COLUMBUS CREW SPORTING DIRECTOR AND HEAD COACH GREGG BERHALTER
On last night’s postponement:
First, I want to give our best wishes and thoughts and prayers to [Columbus Fire Lt.] Stu Tudor and his family. We are all in his corner and he is one of us. He has been on our mind in the last 24 hours. I want to compliment both teams for hanging in there and still trying to play the game. The conditions were tough; they were saying it felt like a hundred degrees. This was a lot like some of the games we play in Brazil. So both teams, all the players on the field gave a great effort and that is a big deal. That is a compliment to them, to still come out after obviously the postponement last night and stick with it.
On how affected the players were with the rescheduled game:
It had some effect. Again, it has affected both teams. That is what is important to recognize. Both teams were affected by that. Dallas is hanging around an extra day; their whole rhythm is off as well. What I was looking forward for the most was last night, we had nice wet fields, good conditions, it would have been a fast pace game. That was what we were looking forward to. And unfortunately, we didn't get that today. You can’t give those energy levels; in the end you won’t have the energy to sustain it.
On evaluating for the rest of the season:
Well, I think we have ties pretty down pat right? We know how to tie a game, that’s for sure. This game needed a little bit extra quality because it wasn't going to be that beautiful game we imagined. It was going to be a game of that “one” opportunity. Dallas had it and we had it. And both of us didn't convert. That was what the game was always going to be. If you saw what they were doing the second half, dropping off and being very compacted. On a hot day we are trying to move the ball but it is difficult. We still put a lot of passes together, had a high passing accuracy but we miss that little bit of special quality to really break them down when we need to.
On being a little “rusty” after playing the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Game:
I’m not sure that it is rust. It is those situations, it’s focus and you have to take advantage of those situations when you get them. On a day like today, they are going to be few and far between. If you saw the Mexico game, not many chances in the game. So that is how the game is going to be.
COLUMBUS CREW MIDFIELDER JUSTIN MERAM
On if there was any mental fatigue from last night:
Yes and no. This is your job and you have to be able to put it behind you. I thought we did alright job, but could have done better.
On the playing conditions:
The field dries up pretty quick. It’s hot. Both teams are running up and down the field. Like I said, we created chances. We got very lucky today as they had a couple of chances where I am surprised that they did not score. That’s the way soccer is.
On the final results of recent home games:
We are not happy. We definitely could have got three points. We did not create enough, including myself. The first half I thought we were pretty good. The second half, I am not sure what happened. But we need create more chances
COLUMBUS CREW DEFENDER ERIC GEHRIG
On securing a point:
Like I was telling Ashleigh [Ignelzi] earlier, I think we have seven or eight guys that are capable of getting the job done. Steve [Clark] made some good saves and that is what he us supposed to do. We are not surprised by that. Steve is a good goalkeeper. That is what you want your goalkeeper to do. Obviously, we need to be better on some of those plays. Overall, it was a good performance from the defense. We stayed together, talked, communicated, limited their chances, and that is how you get a shutout.
On if it was tough to refocus for today’s game:
Yes. It is obviously not a normal routine. What happened last night really affected us. He [Columbus Fire Lt. Stu Tudor] was our first thought pulling back into the stadium today. We are pulling for him wishing him well. I think all things considered that we will look back that it is not so bad in that we got a point.
FC DALLAS HEAD COACH OSCAR PAREJA
On the challenges of preparing his team during the postponement:
I want to start with the price the two teams suffered, coming back with this odd situation on having to postpone the game, coming in a difficult hour and trying to get the game out. Our team put out a lot of energy today. With my players, I have to say that despite those challenges, this is one of the best performances we've had during the year. I don't really have an explanation of how we didn't get the three points. It was absolutely a great game for Dallas.
On the heat and humidity:
We knew the conditions were going to be difficult and the energy, for sure, would be affected. But the way we applied what we ordered them to do was great: the discipline, the tactical movement that we did as a team and the way we controlled Columbus today -- a team that is a very good team -- we're really proud of it.
On chances squandered:
Really, it comes down to goals. Goals give you points. I can't explain myself of how we didn't end up with three points. We had four clear chances to score, everybody saw it. But that was due hard work, discipline, the tactical discipline the boys showed.
FC DALLAS DEFENDER ZACH LOYD
On getting ready to play following the postponement of the match:
It’s hard because we come in and most guys have a routine that they do before any game on the weekend, especially being on the road. I think the hardest part was mentally getting ready for the game. You come in, you do the warm-up, you’re ready, and all of a sudden something tragic happens last night. For the guys, the biggest thing was to try to refocus. I know a lot of guys were thinking about the family, about their well-being. I think that was tough for our group. We came out and guys did a really good job of refocusing and getting a point here today.
On if it was a good road point for his team:
I think it was a great point for us on the road. Like I said earlier, it’s really tough to regroup after something like that happened last night. For the guys to come out and put in the work that we did, to come out with a clean sheet was really big for us. We haven’t been able to get many of them this year, so that was a huge thing for us. Overall, I’m very happy with the quality we put out on the field today.
FC DALLAS MIDFIELDER ADAM MOFFAT
On getting ready to play following the postponement of the match:
It was different. Obviously last night we were told the news about the fan. Everyone was kind of in shock. It’s a sporting event, it’s something people come out to watch and enjoy. As soon as we heard that, it was kind of somber. For us, going ahead with the game, we didn’t know until late, late last night whether we were going home or not. The atmosphere before, last night, was great. Obviously what happened changed things a bit. It’s a little bit different getting motivated, but we’re just hoping that the fan’s well.
On the positives he took out of the match:
We kept a clean sheet, which was good. Didn’t look like conceding too many times, but probably should have scored a few. I think we’re disappointed about that. You come on the road, you bury your two chances and get your three points. We didn’t get that, but at the same time, it was positive. We were disciplined in our shape and we didn’t give them too much. They had a lot of the ball, but in places that we’re fine with. It was a good point.
