COLUMBUS CREW HEAD COACH ROBERT WARZYCHA
On the loss:
We have to score the goals. It’s the second game where we didn’t [score a goal] and I think we had enough chances to score the goals. I think the intensity was good – so was the attitude and pressure – I think we were very aggressive, but the ball didn’t bounce our way.
On Colorado’s performance:
To be honest with you I don’t even know how many shots [Colorado] had. They’re a very physical team – I think you can see that – and they were organized. In the first half the final pass wasn’t there and when we created chances we missed the target too many times … with the first goal we could have done much better, and with the second goal it took a deflection and unfortunately it went in the net.
On the club’s three-match homestand:
I think we created chances but we need to score goals, simple as that. I think we played good enough to win the games. You score the goals you get the points, [if] you don’t, then obviously it’s very difficult. We scored three [goals] against D.C. and we got the points, and we didn’t score against New York and we didn’t score today. Like I said before, I think we created enough chances, but whoever is supposed to put the ball in the net misses.
On the Matias Sanchez’s first MLS start:
I think [Sanchez] did very well. I think he was one of the best players on the field to be honest with you. He was very aggressive. He was a good passer so I think he did what we asked him to do. I have to say he shined today.
COLUMBUS CREW FORWARD RYAN FINLEY
On finishing more chances:
I think we’ve been working on it at practice. Credit to their goalie [Clint Irwin] who made a few good saves, especially on that one header that Pipa [Federico Higuain] sent in to me. I think if you’re not creating chances, then you kind of have a problem. But we are creating chances and so you have to look at the positives and think that the goals are going to come eventually.
On ending the homestand with a loss:
It’s obviously frustrating to end the homestretch on a loss. I think we’ve done well on the road so far and I think we’ll just put this one behind us and start focusing on Toronto next week.
On how he felt he played tonight:
It felt good. I had two chances: one I probably should have done better on with the first one. With the second one, Pipa [Higuain] sent in a great ball and it was just a little unlucky that it was right at the goalie and like I said [Clint Irwin] made a good save. I’m happy to create some chances but a little disappointed not to finish them off and maybe put us down 2-1 and make it a hectic last 5-10 minutes. I was happy but there’s still room for improvement.
COLUMBUS CREW MIDFIELDER EDDIE GAVEN
On finishing chances:
I felt like the team actually played pretty well at times tonight but like you said it was that last pass and the last shot that just seemed to let us down time in and time out. Getting punished for it, they get two or three chances and they put both away and there’s the game.
On a tough finish to the homestand:
It’s tough obviously to only get three points out of the last three games at home. Not good any way that you slice it. Not good. At the same time, I try to be a very positive person. It’s hard right now obviously because we lost the game and there’s so many things that we need to fix, so many things that we need to make better – but I do think that we have a good team – I do think we have all the pieces to the puzzle there. We just have to keep working. We’re not just going to pout about it; we’re not just going to put our heads down. We’re going to keep on working and try to make the thing better.
On the team’s confidence in finishing:
I think that it always seemed to break down once we got to the final third, whether it was just a lack of movement or the ball wasn’t moving quickly enough. Still it seemed to break down. We have to take a look at on the film and see how we can make it better during this week at training.
COLORADO RAPIDS HEAD COACH OSCAR PAREJA
On the game:
First thing I have to say the boys were very disciplined today. We were very concentrated on the job. Defensively was a huge performance. Solid. I saw the team growing a lot. Now we managed the game very well. We took advantage of the opportunities we had. And we played against a good team as well. So everything came well for us.
On Edson Buddle’s recent form:
It’s a nice player we have been waiting for. The guy [Buddle], he knows what to do in the box. The one he put the ball in the back of the net and made everything look better. Definitely today, his second goal, first one of the game was huge; gave us a lot of confidence and that created some room for us to do other stuff. So when you have someone who puts the ball in the back of the net everything looks better.
On Nathan Sturgis:
Yeah Nathan had a tremendous performance today. The discipline, the cleanness that he had with his feet; he is the one who started plays from that spot of the field. And then sometimes when you see a team knocking the ball around somebody had to start it and somebody had to have the personality to do it and Nathan was that guy today.
On limiting Crew chances in the area:
We want to force them to play the long ball. We knew that sometimes these type of games don’t give you that many chances but fortunately we were in a position that some parts of the game we could finish. The options we had today we took advantage of and we finished and that made a huge difference in the game.
COLORADO RAPIDS FORWARD EDSON BUDDLE
On his goal:
Yeah it was a good ball in from Danny [Mwanga]. I knew he wasn’t going to play it into my feet, saw he was about to cross it, tried to put myself into a dangerous spot. I saw Atiba [Harris] post up his guy before he got the ball and if he was able to trap it or lay it off I just wanted to be there. It popped right to me; I got a good touch and found the back of the net.
On his recent scoring form:
I don’t know if it’s a groove but we’ll take these points and get back home.
On limiting the Crew’s chances:
They had some good chances, the Crew, on the road we have to play like that. Put the ball in their end at times. They put us under some pressure, at home they sent a lot of guys forward and we were on our heels quite a bit. We did a good job, Clint [Irwin], the back four, we have to be scrappy; it doesn’t have to be pretty on the road.
COLORADO RAPIDS DEFENDER DREW MOOR
On what’s working well for the backline:
I don’t think it’s just the backline I think it’s the entire unit is just battling extremely hard not letting other teams get anything easy. We’re staying organized, we’re staying solid. We are winning our first and second balls, we are winning our individual challenges. And we put a couple away tonight which is always the best form of defense. But it’s just a solid unit from everyone that steps on the field.
On getting road results in 2013:
I think it has a lot to do with a different mentality this year. Not that we have a completely new philosophy or mentality this year, it’s just a little bit stronger willed I feel like. We believe that we can go on the road and get results. We proved that tonight, we proved it a couple of other times so far this season. Road game is the same as a home game, you want to go try and get as many points as you can, and tonight was no different.
On the performance of defender Chris Klute
Chris is just as steady as can be. He’s extremely athletic, very fast. If people didn’t think he was before, I don’t think [Dominic] Oduro out ran him once tonight and I know Dominic is a very fast player. But he just does the right things; he gets in the good spots. He’s a solid defender and he’s a warrior, he battles for 90 minutes and that’s what you want out there.
