Late goal gives D.C. United hard fought tie with Toronto FC

Aron Winter- Head Coach & Technical Director, Toronto FC

On the game:

Strange game. If you had watched the game, we had given away two goals, but after losing 1-0, then we came very well back. In the end we were winning 3-2, it’s impossible that you get a goal in 20 seconds – it’s 3-3. It is unprofessional. The last week has been very heavy and tough for us because we traveled and played a lot of games. You could see in the final moments the guys were a little bit tired.

On earning a road draw:

I’d like to say we lost two points. We gave away two points because in the end, we were also lucky in the extra time of the game because in the moment we were not sharp. If you were watching the game, in the end, most players of D.C. were cramping. Then, you have to be clever and you have to win the game.

Eric Avila- Midfielder, Toronto FC

Thoughts on the match:

It was a complicated game. I think we could have won the game but that’s how it is sometimes. It can get complicated. It was my first game with the guys and I love playing with every single one of them. I felt comfortable and everyone gave me the confidence to keep going and I want to keep progressing with this team and keep doing well.

Thoughts on the 4-3-3 system:

There are a lot of responsibilities in the ten spot. The system is great and all the guys are brand new basically and we’re still trying to find ourselves. I’ve been getting tips on how to play the system but I felt great out there and once we get going we will be unstoppable.

Easy transition to Toronto FC with former teammates (Iro and Marosevic) here:

Of course, I think the transition makes you settle in nice and easy. All the guys have welcomed me with open arms and all the guys are great.

Julian de Guzman- Midfielder, Toronto FC

On the controversy surrounding his goal:

Any moment you can get like that, you take advantage of it. Many of the best teams in the world – how should I put it? – cheat when they have the chance to do something. It was a good opportunity for myself to find open space. It was smart of Ashtone [Morgan] who played it in for [Joao] Plata. At the same time, we were fighting for points. It was a tying goal, which gave us a lot more motivation to get the third one, but then we were able to let the three points slip away at the end there right after the goal was scored.

Ben Olsen- Head Coach, D.C. United

On Toronto FC’s second goal:

I don’t have to explain it. You guys know exactly what happened. Everybody knows what happened. You’ll see [the goal] and you’ll know exactly what happened. I don’t want to talk about the referees because I don’t want them to be the story. I think Dwayne De Rosario and the heart of [D.C. United] should be the story. [United] didn’t get a call all night but they found a way to get one point and it should have been three. I’m really proud of the way the guys fought, but I don’t want to talk about the referees right now.

On playing with ten men:

No, we didn’t know how long [Santino Quaranta] could go. Obviously, making an early change postpones any later substitutions, especially on a night where you’re playing down a man. You saw how many guys were cramping towards the end [of the game]. But again, I’m proud of the way the guys fought tonight and they showed a lot of character. Granted, we made a lot of mistakes.

On Bill Hamid’s red card:

The initial play with Bill [Hamid] wasn’t good enough. I don’t fault the referee for giving [Hamid] a red card. I think we made an error on that play and we have to learn that that kind of play can kill a game. It’s too early in the game and we have to be tuned in every play whether it’s three minutes in or late.

At that point we were still in the game. I wasn’t looking to get a draw against Toronto at home. Unfortunately, Stephen King was the [player] we brought off five minutes into the game. I thought everybody on [D.C. United] gave everything they had and I’m proud of that. But, that play haunted us. We made a silly play early in the game and it haunted us.

Dwayne De Rosario- Forward, D.C. United

On scoring a hat trick against his former club:

It was a good feeling to help my team get points. Whether it’s against Toronto or not, that doesn’t really matter to me. I try to play every game with the same mentality.

Overall thoughts on the game:

We’re disappointed – very disappointed – because we should have gotten more out of the game. I’m very pleased with the effort the guys put in tonight. Giving up a goal within the first ten minutes, it’s not easy to come back. I take my hat off to the guys because they battled back and didn’t give in. Credit to the guys for fighting. Toronto tried to play
possession, but we kept coming.

Scoring Summary: 

DC — Dwayne De Rosario 7 (Santino Quaranta 1) 19 
TOR — Peri Marosevic 2 (unassisted) 52 
DC — Dwayne De Rosario 8 (Chris Pontius 3) 64 
TOR — Julian de Guzman 1 (Ashtone Morgan 1) 69 
TOR — Danny Koevermans 3 (Joao Plata 4) 86 
DC — Dwayne De Rosario 9 (penalty kick) 88 

Toronto FC — Stefan Frei, Richard Eckersley (Matt Stinson 51), Doneil Henry (Peri Marosevic 46), Andy Iro, Ashtone Morgan, Torsten Frings, Eric Avila, Terry Dunfield (Julian de Guzman 55), Joao Plata, Danny Koevermans, Ryan Johnson. 

Substitutes Not Used: Danleigh Borman, Ty Harden, Eddy Viator, Milos Kocic. 

TOTAL SHOTS: 17 (Joao Plata 6); SHOTS ON GOAL: 7 (Danny Koevermans 2, Joao Plata 2); FOULS: 12 (Andy Iro 3); OFFSIDES: 4 (4 tied with 1); 
CORNER KICKS: 5 (Joao Plata 3); SAVES: 5 (Stefan Frei 5) 

D.C. United — Bill Hamid, Perry Kitchen, Dejan Jakovic, Brandon McDonald (Ethan White 69), Daniel Woolard, Santino Quaranta, Stephen King (Steve Cronin 9), Clyde Simms, Chris Pontius, Dwayne De Rosario, Josh Wolff (Austin Da Luz 60). 

Substitutes Not Used: Brandon Barklage, Blake Brettschneider, Marc Burch, Charlie Davies. 

TOTAL SHOTS: 13 (Dwayne De Rosario 7); SHOTS ON GOAL: 8 (Dwayne De Rosario 4); FOULS: 6 (Dwayne De Rosario 2, Santino Quaranta 2); 
OFFSIDES: 4 (Dwayne De Rosario 3); CORNER KICKS: 4 (Santino Quaranta 3); 
SAVES: 4 (Steve Cronin 4) 

Misconduct Summary: 
DC — Bill Hamid (ejection; Serious Foul Play) 7 
DC — Dwayne De Rosario (caution; Unsporting Behavior) 79 

Referee: Jasen Anno 
Referee’s Assistants: -Brian Poeschel; Bill Dittmar 
4th Official: Andrew Chapin 
Attendance: 11,684