Portland Timbers Quotes, Stats and Links: DC away edition

Quotes:

Portland Timbers Quotes

Head Coach John Spencer
On Dwayne De Rosario: 
"If [Dwayne De Rosario] doesn't get MVP of the League there's something wrong. Plain and simple. For the last three months of the season since he came here, he's been the best player in the League by far - a country mile. He needs to win MVP."

On the game: 
"I think there was obviously a lot of chances at the end of the game. Two teams were just gambling trying to get that win because both of us felt that we needed it. [D.C. United] probably needed it a little bit more than us obviously because they had to win to keep their season alive. We have to go to Salt Lake this weekend and try to get a result there."

On his team's performance: 
"I thought we played well. I thought in the first half we controlled the game. I think it was the middle of the game where we lost three or four minutes of possession, which was expected. [D.C. United] was the home team and they were fighting for their lives. Apart from that I felt that we were well worthy of the 1-0 score line at halftime. And then obviously we came out in the second half and [D.C. United] was a little bit more impetuous and went after us and got the goal to get them back into it. From there I think we were very unfortunate - as they were - not to score three or more goals."

On officiating for game:
"I thought the officiating for tonight's match was first class. I've always had a great deal of respect for Jair Marrufo (referee) and thought he managed a terrific game, especially considering what was at stake for both clubs."

Goalkeeper Troy Perkins
On D.C.'s final push to score in the closing minutes: 
"It was expected to be honest. [D.C United] was coming out, leaving four or five guys up high, and just trying to defend with three or four guys. We knew it was coming. It was a big hectic and a bit crazy, but you've got to do what you've got to do."

On playing his former club: 
"I wanted to win obviously. It would have meant a lot to the club and the guys in this locker room. A point on the road is a point on the road, but now we just have to go and hopefully the result tomorrow [between New York and Philadelphia] goes our way and we can go and get a result against [Real] Salt Lake."

Forward Kenny Cooper
On the game: 
"We got off to a good start going up 1-0 into halftime. Obviously we wanted to get three points out of this game, we'll take the one point and keep pushing forward and keep believing and continuing with the same attitude and approach that we applied to the game tonight."

On players stepping up: 
"I think this team has a lot of depth. We lost two quality players in Darlington [Nagbe] and Sal [Zizzo] not being here, but Eric Alexander stepped in and did a fantastic job. Rodney [Wallace] came in and played incredible and had a good assist. So, this team is really strong and really deep and is capable of doing different things and playing in different formations."

On D.C. United: 
"[D.C. United] is obviously a quality team. With De Ro [Dwayne De Rosario] they have a really special player and they're a good team. They have a lot of dangerous players, so you know the game's not over until the final whistle is blown and I think we're aware that with every game you play you've got to play the full 90-plus minutes."

D.C. United Quotes

Head Coach Ben Olsen
On his team's effort: 
"It's funny; it was basically my pre-game speech. Let's go down and swing it, let's show the people that we are completely committed out there and we'll need to push it to the limit to get this result. [Portland] did too. I think both teams tried to give it their best effort tonight."

Overall thoughts on the match: 
"It was a bit of a blur those last 20-30 minutes, and the whole second half. But I am extremely proud of the guys tonight - I can't believe nobody scored down that stretch. The amount of chances that were gone in the end were pretty remarkable. I have to look at it, but it seems that we had the better ones. It just wasn't our night. Troy [Perkins] came off with a couple of saves, and they did well to put their bodies in front of us.

"I am extremely proud of the guys. Extremely disappointed that we haven't made the playoffs. Again, I apologize to the fans and the organization. I'll take the blame for it. I can promise you I'll get better as a coach, and this team will get better."

On Dwayne De Rosario: 
"He's a pretty remarkable player. I don't know many guys with his commitment and sense of the game - it's amazing. He took a knock, and it's been a recurring theme in the last couple of weeks. It seems like it's a new one every week - they are just kicking the [expletive] out of him. I would do the same thing if I was playing Dwayne De Rosario. It's what [other players] are doing, and they [the referees] have to protect him a little bit. He's taking all these knocks, and he labored through the first half, and somehow he found a way to put us on his back."

On the young players: 
"We got three rookies out there and two guys younger than that. Perry [Kitchen], [Chris] Korb, and Ethan [White] all played like men today. Andy [Najar] was terrific; one-on-one he is still as feared as anybody in this League. It was just that final piece that was missing tonight. It's disappointing because there was some pretty good stuff."

Midfielder Dwayne De Rosario
Thoughts on the match: 
"It was disheartening. It is but it isn't [disheartening] in the sense that we showed some fight... It was another learning opportunity for a lot of us. We're happy that the supporters stuck with us through the whole game, which means a lot to us as players."

On his shin injury: 
"I've actually been kicked in the same spot about three games in a row now, and at halftime I didn't think I would be able to make it. Sometimes you just have to suck it up and play for your team."

On Blake Brettschneider's disallowed goal: 
"At the end we were unlucky to have that goal called offside - I don't know if it was or wasn't [offside], but it's frustrating. It's been a long year."

On the game's frantic finish: 
"Yeah it was basically both teams having chances at the end. We definitely had some great opportunities, and if we had a little more hunger and a little more fight, we finish those chances. Those are things we really need how to learn - to commit to that final ball and get your body behind it... In saying that, our guys did try 100 percent tonight."

Stats:

Links:

• MLS Soccer: Timbers, United play to a wild 1-1 stalemate
• Portland Timbers: Perkins comes up big in return to DC
• Washington Post: United vs Timbers: DC Elminated
• Black and Red United (SBN): Joseph Ngwenya the unwilling/Unable Hero of DC United
• USA Today: Timbers preserve playoff chances with draw at DC 
• Yahoo fan contributions: DC United out of the playoffs
• ESPN: Spencer inspires scrappy Timbers