to clear one from the line.”
On The Crew handling the emotion tonight;
“I think if you look at performance, I think they did well. I think that is the right way to do it.”
On the pregame message after the difficult week;
“We talked about focusing on the game and that it will be something we won’t forget. Obviously, the three points were not the most important thing today. I think there was a bigger thing we were playing for.”
Forward Jairo Arrieta
General impressions on the game;
“It was a very difficult game. We had a lot of chances in the first half that we were unable to finish. It was a good game. Luckily, I was able to score a goal in the second half. It wasn’t enough. We need points. Unfortunately, we wanted to win. Now we are going to go to Houston and try to get three points there.”
On if he feels more comfortable up top trying to help the team create chances;
“Yes, I feel more comfortable. Scoring goals gives more confidence. As a forward, you want to be able to help the team and score more goals. Today is mother’s day in Costa Rica and I’d like to dedicate my goal to my mother and my wife.”
Midfielder Chris Birchall
On playing against his old team;
“It was always going to be an emotional game because of Kirk (Urso), but personally, for me, it was one that I was looking forward to. I was just trying to do myself and the team justice by playing well. The first 20 minutes were a struggle really. They were getting on top of us a little bit. Toward the second half of the first half, we really came out and created chances. I was disappointed to not put one away. I had one at the end of the box where I felt like I should have scored, but it was close. We got one at the beginning of the second half, but couldn’t hold on. The Galaxy is always going to create chances and (Robbie) Keane is a great player. That’s his 11th of the season and it’s disappointing not to get the three points.”
Midfielder Cole Grossman
On his play tonight;
“Honestly, I wasn’t even thinking about my personal game. I just really wish we could have gotten three points. I think we could have, and probably deserved three points, but there have been a lot of games where we didn’t necessarily deserve three and got the win. That’s how the game works. I think we were just really focused on working as hard as we could to honor Kirk (Urso).”
On how important it was to come out and play hard for Kirk Urso;
“I think it’s easy to say ‘play for Kirk’ and ‘work hard for Kirk’, but it’s a lot harder to do, particularly when it’s still recent. The pain is going to be there forever. When I see his family, I feel so bad. It’s just a really sad situation. I think we are all trying to make the best of it and we will never forget the kind of kid he was.
On the fans’ tributes to Kirk Urso
“I can’t say enough about what the fans did tonight and have done to honor Kirk Urso. It’s pretty special to look up there and see all the 15’s and KU’s and all the various tributes. At the end of the game, just looking up there almost brought tears to my eyes. The fact that they care so much about one of their own is very special.”
LA Galaxy Head Coach Bruce Arena
General impressions of the game;
“We played okay. We’re a bit of a tired team. This has been a challenging trip. Obviously, the Crew played with a lot of emotion tonight. This is one of those games where a draw is a fair result for both teams.”
On how he wanted the Galaxy to combat the emotion of the Crew;
“Obviously it was hard to find 11 players that could play. We’re pretty exhausted from Sunday night and the trip across the country as well. It’s a little on the difficult side. We knew that this part of the season was going to be a little bit of an issue, and our guys did alright. We had some fatigue at the end of the first half. The Crew created a bunch of good chances probably between the 35 and 45 minute. At the end of the game, we positioned ourselves to win the game and you can’t ask for much more. It’s always good to get a point on the road, but we would have obviously preferred three.”
On if he can imagine what the Crew is going through;
“I can imagine a little bit. It’s certainly a very difficult situation. We feel for the Urso family and the Crew in this sad time and tragic event. We hope that time helps heal a little bit here. That can’t be an easy situation for the family or the organization. We wish our very best to the Urso family and the Crew. Anything we can do to support them, we would certainly do that.”
LA Galaxy Forward Robbie Keane
On getting one point tonight;
“We could have maybe got three, but I think with the whole situation before the game, when they had the tribute for the young lad, I think maybe overall it’s a fair result for both teams.”
On having a longer break after the long stretch of games;
“I haven’t had a break in such a long time. It’ll be nice to have a few days off. Recharge the batteries, relax and spend time with family. I seem to be all on the road lately that I haven’t been able to spend quality time with the family.”
LA Galaxy Midfielder Michael Stephens
On the overall impression of the game;
“In the first half, they did a good job pressuring us. We had a hard time playing. As the game wore on, we started to get a little more of the play, but we gave up a pretty unfortunate goal there. We even had chances to win the game at the end.”
On the difficulty of battling the Crew’s emotions;
“To be honest with you, I have known Kirk (Urso) since I was 11 years old. I was playing with the same emotion, if there is anything. I think once you get out there, you kind of forget about it.”
