Sigi Schmid – Seattle Sounders FC Head Coach
(Opening Statement…) “We’re obviously happy with a win, pleased with how we played. I thought our play overall was very good, I thought our combination play was very good. It was a lot of fun out there for each other-working, playing off of each other. [I] wish we hadn’t give up a goal- I wish we had a clean sheet, but the offense was very good.”
(On the connection between Martins and Dempsey…) “You always hope for that at the end of the day. It is something that we really try when we train-whether it’s 6 v. 6 or 8 v. 8-we always try to put them together so they can look for each other and you see that showing in the game. The ticky-tack stuff they combine with is pretty pleasurable to watch. Knowing each other and knowing they’ll move for each other, they’ll combine, so that is our hope.”
(On Martins and Dempsey mixing up their combinations…) “I think they are being smart about it. Sometimes they will play short and other times they will play it out to the wing. I think our crossing today should have been a little bit better at certain times, especially when we got to the end where we were hitting balls on the ground. I don’t think they are overdoing it, but they are out there and when you’re having fun you’re having fun.”
(On the late first half goal…) “The timing of the goal was very important at the end of the half. We had already figured out what we were going to say at halftime and we felt that we had played really well. We didn’t let many-if any-looks on goal and we were getting closer. We felt confident that if we keep playing the way we’re playing and sharpen up we’ll get more goals. It was great getting it before halftime.”
(On the defense moving forward…) “I think it’s a balance we have. People do focus on [Martins and Dempsey] and they forget about us bringing the ball around. I thought (Dylan) Remick came forward really well. Looking back his runs forward were really good. DeAndre (Yedlin) always comes forward and that provides good balance between our attacking wide play.”
(On Leo Gonzalez’s injury…) “Leo has a hamstring injury right now so we’re waiting for it to get better.”
(On the team’s defensive performance…) “Defensively we played well. Obviously we are disappointed to give up that goal but at that point we are leading 3-0, so maybe there was a concentration lapse. Up until that point, at 3-0, we didn’t give them much of anything. But we still need to make sure we can get that zero over the line, but it will come.”
(On Dempsey’s scoring streak…) “It’s pretty hot. In 2002, Carlos Ruiz had a pretty incredible run, but Clint’s got eight goals in six games, one he played off the bench, so it’s as good as streak-I don’t know what the records are-as you’ll see.”
(On the performance of the midfield…) “I thought they played well. I thought (Gonzalo) Pineda did well. (Marco) Pappa, we like him on the left sometimes, and we like him at right at times-him and Lamar (Neagle) have the ability to switch sides. I thought he did a good job helping us out defensively, but he is an attacking player, so he contributes to our team by keeping the ball and keeping it balanced. I thought Pappa played his best game of the season for us today and I thought Pineda has been very, very steady.”
(On Dylan Remick’s performance…) “I thought Dylan played really well…he completed his passes to put him in good shape, even on the sequence of Dempsey’s first goal it was Dylan’s effort that kept the ball alive.”
(On Neagle playing wide…) “Even as a wide player he’s looking to get goals. Last year he only got goals when he played up front, but now he is getting goals coming in wide. If you can get 8-12 goals from a wide guy, that’s pretty good production. In the past we have gotten that here… We like to have him with us on attack, because wide guys can be dangerous. He is starting to time his runs inside a little better.”
(On Brad Evans getting late minutes…) “It was really a situation of Brad’s training of about a week and a half, so maybe there’s six full trainings he’s had. I talked to Jurgen (Klinsmann) yesterday and we’re going to give him some minutes in the reserves game tomorrow…. What we are trying to do now is build his fitness back, and I know Brad’s mentality, he will give you everything he has when he steps out on the field. And I know my mentality with Brad is that I tend to push him sometimes. I didn’t want to put him out there in a situation where gets pushed too hard and causes a reoccurrence. After a full week of training I hope to see him again next week.”
(On getting a home victory…) “It was fantastic. We’ve talked about it-our fans are fantastic and we hadn’t given them a lot to cheer about the last few home games the way the results went, but we don’t think we played poorly in those games, so it was just a matter of getting the result and matching it with a performance. Today we got the result to match our performance and I think everybody that was here had an enjoyable time.”
(On defeating Colorado…) “Colorado has played well. They went out on the road and hadn’t allowed a goal in 200-plus minutes, and I know Pablo (Mastroeni) has tried to instill defense in his team, so to score four goals and create the amount of chances we did, is important. We want this place to be a fortress. We want people to not be happy about coming here to play.
(On Dempsey and Martins being the top duo in MLS…) “Right now, based on goals, production and points, I think they are. People could make a case for Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan, and those guys together are pretty good, but right now Dempsey and Martins are as good as it gets in our league.”
Clint Dempsey – Sounders FC Forward
(On the game…) “It was good work from everybody. Good, quick play, quick transition of the point of attack from the midfield. Getting the ball wide-Pappa and Neagle also contributing, Ozzie and Pineda with the good passing and getting us the ball in good spots and we were able to make things happen with link-up play through each other, as well. I would have to say it’s a team effort.”
(On how his current hot streak stacks up to others in his career…) “The year I scored 23 with Fulham, I was on a pretty good run there, but it feels good. We’re in a good rhythm as a team, we have a good locker room, and it think that shows on the field in our play.”
(On the team’s current run of good form…) “I think it’s our team confidence and getting in a good rhythm of play and building off of that. You can see that the link-up play is really good throughout the whole team and we’re creating opportunities for each other. It’s not just me and Oba. Other players are making a difference and getting in good spots and we’ve been able to finish opportunities.”
(On getting creative and trying different things…) “That’s what it’s about. That’s when you enjoy your ball the most, when everybody’s contributing and everybody feels valued. We didn’t get frustrated in the beginning of the first half…we kept plugging away and were able to get that goal going into half that gives you a little bit of a lift and know that coming out in the second half, if we can keep that pressure on them and get some more chances then we’ll be able to take the game to them and start putting down some good performances at home.”
(On the goal right after halftime…) “That’s what you need to put more pressure on them and give them a little more of a mountain to climb in terms of trying to get back in that game. We kind of never took our foot off the gas. We would have liked to have kept a clean sheet, but at the same time there was some good play there and some things that we were excited about in terms of how we’re progressing as a team and I look forward to next game.”
(On getting a win at home…) “You always want to do well at home. You always want it to be a fortress. You want it to be a place where people know it’s going to be difficult to get points here. Getting in a good rhythm has allowed us to come here today and put in a good performance, and now it’s about that confidence of playing well at home and continuing to move forward.”
(On building a fortress at home…) “You could use different words to describe that home field advantage and making sure it’s difficult for other teams to come here…It’s a good mentality to have in terms of making sure it’s difficult for people to come here and play. We have to use to our advantage, and I think we did that today.”
(On rewarding the home fans…) “It’s a step in the right direction. It’s not just one game…We know throughout the season those performances will add up and we can reward the fans for the atmosphere that they create here because it’s not like any other atmosphere I’ve been around…it’s an awesome experience for players to be able to play in that type of environment and shows how far the game has come in the states.”
