“We show up in different cities and countries, and people wonder, who are these guys with the orange shirts? After we beat them, they say, ‘I didn’t know Puerto Ricans could play soccer.'”
— Andres Guillemard, president of the USL-1 Puerto Rico Islanders, who take a 2-0 lead into Tuesday’s second leg of their Concacaf Champions League series against Cruz Azul in Mexico City (TV: Fox Soccer Channel, live, 10 pm ET). (New York Times)
“I’m embarrassed for our fans and our organization.”
— Los Angeles Galaxy coach Bruce Arena coach after the Galaxy fell at home to the Colorado Rapids, 3-2, in a game marked by defensive blunders. (Video)
“The proposed figure of [$15 million] they are offering is ridiculous. For that amount, the English club would only get Milito’s ear.”
— Enrico Preciosi, president of Italian club Genoa president, scoffs at Tottenham’s offer for Argentine striker Diego Milito. (BBC)
“It’s pretty cool. Most important is we came out, and the guys rebounded from the El Salvador game, and we made a statement.”
— Jozy Altidore, who in a 3-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago became the youngest player in history to score a hat trick for the USA. Four days earlier, the 19-year-old came off the bench to score and spark the USA’s comeback from a two-goal deficit to tie El Salvador, 2-2. (New York Times)
“Obviously they (USA) will have at the back of their minds that we were the last team to defeat them in a World Cup qualifier (last year) so I think they are going to want to come at us and we would need to frustrate them for as long as possible.”
— Midfielder Chris Birchall of Trinidad & Tobago, which faces the USA Wednesday in Nashville. T&T defeated the USA, 2-1, in the semifinal round of 2010 World Cup qualifying after the USA had already clinched passage into the final round. (Trinidad & Tobago Express)
“This was the prefect scenario. Two home games, two soldout crowds and we have two shutout wins. You can’t ask for anything better. That’s what the Sounders were hoping for and that’s what they’ve gotten so far.”
— Seattle Sounders FC defender Tyrone Marshall after his team beat Real Salt Lake, 2-0, last weekend after opening with a 3-0 win over the the New York Red Bulls. (seattlepi.com)
“What do I think about soccer in America? It takes more than an important player to make a competition equally important. They need people who are not thinking of coming here to take money and then leaving, but people who want to work in this country to insert themselves into American soccer.”
— Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho perhaps referring to David Beckham and his desire to spend time with Inter rival AC Milan instead of the Los Angeles Galaxy. (Goal.com)
“There is no nightlife in Sivas. There are only a few shops where my players can buys drinks but I’m in contact with the shop owners, so I am informed as soon as one of my players buy drinks and I warn him.”
— Bulent Uygun, the coach of Sivasspor, explains his team’s unexpected climb to the top of the Turkish league. If the club from the central Turkish city of Sivas in the icy Anatolian heartland remains on top it will end a 24-year run of titles by Istanbul clubs. (Reuters)
“What were you doing punching the corner flag? You’re a crazy man, a crazy man.”
— England coach Fabio Capello to striker Wayne Rooney, who was red-carded for throwing the ball toward the referee and punched the corner flag on the way to the locker room in an English Premier League game last weekend. The Manchester United striker is in the England camp preparing for a friendly against Slovakia on Saturday and a World Cup qualifier against Ukraine four days later. (The Times)
“In any case, we are always playing away from home. We play against Ireland [in France] and the stadium is full of Irish people, against Scotland it’s the same.”
— France left back Patrice Evra complains about a lack of support from Les Bleus fans, who during a 2-0 defeat to Argentina in Marseille jeered the home team and cheered the visitors. France faces Lithuania in World Cup 2010 away on Saturday and at the Stade de France April 1. (AFP)
“To get the Greek national manager ringing me up and telling me who I should play and who I shouldn’t play is absolutely outrageous. You deal with your damn Greek side, don’t start telling us who we should play. If I get another call from the Greek damn national manager, he’s going to get a real kick from us.”
— Portsmouth chairman Peter Storrie, who received a complaint that Greek striker Theofanis Gekas isn’t getting playing time for 15th place English Premier League club. (Irish Times)
“I felt like that, the fact that Panchito Mendoza left the club and the state of my own negotiations I felt the team was changing its identity. But in the end the proof is on the field, with the signings of Eduardo Lillingston and Mariano Trujillo. I made a mistake in having made those comments.”
— Mexican veteran Claudio Suarez, who re-signed with Chivas USA after having announced his retirement, apologizes for criticizing the club after his first round of re-negotiations failed. With the return of Suarez and the acquisition of Lillingston and Trujillo, Chivas USA has three Mexicans on its roster. (MLSnet.com)
“We want to make this a fortress and today was the first step in that direction. This is going to be a place in MLS where teams are going to have to think twice about coming in here to play. It has atmosphere, it’s loud, I told Brad Evans after game we have to start working on hand signals because ‘I can’t hear a thing you’re saying, coach.’ I’ve never had a player say that to me in any MLS stadium.”
— Seattle Sounders coach Sigi Schmid after his team made its MLS debut with a 3-0 win over New York before a crowd 32,523 at Qwest Field.
“It hurt me in the soul that they have branded me a traitor but I can’t do anything about it.”
— Diego Maradona telling Radio Mitre how upset he was to be labeled a traitor by fans of Boca Juniors, his former club, following Boca playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme’s decision last week to quit the Argentine national team, saying that he could not work with Maradona, the coach.
“Certainly it would benefit the team if we still had him [Landon Donovan] with us.”
— Bayern Munich coach Juergen Klinsmann, whose team is short of strikers after Miroslav Klose suffered an ankle injury that will sideline him for two months while Luca Toni is out with a hurt Achilles’ tendon. Donovan ended his loan spell at Bayern and returned Los Angeles last week. (Focus)
“Early on, one of the guys posed me a question — “Ereyergoinfersumscram?” I later understood that this was a polite invitation to go to lunch.”
– American goalkeeper Brad Friedel, now with Aston Villa, reflecting on his early language difficulties at Liverpool. (Irish Times)
“I sat with 15-20 women and told them exactly what I did. I got punched by a few women for doing what I did, but I took the punches and I accepted it.”
— Former English star Paul Gascoigne on the reaction he got in rehabilitation after telling how he attacked his ex-wife Cheryl. Gazza, who said he was disgusted with himself for what he did, tells Sky News in an interview to be broadcast Monday that this heart stopped three times while he was in rehab for alcoholism. (AFP)
“I grew up an Everton fan, my whole family are Everton fans and I grew up hating Liverpool. And that hasn’t changed. Liverpool have been brilliant and put up a good challenge, but it will be great if on Saturday we can finally finish that challenge off.”
— Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney looks forward to ending Liverpool’s EPL title chances when the teams clash on Saturday. (The Sun)
“There was a commitment I had to make and it’s something I didn’t think twice about, because at the end of the day, my career’s never been about the financial side or the money side. I think leading up to the World Cup, I need to play in Europe to give myself a chance of being involved in that World Cup and after then we’ll see.”
— David Beckham on being committed to playing a little bit more in MLS between his AC Milan service. [VIDEO]
“He understands where they’re coming from. I think he’s better suited now to talk to a young player who’s a little bit down and hasn’t been able to get on the field, and players who have limited roles.”
— Los Angeles coach Bruce Arena explaining that Landon Donovan‘s loan stint at Bayern Munich, where he was used mainly as a late sub, will help him be a leader with the Galaxy. (AP)
“Even before the end of the first half I felt as if I had spat my lungs out. In the second half my legs simply refused to serve me.”
— Arsenal’s midseason signing, Russian attacker Andrey Arshavin, on adjusting to the pace of the English Premier League. (Irish Times)
“I’m really grateful to the LA Galaxy and AC Milan for making this dream deal happen. It allows me to play for AC Milan and the LA Galaxy in the same year, and also to continue my commitment to develop soccer in the United States, which is something I am passionate about. My family is happy and settled and will remain in LA. The perfect result for 2009 would be for me to help Milan to reach the Champions League and for the LA Galaxy to make the playoffs and win the MLS Cup playoffs.”
— David Beckham‘s statement via a Los Angeles Galaxy press release on a settlement in the tug-of-war with AC Milan that will bring the English midfielder back to MLS in July.
“I am very excited to be returning home to my teammates and the LA Galaxy. I would like to thank Bayern Munich for the opportunity to play with one of the premier clubs in Europe, as well as all their coaches and players for welcoming me into the club. Although the results were not what we had hoped for, the time in Germany still was very positive for me. I am fit, motivated, and excited to be coming back as a better, more experienced player.”
— Landon Donovan‘s statement on his return to Los Angeles from a loan stint with Bayern Munich that he had hoped would turn into a transfer.
“Steven’s a player of high energy and enthusiasm and that’s how we expect him to play.”
— Newcastle coach Chris Hughton condones his defender Steven Taylor throwing an elbow at Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo during a 2-1 Man U win. (AFP)
“I find it very unfair what is happening at the moment. I have to ask myself, are we threatened with relegation? We can still meet all out targets. In the Champions League we have even exceeded our targets. Despite all this the coach is constantly being questioned. I really do not know what Juergen needs to do to stop this. We stand by Juergen Klinsmann.”
— Bayern Munich Uli Hoeness supports Coach Juergen Klinsmann after Bayern won just once in its last five Bundesliga games. On Wednesday, in the German Cup quarterfinals, Bayern faces Bayer Leverkusen in the second-to-last game of Landon Donovan‘s loan stint. (Reuters)
