We're right where we want to be. It would have been nice to score some goals (at home), but it was the first time a lot of us had gotten together in a long time. We're going to have to win on other fields at some point (in this tournament) -- we might as well start in the first round.

Obviously there's frustration, but there are a lot of veterans in this locker room. It's about building for the entire season. What we need to build our team on is defense.

The first game of a road trip is always the toughest to set the tone. This carries more implications than just another road game for us. This is the first of us going out on a three game trip and it would be nice to get off on the right foot.

Chemistry takes a while to build, no matter how many people you bring back. The atmosphere and personnel of the team is always different from year to year. Last year's team was as close as we were because we struggled at times. A team that can lose together can definitely win together.

We always seem to get teams on the brink of desperation. They haven't won yet, it's a home game for them, and it's on turf, so we have a whole new set of challenges.

There has been a definite dedication towards consistency. It's something we've lacked. We need to get on the right track early, otherwise it's going to be a sense of 'here we go again.' It's something we're gong to try and stop from happening.

We're (Los Angeles and New England) two teams that I would have to say have been favorites in their divisions or forces to be reckoned with in the playoffs. We've worked hard to improve certain weaknesses we had. Hopefully that comes to fruition this Saturday.

I definitely want to go one up on him. I think it will be an emotional night. But once that whistle blows I'm going to want to kick his butt, to be honest.