LA Galaxy 5, Colorado 0.
Q. Greg said that whenever he saw you take it off your left foot, he sort of went, oh no, and then you put it on your right foot and you put it into the net.
JOHN NELSON: Yeah.
Q. Tell us about the goal.
JOHN NELSON: Yeah, I mean, we started to go down the right side. I think they just -- they overshifted a lot towards Miki, and Miki did a good job cutting it in. Honestly when I saw Miki played across I said if this things gets through I'm going to score this and then it got through. Honestly I don't know why I cut it back. They bit kind of hard, and then as soon as I cut it back to my right, there was a lot of space open, and then, yeah, I hit it pretty well.
Yeah, first goal. Obviously very, very happy.
Q. When you got the ball and you settled it, I understand what you were doing, but it looked like from our perspective like it took a long time, almost like you weren't quite sure what was happening, what to do. Was there some doubt and some hesitation before you took the shot? And then when you score a goal, your first goal, do you get the ball? What does the team give you for that?
JOHN NELSON: I don't think there was any doubt. As soon as Miki played it, I told myself in my head if this ball gets through, I'm scoring this, and it got through.
I think I was composed. I was calm. There was no doubt to, answer that question, honestly, no doubt.
Yeah, I think obviously the jersey, I keep my jersey, frame it, put some writing on. And then I think I'll get a ball. I'll have awe all the guys sign it, too. Of course not just me, but the team. It's about the team. Of course I'll keep that ball. Thank you.
Q. Decision day obviously didn't go the way LA Galaxy wanted it to go. How beneficial to have this massive win and push all that out of your mind?
JOHN NELSON: It's massive. I think this team has responded well throughout the season through some adversity. Of course we wanted to finish on top in the west.
But no, this team has responded so well, and then to come out here, 5-0, clean sheet is huge. Such a good response from everyone. So now we have all the momentum. Vanney talked in the beginning of the season how important momentum is and we can exactly that.
So now we have the big win, the clean sheet, momentum going into the game next Friday in Colorado. So we rest up, get ready and job's not done. We keep going.
Q. Obviously it's great that you got involved on the offensive end but this team has struggled at times defensively. How big is the hut shutout for you guys in the first game of the playoffs?
JOHN NELSON: Yeah, huge. I think we set the tone. A lot of people have said our weakness to be defensively, so defensive set piece s is something that something throughout the year we needed to clean up, and I think it's been better.
Tonight we were solid. And then the clean sheet, it's huge. It's everything. But like I said, I think a lot of people have said our defense is our weak spot. But I don't think so. Especially when we have the ball, you can tell the other team was tired. They were gassed.
So when we have the ball, that's our best defense, and that's what Vanney says, and it showed tonight.
Q. Not only the shutout but you guys didn't allow a shot on goal the entire night. You're positioning a little bit further forward, and is this the best defensive effort you've put together that you've been a part of?
JOHN NELSON: I would say one of them for sure. First half, I don't really remember having to depend 1v1. We were on the ball so much.
But this whole week was as soon as we lose it, counter press. You know, we're up in their face. We're ready, we're fouling them, or we're winning the ball back. It was relentless. It was a pleasure to play in, and then when we watch the game back, it's going to be a fun one to watch because they didn't have much, and that's what we need to do, relentless.
Q. Just wanted to ask you about Greg Vanney, what's it been like working with him, preparing for this game? Obviously he has experience in the playoffs. How much do you guys in the locker room kind of lean on him and how important has he been leading up to this game?
JOHN NELSON: Yeah, he's been great, and like you said, he has a lot of experience. This team has a lot of experience in the MLS playoffs.
This week was everything. In the playoffs, we need to set the tone and set the intensity. He did that right from -- not just this week, but of course playoffs, training was intense. Defensively, we needed to do that, and that's what he talked about the whole week.
Like you saw tonight, we were relentless. We were fouling. We weren't giving them anything. So the whole week was that counter press defensively, and we know we're going to score goals. So we showed that tonight.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports