The MLS Cup will be go where no MLS Cup has gone before if one player has his way. With pizza and beer in hand, the Los Angeles Galaxy’s Frankie Hejduk said he was taking the Cup out surfing with him. This and more reaction in part 2 of Marc Serber’s MLS Cup quotables.

by Marc Serber

Robbie Keane in the tunnel:

On a crazy week qualifying with Ireland for Euro 2012 and the MLS Cup:

Personally it’s been a good week for me with the national team and then coming back four days later and winning the championship.

On the perception of MLS in the UK.

The people I speak to enjoy it back at home. It’s getting a lot of followers. I’ve been speaking with a lot of friends in the Premiership and the fact is there are a lot of them that would like to come over here.

Read Part 1 of Marc Serber's MLS Cup Quotables, Beckham: MLS Cup Equal to Other Silver.

On his chemistry with Landon Donovan:

When your playing with good players it makes your job a lot easier. On the goal we linked up quite well. I managed to get him the ball and he scored so we finished well and next year will be even better.

On the atmosphere at the Home Depot Center compared to the crowds in Europe:

The fans were great. You saw the celebrations after the game. You see what it means to everyone associated with the club.

On the level of play here in MLS:

There are a lot of players [in Europe] that I know would love to come over here.

On Bruce Arena:

He knows the league very well. Having coached the national team, he knows every player in the league. His attention to detail is second to none. He has obviously been great to me and I’ve really enjoyed my time with him.

Gregg Berhalter in the tunnel:

On what has changed over the last few years:

The culture has changed. That’s what Bruce wanted to change when he got here. He wanted to build a strong team, build a complete team, and a team that could defend. If you look over the course of three years, two Supporter’s Shields, two trips to the finals and one championship, he’s done that.

On the money the Galaxy have spent:

A guy like David [Beckham], people look at the salary he makes and they think there should be a championship every year, but he needs a good supporting cast around him. I think that’s the most important thing that Bruce [Arena] did, was build a team with great guys around him. Guys that can compliment him and can play with him and can allow him to showcase his talents because he definitely has many.

On the fact that this was the last game of his career (although he was an unused substitute) and he goes out a champion:

Its incredible. It will hit me over the next couple of weeks that I’m never going to be on the field. Never going to be competing again and thats something thats hard to get over. The first thing I am is a competitor so that’s going to be difficult, but in the same sense I am excited to start a new chapter in my career.

On his work with Omar Gonzalez:

The leadership qualities. That’s a part that he will grow into, I think. The consistency as well. He is in his third year now and that’s something that we’ve been stressing with him and working on and talking to him about. I think we definitely accomplished that. He’s been a lot more consistent this year. He is the best defender in the league. There’s no question. It was good that he got honored for that award, but it’s better that we won a championship.

On Omar Gonzalez and the National team:

It [his chance] will come. It’s about stepping your game up. You do it from college to the pros and then the pros to the National team and he needs to do that. There’s no question that he needs to take his game to another level and he can. We’re talking about the international level. Right now, domestically, he’s one of the best, but internationally he’s not. I think he needs to take that step.

His chance with the national team will come. Its just about being patient and doing it here day in and day out and he will definitely get a chance.

On whether or not he will stay with the Galaxy coaching staff:

Yes, there is a chance. I talked to him [Bruce Arena] and he indicated that he’d like me to stay. I’m going to look at the options that are there for me, if any, and then decide.

On what it was like first playing under Bruce Arena and then playing under/coaching alongside him:

Bruce is obviously one of the most experienced and most successful US coaches so it’s been great learning from him. Like myself, he’s a competitor. He wants to win every game he’s in and that rubs off on the team.

The Last word goes to Frankie Hejduk after emerging from the locker room holding a Dominos pizza box and a beer:

I’m going to take the Cup surfing. We get it for a day, right? So that’s what I’m doing with it.