The following are quotes from the Oct. 19 MLS media teleconference, which featured MLS executive vice president of player relations and operations Ivan Gazidis, Dallas Burn coach Dave Dir and Chicago Fire coach Bob Bradley. Gazidis’ Opening Comments: “We have an exciting announcement today and that is the signing of D.C. United forward Jaime Moreno to a long-term contact with MLS. … We are very pleased that Jaime has decided to make this commitment to Major League Soccer. … “Like some of the recent announcements we have had on the player signing front, Jaime has developed his name in the United States through MLS and not outside MLS … He is one of our exciting young talents … He put an exclamation point on the signing this weekend with his two-goal performance. … “It is a long-term contract that will run through the next World Cup (2002) and beyond. … A recent achievement for Jaime was being voted D.C.’s 1999 Most Valuable Player. … When you consider the other players on that team it is a tremendous achievement. … We welcome Jaime’s commitment to us and many more exciting contributions from him in the future.” Dir Opening Comments: “It has been tight throughout the whole series. … Chicago had a lot of chances to win it and to score. … We felt we did also. … They controlled play the first 20 minutes. … We took over the next 20 with Chicago putting pressure on the last five minutes of the half. … We were lucky to get out of the half with a 0-0 score. … Starting the second half the game opened up. … It was a very even game. … It was a typical playoff game where there was a lot of nerves and tension and the game was very tight.” Bradley Opening Comments: “Often times in a very close game one play makes a huge difference. … On their first goal we can see that we did not do well but I still need to give credit to Ariel Graziani and Oscar Pareja for making very good plays on our mistake. … “There are a lot of things that make a difference in tight games but the most important thing is having a few players make some things happen that is a little bit different than everything else that is going on. … We hope we can be a bit better and sharper on Saturday at Soldier Field … We are hoping to even the series and make for an excellent third game in Dallas.” Gazidis on the Signing of Players: “We don’t have a formal count of how many players we will look to sign. … We are always interested in signing key assets … We don’t have a formal timetable. “What you have been seeing over the past few weeks is MLS’s commitment to do that and make sure that our most important players we have that wish to commit to MLS are doing so. … There are a number of them that we are still working on … Joe-Max Moore is an obvious one … We hope to have positive resolutions in the forthcoming weeks and months … Every year we are re-signing players constantly … Which of those players are the critical ones I’m sure would be different with our different views.” Bradley On the outcome on Game 2 Against Dallas: “We have been in a lot of tight games this year. … We have not been as sharp or played as well as last year. … Many of the teams in the league have improved, and Dallas is a perfect example. … They are a better team than last year and right now they are playing very well. “When we play a game like the first game, we go in expecting it to be a good game. … It will be small things that determine an outcome … I feel confident that we will again have a good effort …. Hopefully, we will be better at some of the plays that make a difference in these games. “That’s why it is a player’s game … Maybe we haven’t played quite as well … We have not been satisfied with our own play throughout the year, and we always think that we can play better … We haven’t been in one tight game after another this year … For most of the game it has either been tied, or we are ahead by a goal or down by a goal … The outcome has not been determined until the end.” Bradley on the pressure of defending the MLS title: “It might have been the case earlier in the year that teams targeted us a little more and it was clearly not like being an expansion team any longer … As the year progressed, more teams began playing at higher level and games have been tighter. “We put a lot of pressure on ourselves … We don’t want to let this season to end … The fact that we are the defending champions, we don’t want give it away so easily … Our backs are to the wall … We feel like we are still capable to win at home on Saturday and forcing a third game.” Bradley on preparation for do-or-die match: “Everybody realizes that one mistake at the wrong time or misplay means the end of the season. … The first year in D.C. we were able to get back to RFK and that was a great series with the MetroStars. … We (Chicago) hope we can duplicate that effort and that great environment and obviously that result.” Dir on second-half momentum for Dallas: “When you have an even game it is part of the flow of the game … There is a punch, counter-punch … There was no real establishment of play in the first 19 minutes … There was a lot of tension and physicality early on … Chicago created better chances in the first 19 … We then responded and gathered our nerves a little bit.” Dir on coaching: “You do your coaching during the week and then it is up to the players to draw the lines … It is a little frustrating, but that’s part of the game.” Bradley on stepping back as a coach and letting the players take over: “You want every player to make every play every time but that’s not that easy … It’s always exciting to see how players respond … It’s under these conditions when games are on the line and not so easy that great players make their name and mark … That is what sets players apart … That is what soccer is about.” Gazidis on Moreno’s Contract: “His contact was not due at end of this season … We renegotiated early because we thought that it was in our best interests … There is interest in players like Jaime and we do get inquires about them but nothing that reached negotiations … He is only 25-years-old and has a lot of soccer ahead of him … We have got to expect that those kind of opportunities will come to him and players with his ability.” “Jaime has come to the decision that he wants to make a long-term commitment to MLS. … If you are a professional soccer player, you never say that you will never look anywhere else. … Clearly if Real Madrid or AC Milan or other clubs came up and are interested in Jaime, at some point down the line, he is not going to rule out a move like that. … Signing a long-term contract means that he is prepared to make a contractual commitment to MLS for a long-term period. … The only thing on Jaime’s mind is D.C. winning MLS Cup this year and trying again next year.” Bradley on the Fire’s lineup for Saturday: “You hope as a coach that you make good choices about who should be on the field. … You need to put the right players on the field in the right places. … You hope that the way your teams works throughout a year enables your players to be sharp and in good form. … If players are not playing well, I look at what we are doing in training and if we are screwing it up for them. … It’s a lot to expect that all the players, even a great one, are going to pull it off in every game. … As a coach, you can create a good environment and organize your team and give them a chance so that in the games they can make the plays that make a difference.” Gazidis on Gulati’s role in player personnel issues for San Jose and New England: “We have great number of safeguards between the two organizations. … Trades between the two would be looked at very closely. … Sunil’s primary role with Kraft Soccer is with New England. … I believe that it is better for us to have strong ownership and leadership than pass up those opportunities because we can’t cope with competitive issues that we need to monitor.” Gazidis on A-League competition style for 2000: “All of the developments in the A-League we have watched with some interest … The two-game format has some benefits and some disadvantages … If a team is three or four goals ahead after the first game it renders the second leg meaningless … I don’t think that it is an indication that we will be following the A-League’s lead … We have independent thoughts on those issues.” Dir on Some of the Challenges that Chicago has Faced: “The biggest obstacle for Chicago is the media. … It is almost comical how they count them out. … They are still 18-14 and the way I look at it, it’s still quite a good record. … The fight is always harder when you win a championship because of the fact that the other teams are motivated against you. … You need to find a different way to reach your players. … Our team has to be aware not to read the papers too much and come ready to play, because this is still the team that is the champion of the league.”