Dave Sarachan Quotations

We respected Rochester from the opening whistle, and they were a tough team tonight. We knew that it could go that far and I was proud of my team after conceding a goal for hanging in there. We were a little bit whipped, but we just wanted to keep our composure during the overtime and make sure we didn't give up a second goal. I'm proud of my team and pleased to be advancing.

We're going to take it one day at a time and one game at a time. We have to approach it that way, otherwise we could get overwhelmed.

We've seen great progress in Scott throughout his two years with the Fire, so it's unfortunate that the timing of the roster deadline didn't allow us to secure a Senior Roster spot for him. He was a great young profession with our club since day one. I feel he still has a future ahead of him in MLS and wish him all the best.

When I look at the tape, I would like to think we may have had a few more chances in the game overall. But this is not an easy place to play. We felt we needed to come away with a point or three and we accomplished that.

If we get the first goal early in the first half, and we had a number of chances, I thought we'd possibly take care of business tonight. The good part is that we are creating chances; the frustrating part is that we are not finishing enough.

From my angle I had no chance to see if it was the correct call. It was frustrating because we were battling and battling for every opportunity to get back in the game.

What you saw tonight was a team that didn't quit, that battled, that pushed the game the second half. I was disappointed with the two goals we conceded in the first half. But in the end, we got a tie, we're in the playoffs, we've reached goal No. 1 and that's very good.

He didn't get a reserve game before we threw him out there against an Eastern Conference rival. He went ninety-four minutes. It speaks volumes about him.

Jordan caught our eye at the combine. He could be a sleeper in this draft. We were looking for a defender to get ourselves stronger in the back.

I think, as first games go, we had our good moments and we obviously had our moments where we can obviously be better. The positives are that we got the first goal and also that we got the go-ahead goal at 2-1. The negatives are that we gave up a couple of goals that I thought could have been prevented and let them back in it.

I want to thank Will John for his year with us. Although we only saw him for one season, I feel that Will has great potential as a young player in this League.

I want to thank Samuel Caballero for his professionalism and his time with the club in 2005. He was a great influence on our young defenders last season and I wish him much success with his new opportunity.

I think (the rest was) clearly a bonus for us because we had hit the wall physically and mentally. I think we've caught a great time to get our breath, get our batteries charged, get a few guys back healthy and rest a few guys that had had some knocks and bruises.

Jeremy is a player we did our homework on. He's a defender, but is actually a converted forward. There are a lot of things we liked about him.

Jeff is very consistent, very steady and comfortable with the ball. He has size and strength to be a good defender in our league.

That first game we surrendered two leads and gave up three goals and that is unacceptable to our standards.

It feels very good. Clearly today, three points in a place that has not been exactly the easiest place for us to play is huge and I credit this team; it was a great team effort today from top to bottom.

I think our approach on the road has always been good. The beginning part of this will be a challenge for us. We knew that.

We gave up an awful goal from my standpoint. We fell asleep three minutes in, and now you've got 87 minutes left to try to get back into it. We did everything we could to do that, but it just didn't fall for us.

We did well with all five of our picks. Overall, we're very pleased with our selections and we look forward to working with all of them. They will fit in well with our team.

You don't make changes for change's sake. You put guys in that are healthy and in good form. Right now we have a very thin roster. We're going to count on everybody to get back into good form.

We'll still have lots of numbers. Having 35 is huge for us. There'll be immediate competition. It'll be interesting because this year our need for bodies isn't as great.

We're thrilled to welcome Diego back to the Chicago Fire family. In getting Diego back, we're getting a known quantity. He's a competitor and a versatile player that will provide us with a number of positional options this year.

We didn't feel good about giving up three goals last week. This week, we made a pretty strong attempt to do a better job as an overall group of being better collectively on a defensive end.

To the critical eye, Jesse and Chris do so much. To the casual observer, they're not flashy, but the distance they cover in the midfield is mind-boggling. They're both very experienced, and their partnership makes it very hard on teams.

There are lots of emotions with Chris and his comeback. He is the heart and soul of this team.

The good part is that we are creating chances, the frustrating part is that we are not finishing enough. I do believe we have the depth up front, but it's a little bit of a concern.

We've got a good mentality when we play on the road. It's never easy to come in to Crew Stadium and get a win, so this was big for us. We might have 56 straight days on the road, but it doesn't bother us.

When you look long term from today, Feb. 9, and extend it out to June 25, sure, it's a daunting calendar. But I think it's so much of an attitude and a mental approach to it. We knew that the first stretch of games was going to be on the road and being down here and away from the comfort of home is just something that we're going to have to get used to.

We feel there are still a lot of quality players in these rounds of the draft, so we did our homework.

We should have killed the first game off, and we know it. Knowing how to manage games when you are ahead or behind is a function of experience. I think our guys are a quick study though.

We want all 27 points. Twenty-seven would be great. We're going out there to win. Realistically, when the road trip is over, I'd like at least five wins, to be over .500. So yeah, we're shooting to take at least 15 points. We're not looking for draws. We have good leadership in our veterans and a strong blend of good young talent to win.

Andy Herron's debut was a beauty. He's a real forward and good around the goal and that combination played out real well. From day one he felt very comfortable here and our guys got to understand him pretty quickly, and vice versa.

It would be impossible to measure the positive influence that Jesse has had on our club, both on and off the field.

It would be impossible to measure the positive impact that Jesse has had on our club, both on the field and off. Although his leadership and experience will be missed, we felt it was the right time to make this decision.

Coming into this building is never an easy task and given the fact that L.A. last week didn't come away with points we knew we had to be ready to play against a team that might show some urgency. They get the goal off a restart but our guys didn't drop their heads. They came back and we equalized. I think it was fair that we got a point off of this game.

The bye week wasn't the worst thing. We have a long road stretch, so we needed to break it up.

Zach started Saturday and came through fine with his calf, so his health isn't an issue. He had a good week of training and a good solid game against New England.

Zach got sick in Mexico, and that set him back. Physically, he was out of the box for a little while, and it took him a little time to get back to the form we've expected of him.

At halftime we felt that as long as we are patient and do a good job with possession we could get the goal back. ... When you are down a goal and you're trying to push to get the goal there are going to be situations that will allow the game to open up and that's what happened. You still have to make the defensive plays out of those situations and tonight we didn't.

As you get down to the last six or seven games, the points are very important. We knew it would be a real dogfight, a battle, with a team like Columbus coming at us. Getting the first goal was very important for us.

It's just important that we get the right one.

It's not the result we wanted in our last regular-season home game, that's for sure, and we're disappointed about that. It's disappointing, but that's all I can say. We just move on from here.

It wasn't a penalty. It's a shame that it was called. ... It's unfortunate, because we felt we had three points today.

I've known Jesse on a personal and professional level for some years, and this decision did not come easily. Although his leadership and experience will be missed, we felt it was the right time to make this decision.

It was a great exercise for us. We played a First Division team with many of its starters. Even though we didn't score any goals, I feel we created some very good chances and it was important for our players to get playing time. Overall I feel that we're making very good progress this preseason.

I'm not sure about the past history, but we feel we rise to the occasion. D.C. United we respect in terms of the quality they can bring, but we never feared D.C. United. Sometime you have an edge over certain team.

I'm thrilled to welcome Diego back to Chicago. He's a competitor and versatile player. He'll make a great addition to our roster.

I knew in the second half we'd have to buckle our seat belts a little bit, because they were going to throw some numbers at us. I was proud of my team.

In my opinion it wasn't a penalty. It's a shame that, you know, when you add it up today, Columbus didn't really have that many clear chances, but were given that opportunity to equalize.

In my three years here, that was the most comprehensive of a team performance as I have ever seen my team play. From start to finish, the concentration, commitment and the belief we could come here and win was evident. I don't know what else I can say.

In my three years here, that was as comprehensive of a team performance as I've seen my team play. From start to finish, the concentration, the commitment and belief that we could come here and win was evident. . . To come into RFK and win is pretty good. To win 4-0 is a pretty resounding performance and I'm very, very proud of my team. Very proud.

Clearly, three points today, in a place that has not exactly been the easiest for us to play, is huge. It was a great team effort.

Good teams can make one play into something and they did. They made a play that made the difference for them.

I am proud of my team. After they get the goal in the 79th or so minute, we didn't hang our heads. We kept playing and we got the second goal.

The idea when you go on the road is to come away with points. We got one today, but I thought we earned three. We really limited Columbus. They didn't pose many threats against us, but somehow when you look up at the board it's 1-1. We have a competitive group inside that locker room that felt we could have gotten three (points), but it's an important point we got today and we're going to continue to build on that.

The idea when you go on the road is to come away with points and obviously from the standpoint of points we go one today. I felt we earned three. We really limited Columbus. They posed not a lot of threats against us and somehow when you look up on the board its 1-1. We have a group inside the locker room that's competitive and felt we could have had three today. But again, a point on the road, an important point, and we are going to continue to build on that.

All the games are going to be tight, and we just have to worry about ourselves and make sure we get into good form coming into next week and just compete.