Head Coach Adrian Heath
On how he views the result overall…
“I felt we just about deserved to get something out of it. I thought we started really slowly, gave them the initiative. We spoke about it. Can we start like we did last week in Philly where we had a really good start and dictated the rest of the game for us. I thought we were too slow from the half and I don't think we moved the ball quick enough. Conceded a really poor goal. They didn’t have to work very hard for the goal and then we gradually worked our way back into the game. I thought the last 20, 25 minutes of the first half, we were better and I thought we were the better team in the second half.”
On how Nashville played…
“Well they are a good team. They always look dangerous on the break, when you're in the ascendancy that we are and we’re pushing that many men forward you're always vulnerable on the counter-attack and all evening I thought they were dangerous on the break.”
On adapting without the teams starting fullbacks…
“We decided to make a change at halftime because we thought that we started to get the ball out in wide areas and we started to get the fullbacks up, so we thought we’d maybe get D.J. [Taylor] on who’s more natural in that half of the field and [Bakaye] Dibassy might give us a little bit of quality down the sides. Hopefully, the two starting fullbacks who are out, hopefully next week maybe. I was pleased with the efforts after about 15, 20 minutes.”
On the weather conditions…
“It used to be the cold nights of Stoke-on-Trent where I was born. It was one of them nights for sure. We had a bit of everything tonight with the conditions. I thought it was a lot of good football from both teams considering the conditions.”
On the play following the seventy plus minute break…
“Yeah, I thought we were in the ascendency when we went off the field and I just wanted to get us back and let them settle again. But we picked up where we left off and as I said I thought we took the game to them in the second half. Some good play. I thought Bongi [Bongokuhle Hlongwane] came on and gave us a lift. Luis [Amarilla] was working as hard as he can, and we just needed to get him a break and get him some service. He did great for the one he rolled to the center back. I thought he’d be disappointed with that. But overall where we were at one stage to come away with a point, you know you're disappointed at home but it’s a point gained rather than two lost.”
On how the delay factored into the game…
“I don’t think so, I thought we were in the ascendancy before we went off the field. We came out and took off where we left because that was one thing I said to the players, we can’t start slowly again. We just got the initiative, let's keep that going and I felt we did. We took the game to them in the second half.”
On what Hlongwane brings to the team…
“Well if Fraga’s [Franco Fragapane] got a tweak in his hamstring, that's what made the substitution for us. I think he’s [Bongokuhle Hlongwane] come on and he’s affected the game which is what you want from substitutes. Normally when you're as athletic as him, people are very individual. But this kid has got a bit of both. He can play with people, he's got a good turn of speed. We’ve been really pleased with what we’ve seen out of him in a very short period of time.”
On what went into the free kick…
“That's Rey [Emanuel Reynoso] and Luis [Amarilla] special. It’s a good job we scored from it because I wouldn’t have been best pleased. It’s great Rey sees things. I knew that when Luis was out there and not in the box, he was probably gonna try and find him. Luis is a goal scorer and wants to be in the thick of it. I knew they probably worked on something.”
On Dax [McCarthy] shadowing [Emanuel Reynoso at times…
“A little bit. You know, they way they play, Dax[McCarty] is the deeper of all the midfield players, but they have so many bodies in the middle of the park and they’re really good at possession. [Randall] Leal comes in there and then [Hany] Mukhtar comes in there, plus the other two midfield players. It was a difficult evening for Hassani [Dotson] and Will [Trapp] because they were outnumbered in there, but I didn’t want to change the shape. Eventually, we had come to terms with it and started to switch the point of attack. Getting out wide and start to work down the sides. As I say, it was a difficult evening for us. They are a good team.”
On the players enduring the 70 minutes…
“That’s just resting. Looking at little bits of video and see if there’s anything we can take from what has gone on beforehand. It’s basically just staying mentally focused and not letting what’s going on affect you, which I think we did a good job of.”
On how to change and improve after recording two straight draws…
“Well, I think if I look at both games, I feel that we did enough to have maybe won the first one. And today, I think [Nashville] probably think they deserved something out of the game. We haven’t been beaten. We’ve played well in large parts of games. First half in Philly [Philadelphia], we were very good. I thought the second half here we were the better team. We have to keep working on being consistent and putting 90 minutes together. It doesn't get any easier. We go to Red Bulls next week and you see their result today. It’s been a tough start for us, like we knew it was going to be. Going to Philly, and then going to New York up against the Red Bulls and playing these at home. We knew it was going to be a difficult start and that’s how it’s proved.”
On player involvement and creating chances…
“As we are at this moment in time, the team is picking itself. When we get to Friday, I feel as though this is our best group at this moment in time. Obviously we don't know how Fraga [Franco Fragapane] is going to be. Is it going to be a week or two weeks we don’t know. If that's the case then Bongi [Bongokuhle Holongwane] will play and we will see how he is like from the start.”
On the home crowd even after the delay…
“Yeah, I thought the crowd were great this evening when you consider the conditions. The amount of people that stayed behind and tried to get the lads going and it makes a big difference for us. I think they saw the effort the players were putting in as well. It would have been nice to have won it, but it was nice to give them a goal to cheer anyway.”
What he accounts to the slow start this season…
“I don’t know, I thought [Nashville] started quite brightly. But like we did last week against Philly, but we didn’t come out, we didn’t move the ball quick enough. I thought we were too passive with our play, we were too passive in our movements. And when they got the goal, I knew it would be a long evening because they were so well organized, and dangerous on the break. But the lads kept going. I was really pleased with the determination and the effort that they gave”.
On Emmanuel Reynoso importance to the team…
“For us to do what we want to do this year, we need a big year out of Rey [Emanuel Reynoso]. As I’ve said all along, I think he should be getting towards double figures. We know he will create opportunities because that's what he's got. But if we’re going do what we want to do this year, we’re going to need a big season out of Rey for sure.”
Minnesota United Defender D.J. Taylor
On his thoughts on the game today…
“Yeah, I think it obviously went well. Main message from Gaf [Adrian Heath] was ‘We got this. Make a difference. Have a lot of energy.’ I think I definitely bring that. Being a little younger on the team, it went well. We wanted to win but as long as at home, we’re not losing points, that’s good too.”
On the mood in the locker room after the inclement weather and coming away with a point…
“It’s a good feeling, honestly, with the delay and other factors like that. I think still at the end of the day, though, we want to win. We started a little slow. I think you guys could notice that at the first 15 minutes, we were kind of a little slow. But, I think it’s good comradery wise that we were able to come together and really get a result back. Like I said, one point, as long as we keep moving forward and don’t lose, we’re doing good.”
On the field conditions, especially after the delay…
“I think it made it a little worse. I wouldn’t say too much worse. There were little patches of water and stuff like that. It was already like that, being pouring down rain since we even got there, before we even warmed up. It didn’t make a big difference. After we were able to mentally lock in and still stay in the game, it allowed us to get this result.”
On how the team stayed occupied during the delay…
“We just sat there and tried to warm up with blankets. I think I had a double blanket, one over my head, one on my waist. We were just sitting there talking about the game and making sure that we were all ready mentally to get ready to go again because we knew we were going to play again.”
On the home crowd after the delay…
“Yeah, it felt like no one left, to be honest. I think that’s one of the best things about playing here at this club, is the fans. Their support, after the delay, we really needed it. It helped us get our result today.”
On the team starting games off slow…
“To be honest, it could be a number of things. Coming back home, freezing cold, maybe that adds to it. Trying to get into gear, trying to warm up and getting your rhythm. It’s a tough thing as well but it is still not an excuse for us. We still need to be pushing the gas, especially if we’re at home. The best way to get over that is looking at ourselves in training and just making sure, from minute one we start training, we’re going at it and that’ll translate it into the game.”
On if the delay mentally affected the team…
“I’m not really sure if it affected us in any way negatively. I think maybe positively. We could show, through anything, whether it’s a delay, whatever it is, we’re down 1-0 at home, that we’re going to get through it and we’re going to come together and make sure we finish this job. Maybe it brought us together a little bit at the same time.”
On knowledge of the plan on the set piece…
“I don’t think anybody had an idea. I did, just because I was behind Luis [Amarilla]. I could tell from Rey [Emanuel Reynoso] the way he looks, kind of with my spanish culture, playing in Spain, I could tell it could be on if they wanted to do it and with Rey’s quality, he can do whatever he wants. I think it was great. It was a great strike by Luis. It’s really a blessing for Hassani [Dotson] to have been ready to get it off the post, in case it didn’t go in and he tapped it in. So I’m happy for him.”
On the perspective of the goal, mishap or a good strike.
“I think it definitely was warranted off Luis’ [Amarillo] strike. It obviously starts with the quality of service because if Rey [Emanuel Reynoso] misplaces that a yard or two, then Luis can’t really strike it well and it could lead to problems. Just both sides of it, Rey’s pass and Luis’s execution and then Hassani’s [Dotson] follow-up, was a perfect play for us.”
On the message from Adrien Heath on the change after coming on…
“The message for him was to just be energetic and drive forward. Play with Nashville and their formation, where the outside-backs were having a little bit more space and time to really exploit. I think that’s what we were struggling to do in the first half, like the first 15 minutes. When we got it wide, we weren’t really penetrating, so that was my main focus. As soon as I get it: go for it, play for it, and have a lot of energy. If I bring the energy to the game, that’s going to affect my teammates and I can lead them in that way.”
Minnesota United Midfielder Hassani Dotson
On the goal he scored…
“Yeah, it was on the spur of the moment, but there was a play before that it kind of bobbled around the box. Me and Bakaye [Dibassy] we’re like ‘Hey, Come on!’ So there’s already a bit of energy there. So, I just tried to make sure that I was on my toes, give the role that I was in.”
On where he saw the ball…
“It was weird. Luis [Amarilla] made a nice strike on the ball and then Bakaye [Dibassy] was in front of me. He tried to deflect it, missed it, and I missed it, hit Michael [Boxall], and I turned and I thought it was going in. I saw Walker [Zimmerman] there, and it just hit off the post nicely. And I was able to be there to follow it up.”
On the team’s general mood on the point, the weather conditions, and Nashville’s quality…
“I think we didn’t come out as strong as we wanted to. Especially after that, we were pushing to get a win. So for me it’s disappointing that we did not come away with three points but they showed their quality and they were all over us for 20 minutes or so. I think it was a good game and we’re very appreciative to the fans that stayed around and were there for the weather delay.”
On weather conditions and reminding him of Oregon…
“Yeah, I was actually telling one of the guys that it’s not as cold as the Pacific Northwest, but it's really wet and it’s kind of similar.”
On goal from three yards compared to thirty…
“I'll take any goal that I can get. Robin [Lod] helped me out with a nice tap-in goal last year so I don’t turn away any goals.”
On what it's like playing with two different midfield pairings the past two weeks…
“Yeah, I think last game was a different shape, it was me playing as a lone six, and [Emanuel] Reynoso, and [Kervin] Arriaga in front of me. That was a new shape we worked on briefly that week, against a Philly side that played way more narrow. I think Arriaga did really well immersing himself in the team and playing the way he did on that short notice. Wil [Trapp] our captain brings in a lot of experience to the side and he’s a fighter as well. We’re obviously all different players but I’ve enjoyed playing with both of them so far.”
On Nashville having a little too much time and space…
“They played much more of a diamond or tight midfield than we expected. [Dax] McCarty was following in and out, almost like a false-9 coming into midfield. It took a little longer than we’d like to adjust to that. Once we got everyone in the right position we were able to put pressure on them a lot sooner.”
On midfielders being “the thermometer” of the team…
“We have a similar saying, ‘they’re the engine room or the heartbeat of the team’. I try to do my best and do all the dirty work I can, giving the ball to the playmakers, they have great creative minds. I’m just there to try to connect both pieces win second balls.”
On what Bongokuhle Hlongwane has provided the team…
“Since the first training when he came in, I noticed he was extremely quick. You saw today, he can turn and run into really tight spaces. He’s a little twinkle-toes. We have a couple jokes about that. It's not easy coming into a new country and adapting so well. I think he’s done really well. He’s a really really nice kid. Anything you say to him, he’s open to it, and excited about the whole experience and answers are always with a smile. I think he’s got really good potential, and I’m happy with what he’s done so far.”
On pronouncing Bongokuhle Hlongwane’s name
“When I asked him for his name, I wanted to try to pronounce it but he said ‘Bongi” so he let me off the hook.”
On his new shoes…
“They’re a gift from my girl. She got them for my birthday so I decided to wear them today.”
