Orlando City Interim Head Coach Martín Perelman
*On the match
“Very happy on the victory. The way the guys performed today, I think it was amazing. It was a really good start to the second part of the season, so we’re so happy. Again, for the performance, for the effectivity, for the clean sheet, for many things, and we hope we can keep and maintain this level and these results.”
On Antoine Griezmann’s impact
“Well, [Antoine Griezmann], as I always say when somebody asks me about him, I’m not going to discover anything about him as a player—everybody knows how special he is on the field. What I can tell you is that off the field, it's amazing the way his energy—he’s so humble, he brings good energy to all of us. It’s a pleasure and an honor, not only for me, but everyone in Orlando, to share on a daily basis with him.”
On takeaways from the team’s performance
“I think we came to a very difficult scenario against a very difficult team that we respect. We knew it was going to be tough, and we knew we would not only need a good plan and a good preparation, but also a lot of energy and character. And being honest, our players did an amazing job in terms of level of activation, energy, personality to play, to defend. I really like the way the team defended. I think maybe that’s something I would highlight in terms of performance, but also the way we played. I think it was overall a good performance from the team.”
*
Orlando City Goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau
*On the presence of Antoine Griezmann
"Antoine [Griezmann] is such a gentleman. On and off the field, he’s been somebody that is fantastic for the Club, somebody who is very dedicated to the system and you can see his quality. He relieves us a lot on the ball, to find some spaces and to keep the ball, and obviously you saw his quality on the finish. He doesn’t need a couple of chances, that’s why he’s such a great player. He’s been fantastic in our locker room and within our entourage. It’s a blessing to have him.”
On the team’s focus during the break from play
“Credit to everybody, staff and players, who have put so many hours into the work, to treat this mini preseason, basically, to start the second semester of the season. Honestly, there has been tremendous work from every single person at the Club. This is just 90 minutes to reward ourselves for that work. Even though I personally was away, I saw and knew how much hard work the Club was putting in at the training facility, so very happy for everybody tonight.”
On the team getting is first MLS clean sheet this season
“First, it feels great, as you can imagine. The dedication from every single player to defend outside our box was something that we took very seriously during the preparation. Even towards the end of the first half of the season, we were getting close to those clean sheets, but there was always that one play that we couldn’t defend and that we couldn’t pull it off. So to not concede tonight is something amazing, and we mentioned it in the locker room that it’s something that this group is taking pride in. I’m very happy for everybody, from our number nine to me, it’s a collective effort and it’s been highlighted in the locker room that the victory is important, but the clean sheet is as well.”*
