Orlando City SC Head Coach Oscar Pareja
Opening Statement
“Well, I think it was obviously very entertaining for the intensity of the game to the people that came to the stadium. But at the end of the day, the frustration is the same about what we left on the field because it’s another two points that we let go on a game that I think we had to close it and win it. But this is the game. We're scoring goals, but now we conceded too, and we have been talking about our balance and all those things. It is something that we need to work on. But I have to say as well that our thing was always bringing the initiative. We found a team that had good responsiveness, but I think we really proposed the game all over the field. And we should have been better when we were up 3-2, and we had a few chances just to put the game away. And we let it go.”
On how the team took advantage of New England’s league-best defense
“It was one of the games that we took advantage of those spaces that we created. And sometimes we create, but we don't use it. But tonight, we created and used it the entire game. Especially in that first half that you mentioned, we got multiple options, and we got in the box with numbers. But again, the pain that we have is that the game, our goal was to kill the game, and we let it go on key moments, where we have to do better. But there is a bunch of positive things, where I see the team, the way we attack today and the way we proposed and then things happened; this is the team that we want to see.”
On Martín Ojeda’s performance in the match
“I think he came up in a very good moment. He was facing some tightness in his body and we rested him and let him recover in the last game and the [U.S. Open Cup] game that we played. We started seeing that spark on him again and today was a phenomenal game for Martín [Ojeda]. I think he's showing us all the things that he can do more frequently, but my admiration for such a game that he played today for us. It was great.”
Orlando City SC Midfielder Joran Gerbet
Opening Statement
"I felt like we had a really strong start in the beginning of the game. After the 2-0, we had low energy for some reason, so we conceded two goals, which we shouldn’t have. After halftime, once we were in the locker room we said that it was no more, and we have to get back to the things we were doing in the first half. We did pretty well until the 75th minute, after we stopped a little bit, we had low energy again and after that they had the [penalty kick] at the end which was unfortunate. But that’s how it is."
On the challenges that Carles Gil presents
“It was pretty challenging to be honest because [Carles Gil is] a really good player, a really good number 10, his left foot especially. He goes pretty far from my zone, so I have to come out from my zone which is pretty hard for the center back because I leave a lot of space behind me. But I have to try to stop him at some point, but it was definitely challenging."
On the foul suffered and the motivation at halftime
“I just passed the concussion test, so, good with the head. And at halftime, sometimes you have to scream a little bit, sometimes you have to say the bad words, so we did that with the team. That’s how it is sometimes when you lead 2-0 and you come back in 2-2 after 10 minutes, it's not normal. So, sometimes you have to do that, I would not say the bad word, but you have to put your voice a little bit louder to bring the team back, bring the energy back. So that’s what we did. And we did really well, that’s why we were able to come back right after, on top of [New England]. I felt we did really well to obtain the penalty kick and to score 3-2."
Orlando City SC Midfielder Martín Ojeda
Opening Statement
“I think I have feelings that are in contrast with one another right now. Obviously, very happy to be able to score three goals tonight. The first hat trick that I have been able to score in my career. And I am happy to be able to do it at this Club and show completion of the growth that I have had over my time here and working with all the people in the Club; the players, my teammates, the coaches, the staff. I’m very happy about that of course. But on the other hand, I’m sad that we weren’t able to take all three points tonight. I’ll always say that we have to just continue to work, we have to keep working hard during the week and try and find those moments in the game to be more efficient. Both in attack and on defense.”
On the goals conceded and the team's objective going forward
“I think the first two goals that they scored was essentially a lack of concentration on all of our parts after the 30 minutes that we had played, and we went up two goals. We had started to let them hit the transitions on our defense in areas that I, myself, take charge of. As attackers, we have to make sure that we're helping out our defenders, that we're helping out Pedro [Gallese], and I think in those minutes, that we faltered in that. And then you know, it's a shame that tonight we gave up their goals because we'd come in with five games, six games of clean sheets. And so, it’s a surprise to see three goals. But we go back into the week to work and to try and fix those errors that caused those goals on our side. We’ll take those short few days that we have to go ahead and do that.”
"And then I think, you know, moving into the remaining days of the league, we stay calm, we stay focused. Our objective, of course, is to win a championship here in Orlando and to bring it home to the city. And the first part of that is to qualify, the first portion of that objective is to qualify for playoffs. And so, I'll say it again, we continue to work hard together to achieve that combined goal together.”
On his motivation and the keys to success surrounding his recent play
“The key is family, that's truly what it is. A lot of people don't realize how fundamental a player's family is in their life, and for me, that's my wife and my son. Each day I'm thinking about football, I'm watching football. Football in Argentina and MLS, I love it, I love to watch it, and I love to play it. I think about it all the time. But to be with them is what's key for me because they continue to push me to be a better person and a better player each and every time. I know that I'm not perfect and they give me that drive to go out there and continue to try and fix each thing and to improve each and every day. A lot of people don't realize just how fundamental that is for the growth of a player as a footballer and as a person. Obviously, I'm very happy today with what I was able to achieve and hopefully we come to the end of the year together in that same run of form. Achieving a lot both as an individual and as a collective group."
