Pat Noonan Quotations

I feel good and I should be able to get right back into it. I am focusing on what I can do to help the team. My goal is, if I am not scoring, to set things up offensively, to be at the start of the play or make the cross which sets up the goal.

I think it's just our lack of concentration on that final pass, that final touch. Maybe it's adjusting to the new roles we have -- myself included -- playing out wide now (in the three-man attack). It's about knowing when to be out wide, and also knowing when to sneak into the middle to run at guys.

The World Cup increases awareness about our sport, and that's a good thing. But for the players who go, it can often be hard to get back into the mind-set of a league season.

They had a field day on us last time. We need to work together defensively and possess the ball. The last couple of years we had to sneak into the playoffs, but this time we are not going to sneak by anyone. We want to get a nice early lead and build on it.

It's just a matter of being sharper out there. Obviously, we have the talent, and we know what to do, and we know what we're capable of. We're not doing it out on the field. We're not passing well, making runs for each other and working off each other well right now. We got to fix it soon.

It's sore, but we will see how it goes day-to-day. They came in hard on tackles, but we did, too, though maybe not enough.

They love the Crew, don't they? And the girls are real friendly.

I'm trying not to think about it, because we've got a big game in New York. Going into their home opener and trying to get three more points on the road is our main focus right now. I just have to worry about staying healthy for that game. Once that game is over, then I can concentrate on that Jamaica game.

I just felt it go right there. I don't know how bad it is -- we'll find out later.

You can see what happens when we are all out there together. This is one of the most talented, if not the most exciting attacking team, in the league. Columbus is a good team but we set the tempo. When it was 2-0, they were not going to give up, but we were able to match their energy level, move the ball, keep possession, get it wide, then get service to the forwards.