Head Coach Caleb Porter
Opening statement
We knew it would be a difficult game, I said that the last couple of days. They’ve got good players, they had a good team last year. That’s not going to change because of a couple results that haven’t gone their way. When you’re playing a wounded animal like they were, you know they’re going to fight. You could see clearly in the first 12 to 15 minutes what the plan was: be very physical, choppy game. I think they did a great job of breaking our rhythm. I think they had eight fouls in the first 12 minutes. So, we have to obviously deal with that better. As far as the game, the first half wore on and we started to find some space to play, and really, I think the zero-zero was fair at half, and I thought second half, the game was set up nicely for us to at the very least get a point, maybe steal three points. That’s what you want, you want to be in position around the 60th minute and it looked like they were never really going to really score, they weren’t threatening us and we make our two subs to get us a little push and literally five seconds before they’re in the game, we give away a tough goal. It’s a young kid, obviously, we feel for Aboubacar [Keita]. It’s a big, critical moment in the match, obviously a game-changing moment. But then from there, I think we have to respond a little bit better. We were close in a couple of moments, obviously offsides when [Fanendo] Adi scores. It wasn’t enough, so we have to keep it in perspective. We have to learn from it, obviously. We have not much time to turn around and go again, but it’s still a process and we’ve been on a good run obviously; six games with no losses, this is our first loss. We’ll use it to get better and we have to respond now in this next game versus our rival in a big match.
On whether this is the type of game that occurs between two teams that are expecting to compete for a top spot on the table
Yeah, it was definitely a tight game. It was a battle. Again, they’re a good team, they just needed that little bit of a breakthrough. They got it, unfortunately they got it through us kind of gifting them a goal. But that was a big moment in the match, because if we get the first goal or if it stays zero-zero, I’m feeling good about where things are at because I knew that they were desperate. I just thought it was really set up nicely for us, we made a little bit of a push with two subs and we never got a chance to kind of find that goal. We were down even before they were in the game. Just the timing of it, the way we gave the goal. Goals change games, I always say it, and I thought it just gave them life, lifted them. It was what they needed to just kind of gain confidence and obviously, for us it was a bit of a backbreaker.
On whether traveling on game day had an impact on the team’s performance
I don’t think so. It is our first time doing this. None of us have played a game where we traveled the day of the game, but they also traveled too, you know what I mean? And I made that point to the games before the game, that we traveled, they traveled, they had to take a bus to Jersey and we were literally in the plane for an hour. It doesn’t really matter whether or not it affects us, we have to deal with it and manage it because that’s the way it’s going to be. But I didn’t think it was really a factor. We probably looked a little tired because it’s our second game in basically four days, five days.
Defender Jonathan Mensah
On being next to Keita, words for him
It was actually strange on that play because my position, I actually pointed to goalkeeper because we worked on it and I think he didn’t even look at the player close to me before he passed the ball. But told [Keita], ‘Keep your head up, let’s keep going and find a goal’, but we scored two or three goals that were called offsides, but we need to put this game behind us, look at some film, correct some things we need to improve on and move on to the next game.
On how long it takes to learn things as a young player
It’s tough, because when we work on these things in training and we get into the game, we are locked-in to go, so the more we minimize these mistakes, the more we can execute the game plan and break teams down. In this case, this happened, I’m sure [Keita] is going to learn and let it go and improve upon that because it can happen in a game and we’re a team that keeps improving. So these type of mistakes that we do once in a while, but at the end of the day, we need to improve in and step into the next game and make it better.
On games that are physical and responding to that physicality
I think individually we need to be up for the battle because it’s a fight. Every game that we play, from the whistle, everyone is fighting for the same three points. So as an individual, you kind of do your job and you need to be physical because this League is one of the physical leagues in the world and obviously if you play in these kinds of games, you need to be physical. I think in that aspect, we need to kind of raise our physicality and match their intensity.
Midfielder Hector Jimenez
On games that are physical and responding to that physicality
I think just match for intensity. I think from the whistle they came in and they interrupted our play. In the first probably 15 minutes they had 10 fouls possibly. But we just have to match their intensity and play through it. It was a difficult match, but I think we deserved a little bit better there.
On whether traveling on game day had an impact on the team’s performance
Not so much, but it is different flying in the day of the game. You get in, you have lunch, you lay back for a little bit and then you got the game. [It’s] Definitely something new, but the way they’re formatted and the games that are coming fast it‘s something we have to adjust to. But this experience I’m sure we’ll get better throughout the year with it. It has its challenges, but at the end of the day we’re professionals and we just have to step on the field and perform.
On whether this is the type of game that occurs between two teams that are expecting to compete for a top spot on the table
Absolutely, absolutely. And you know what? They [New York City FC] came out and they were physical, just knowing we haven’t lost a game, we haven’t really conceded a goal off the run of play. It was a team that needed to win and, again, those games happen in the East where it’s just physical. I don’t know if we play them again, but hopefully next time around – even with a similar team – we can match the physical aspects of it and get a better result at the end. I still think today, even though we weren’t as sharp offensively, at least we deserved a point.
