New York Red Bulls Head Coach Jesse Marsch
On what he said to the team after the first half:
Actually, what I told the team at halftime is that it was a similar halftime speech that we've had lately. Don't give the second goal away. It's coming, it's coming, it's coming. And actually, I believed it more at this halftime than ever because it was just impossible for us to continue to create such quality chances and for the ball not to go in.
So on that note, I think it was Bradley's best game of the year, Sacha's best game of the year, Mike's best game of the year, and Lloyd's best game of the year. Right? So they really dictated how we did things in the attacking part of the field, and they were dangerous all night, and they all contributed to the goals. So that was really good to see.
On the officiating:
I can't comment on it, unfortunately. That's just the way that this works is that I have to be respectful. Not sure what to say about that play. Could have certainly, you could have seen it given as a red card, but it didn't, and fortunately for us that's a moment where it's good for us and we catch a break which I feel like we haven't caught a lot of. So, yeah, that's all I really have to say about that.
On the difference in the later stages of the game:
Yeah, I mean, listen when you're part of this game for a long time, you see certain moments that I try to be true to what I'm looking at, right? And try to remove opinion and try to remove self interests, and now just try to identify exactly what we're looking at and how to make things better and move forward. When I've been looking at things it's not like I look at a bunch of attacking players that have lost their way or have lost their work ethic or desire or commitment or anything, which then leads me to believe that people believe in luck, destiny and fate and all these different things. But for me I believe in what's real and what I know is real is those four guys are real, and they're dangerous, and I see it every day, and they're quality guys, they're quality players, and I knew that they're going to be dangerous players in this league and get us goals.
So did it take reminders at times for all of us? Yeah. But that's normal when you go through stretches like this. It's just that you continue to do the things that we all value and we're going to come out on the other end in a good way.
On Bradley Wright-Phillips:
Really, all I said to them all was don't look at me like here we go again. Look at me like we've got this, no problem, let's keep going. And I think trying to reassure them that we were in a good place. With Brad, I believe in that guy. You know, I told him I believed in him. I'll continue to believe in him. He will score goals and that's that.
On the Supporters:
Yeah, well, what I heard when is guys came in, the assistants came in and said during warm-ups that the South Ward was packed, and they were cheering them on basically at shooting practice in warm-up. Basically saying, come on, we've got your back. Put it in the net, put it in the net, put it in the net.
So the only reminder I made to them before they went out on the field tonight was go out there and show how much you love this club, how much you love these fans and how much you love playing with each other, and I wanted them to have fun and go after it in a really brave but fun way and get back to the team that we know we can be, and they did.
On finally scoring goals:
Yes, for sure. We want to use it as a springboard to move us forward in the rest of the season, right? Like this can be a really big night for us. But there is a quick turnaround on Friday, and a really good team is coming to town.
So I think it's a really good time for the team to enjoy these three points and certainly the attacking prowess of the night. Then once we get to tomorrow, it's back to work and continue to push every day, and now we need to use Friday in a really good way to help us to continue to move forward.
On the significance on the result:
Yes, I think it could be a turning point. I gave, on TV I gave a similar message to what I've been giving at halftime, and I gave one to the team which is don't go down the second goal. Stay after the game. The goals are coming and once the first one comes, the second and third are coming. They proved me right this time. So that's the important part.
Still in these moments where it can seem like we're not getting breaks, you've got to find your way to make your own breaks and capitalize on moments, and we were able to do that tonight.
On if he could sense this performance coming:
We made reminders to the attacking players to be on the run, to be on the move, and not just want balls to feed. I think they all did that tonight. Sacha tilted the bar a really good way tonight where he was on the move a lot, and I think that added pressure on their back line. It opened holes up and opened up gaps.
Then, again, it's just about training better, pushing harder, and then even at the end of it all, they kind of said to me after the game, you know what? Once we got the lead, we kind of, it felt like us. It felt good to be ahead and it felt like we had more confidence, and we weren't forcing things as much. Again, that continued to create the danger, and the confidence, and the poise around the goal. So we need to use this in all the right ways to make us a good team.
On the intensity of the game:
Well, yeah. It's not easy when you're not sure what you're going to get from the referee perspective, right? And then continuing to maintain the focus and the attention to the task at hand is important, but at certain times you need to find a way to put pressure on the referee too, but not cross the line and have it be decent and not have a team that's a bunch of whiners.
So it does test the mentality in a lot of ways to be strong, to be real, to find ways to get your message across, if you feel like things aren't going the way they should, but then to stay ultra focused on what it takes to win the game.
On if he was worried at any point during the game:
Yeah, you've seen it enough to know that in some ways you're at the mercy of certain decisions, okay. But that's something that you have to live with. And if you spend too much time making excuses about it or bringing attention to it, then it can get in the way of what you're trying to achieve.
Red Bulls midfielder Mike Grella
On the mentality coming into the second half:
I mean, it's the same situation we've been in the last seven or eight games, right? So we get to halftime, it's one-nil down, and you know we've had chances, we've played well I thought in the first half - and it's the same story. At that point, you just have two options: you either get frustrated and throw in the towel or you keep going. And credit to the guys, credit to this group that I have so much faith in, you know we just kept going and kept knocking on the door, and finally it was like the heavens opened and finally some goals started pouring in.
On what the goals meant to the team:
I feel like we've been awakened now, like I feel like we're a very strong team, very good group of guys, and I think we needed another wake-up call and I think for sure we got that. So the feeling here's great. It's like we won the Supporters' Shield again almost. But put that aside, we got a tough game again on Friday, and you know we need to come back out here and provide another result and do all the right things again.
On whether this is his best game of the year:
Yeah, maybe. Yeah, I'd have to go back and check on the game again but for sure we had life again this game and we had belief this game and, you know, when my goal went in you just had a feeling that for sure we're going to win this game. And the front four played fantastic - so did the whole team. We all pulled together - we defended together, we attached together. Proud of all the guys.
New York Red Bulls forward Bradley Wright-Phillips
On the win and scoring:
It was good man, I don't want to sound too cliché, but it's all about the three points. We've been struggling to get three points and today felt good. It felt really good.
On if it felt like the "floodgates opened" after he scored his first goal:
Yeah I feel like I'm back as a player. When I'm not scoring, I'm not scoring. I go on the worst runs and I don't want to jinx myself when I do score I manage to just get lucky and they all start going in so hopefully that's what happens now.
On what the message was at halftime:
It was more of the same and don't concede the next goal. I'm still disappointed in the two goals we conceded, I think they could've been prevented, but we won the game. We can't be fussy right now we're just on the way to turning things around so we'll take any win.
Orlando City SC head coach Adrian Heath
On what went wrong in the second half:
Well, I think of games that are really tight, decisions went against us, again. I think the biggest decision of the night was Cyle Larin fouled. If he was, is it a red card? Yes, it is. It could have been a big turning point in the game.
I'm not saying that they didn't deserve to win the game, because they did. But once again, me and Jesse were just talking. He's of the same mind of me. It's another game where the officials (Indiscernible).
It was disappointing because I thought we were on the counter attack. I thought we were dangerous all evening, and I always felt we were one pass away from getting in on two or three occasions, but it wasn't to be.
On the defense in the second half:
I think it's a combination of really good play from them. We spoke about it before the game. I think when they start making their combination plays and they start getting on the boards, I think they're a really good team. That's why they won the whole thing last year (Indiscernible).
So it's about defending our turnovers, especially in the first 15 minutes of the first half. That's when we were down the most. But they've got some good players. It was a mixture of both, really.
On the officiating:
I said before, goals change games. After we got a penalty and they scored, at two-nil makes it a completely different game. Even if you don't score the penalty, it changes the whole complexion of the game. Big decisions change games.
We go back three weeks, I had Peter Walton ring me on Monday and say I'm really sorry four of them were offsides on the goal. Really sorry that he didn't defend Servando Carrasco's arm. So did we.
On if his team scored too early:
I don't think you ever score too early on the road. I'll take that every week if we can arrange it. But I think it was a strange game because they kept getting chances where I kept thinking we were going to always get another one on the break, and it never really materialized. But I'll have a look at the film, but I think we gave the ball away in dangerous areas too many times. But they did all right tonight.
On a solution to officiating issues:
How long have we got? I've got a flight tomorrow. I think I've said over numerous occasions what I think the issue is, but I get myself in too much trouble when I say things. But too many times and I've said this over the weeks too many times, the outcome of the game is by the people who are officiating, not the people who are participating in it, and that's a problem.
But, hey, I can't take anything away from the Red Bulls tonight. I thought they probably deserved to win the game, but I always thought we were capable of scoring on the counter attack.
On if they were giving away too many chances:
I said on the bench we're riding a little too much here. If it goes to 1-1, probably two-nil at halftime. But we had a couple early opportunities where we broke. We didn't make the most of them, but they, as I said, all credit to them. I thought they pushed it, and pushed it all evening and got a couple of big decisions, I think.
On team maintaining composure late in games:
Well, we've got to get a bit more disciplined. As I say, we turned the ball over a little too cheaply at times in dangerous areas and put ourselves under more pressure. So we've got to get better at that. We've got to weather the storm more. You know, Joe had too much to do tonight. He made two or three great saves this evening.
Orlando City SC forward Cyle Larin
On his reaction from the game:
We were up one to nothing in the first half and we came out and just gave away a bad pass to them and they took advantage of it. We lost the game by ourselves.
On his thoughts ahead of next game:
I think that if we look sharper, we can win games like these. We just made mistakes, you know the way balls fall too easily. We could've taken advantage of it and I think we could have won the game if we were a little bit sharper. We worked hard but we didn't work hard enough.
Orlando City SC goalkeeper Joe Bendik
On his reaction from the game:
Pretty disappointed. We got a good goal very early in the game, that seems to be a strong point with this team and then we had to weather a big storm from them and a good attack during the first half. I thought we started to play a bit more in the second half, and get the ball down and obviously Cyle's no-call on the penalty or the sending off is disappointing and not long after that they find the equalizer in the second. Yeah it's disappointing, we just need to move on and we play both New England and New York twice so we'll look forward to meeting them again.
On his disappointment with the calls all across the league
We need to be strong. We work really hard for 90 minutes and some calls will go your way and some won't. You know, this is three in three games, it's just, that's pretty unacceptable. Some of them admit to it and some of them just try to defend themselves but for me if I let the ball roll though my legs three times I won't be able to show my face in the locker room.
On if anything changed in the back line's play in the second half
No, I don't think so. I think we just started to play, we started to open them up a bit and the game kind of just got opened up. They had a pretty good goal, I think, the first goal was nice and you know that they're dangerous on set pieces and they found a way to get the lead there.
On how important it is to cut down on turnovers
Every team does it. What's important is if we are giving the ball over going forward. If we are giving the ball over going backwards it is a problem. But were trying to play and they have a high press, that's what they wanted to do and we wanted to play through them. I think that we did it but we did give the ball away a few too many times and that kind of gives the home team an up-tempo.
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