Fernando Clavijo Quotes (35 Quotes)

It was a disciplinary action that we handled inside the team. He's a very talented player, our leading scorer and he will absolutely (be back for the next game). We need him here for the playoffs.

Sometimes the kids only think about making the team. Now there are a lot of players coming in who want to make a difference.

He's done extremely well since we brought him in. Whether he comes off the bench or starts, he scores goals.

I'm overwhelmed. I always worked because it was in my body. To be rewarded like this is the highlight of my life. Soccer has been my life as long as I can remember.

Hopefully, we have the next couple of weeks or next couple of months (to sign a new deal). I know Joe said he wants to stay. Both parties have to give up a little bit. I think it's going to happen.

Outstanding. I mean, outstanding. I said it all along. ... You know, Joe Cannon is one of the great goalkeepers in the league. But we have a roster full of players and they need to stay on top of their job. I though Byron was very good. The other day (against D.C. United), unfortunately, they didn't give him much time to warm up. But today was outstanding. I'm truly happy for him. I think that he is young and has enormous shoes to fill whenever Joe Cannon is out.

We fought back. What I told the team was that these results last year were better. If we were a little bit lucky we would have won the game. This seems like a loss. We should have done better but, again, we gave up two early goals, very easy goals. Then we put together an incredible effort to come back. At the end we wanted to win the game. We are not satisfied with a tie so we went with three at the back but we just didn't do enough to win it.

The significance of this game for us is that it's a home game and we cannot give up points.

I think right now, we have to look at Gargan and see what he can give us.

The game plan was very clear. We just could not find any momentum. We need to set a pace. In the second half, they are going to try to slow it down as much as possible and we need to do something about this. We need a little more intensity. You know, I mean, we were just two steps behind on everything else.

It was a total nightmare out there, by everyone. We just didn't perform.

We make some individual mistakes that cost us the game, but I'm looking forward to playing the Galaxy again, 11-v-11, without any red cards, with no penalties. We get the red card and that changes the game. It was crucial.

Sometimes a player is in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was happy there, but I think the change in scenery was good for him.

Anytime you have an opportunity to bring players of this caliber, you have to pull the trigger right away.

I still think he has a lot more that he can give the team. There's still room for improvement. He knows we believe in him, and he knows we have high expectations for him.

I think we played hard. We didn't come out with the points. When you play D.C. you know it is going to be hard. It was hard when we played them at home. We beat them. We knew it was going to be hard and took a really good free kick to open up the goals.

We didn't put enough pressure on the crosses. We could never control it. We let them have it too easy. Ching had one of the best games I've ever seen him play. He is an outstanding young player who has been in and out of the national team. We weren't prepared for that kind of speed.

It's a great night for Houston. It's a great night for the league. If you don't like playing in this environment, you're in the wrong sport.

Today, for us, it was a playoff game. We were playing on the road, and we needed to do whatever we needed to win.

We knew all along Ben-Dayan was a good player. When he first came, we were winning and it was difficult to fit him in the lineup. But we think we can work him in over the next five games and he can help us make a strong push in the playoffs.

We knew this game was going to be hard and we made it a little harder on ourselves today. Overall, all the guys came up, worked hard and I can't complain for that.

His value is never going to be higher. We got him here for nothing and now get a first-round draft pick, perhaps a second, and Martins.

We were forced to make many changes. We didn't defend the ball as well as we should have.

That was our first (MLS) game in 17 days, but little by little, things are coming together. We have minimized our mistakes. It has been a roller coaster, but I'm giving credit to whoever is stepping in.

I think this year, the players have interacted not only outside the field, but inside the field. We have good soccer players who have a good mind for the game. They executed together and we have to make sure they put it out during the regular season.

Our first goal was to make the playoffs. Now, realistically, we can jump L. A. Our goal right now is just to get ahead of them.

I believe we match (up) very well because they like to play and allow (opponents) to play. That last game we played them gave us a little bit of confidence, knowing we can come with the point from there. But at the same time, we need to win.

We were very tentative in the first half, instead of being aggressive. We made it clear in the second half it was not good enough. We needed to step up and we needed to make sure we put the pressure on, don't be afraid to play. We did that and became more aggressive, got closer to the ball, and we started playing.

Overall, I thought it was a great performance. The most satisfying thing for me was the attitude. They scored a goal and we kept playing hard. I don't know if, at the beginning of the year, we would have been able to turn around those things.

It would be a very happy little surprise. I'm not looking for the next superstar, but you never know. I remember how I came out to play. I made it from an open tryout. I got an opportunity to try. That's how I started playing here in the States. You never know. Realistically, it would be very hard, but it's not impossible.

I did it because I love it, I did it because it's part of me and I did it because I had the greatest support. I didn't come (to the U.S.) to play soccer, I came here for a new life. ... Soccer is in my blood. My family is in my heart.

The other team played hard they executed a great free kick. You have to give them credit. We suffered some injuries but you have to give the credit to the team that played well.

I think tonight was probably our best game of the year. We kept the ball very well and we were solid. We have 22 new players and the guys needed time to adjust to each other.

I want it. This team has really not won many things, and I think an opportunity to win it is something we need to concentrate on.

I think L. A. is under a lot of pressure right now. They have a lot of resources on that team, but they're only four points ahead of us, with (the Rapids having) two games in hand. They had a tough loss on Sunday and I expect it to be a very emotional, very physical game.