Head Coach Adrian Heath
On his excitement about the MLS All-Star game…
“Yeah, obviously great for the club. Justifiable reward for everything the club has done over the last few years. Not only building the stadium that’s fitting for an All-Star game, but I think the fact that they know it will be a full house and there will be a great atmosphere there as well. All excited, pleased for everybody concerned and connected with the club. As I say, it’s only just.”
On thinking about selecting players for the All-Star game…
“No, not at all. No I haven’t. It was only a day or so ago that I was informed of how the selection process will work. No doubt we will have to have a little look at it, but I’ve got more pressing matters at this moment in time.”
On the All-Star game showcasing the sport in Minnesota…
“I think the great thing is, as they say it’s the All-Stars, we’re going to get the cream of the players playing in the MLS. And when you look at the type of player that we’ve got… I don’t know if [Lorenzo] Insigne will be here by then. That’s one to ask. Obviously [Carlos] Vela will be here and Chicarito [Javier Hernandez] and then you start to look at the other players, you know like Carles Gil and you look at [Gustavo] Bou, Taty [Valentin] Castellanos, Maxi [Maximiliano] Moralez, [Nicolas] Lodeiro, [Raul] Ruidiaz. The list goes on. It’s going to be difficult to whittle that lot down to about 23-24 players, but no doubt we’ll do it. I’m looking forward to it, but that’s down the road.”
On his thoughts about All-Star games across all sports…
“I think it’s an opportunity for the sport, whichever individual sport it is, to celebrate the talent that’s here. A lot of the sports that Americans do are not the biggest sports around the world, but they have got some of the biggest sports stars in the world, so I think it’s only right that we celebrate them. And I think it’s going to be great for people here to maybe get a little look at the likes of Carlos Vela and people like that and Nicolas Lodeiro, [Raul] Ruidiaz, [Valentin] Castellanos. Some of the younger ones who were expected to maybe move to Europe and the ones who’ve been there now have come here and made it their league of choice. I’m really looking forward to it.”
On his takeaways from the match against the New England Revolution…
“I thought the first half we were outstanding. Probably the best we’ve played all season. And that made the fact that we didn’t take anything from the game all the more disappointing. After the game, the first thing Bruce [Arena] said to me was, ‘You might be the best team we’ve played this season’. I said that doesn’t give me much consolation the fact that we’ve lost the game. We should have took something from the game. We created enough chances to have won the game. Obviously, Dayne [St. Clair] made a mistake for the first goal and that brings them back into the contest and then the crowd started getting involved in the game and we started to chase it instead of keeping that nice, tight little block that we’ve done for certainly the first sort of 40 minutes, 45 minutes. So, it was disappointing, but a lot of positives because you have to look at the negative and the positives. I thought the positives far outweighed the negative.”
On the continued stretch of road games…
“On the road in MLS you only have to look at the home record of every team in the league. The majority of points are taken at home. We knew it was going to be difficult at the Revs [New England Revolution], but with the weather and the fact that Miami have improved this year, this is far and away [Miami’] best team. Maybe not on paper, but certainly results-wise that they’ve had. Phil’s [Neville] had time to now to work with this group, so it’s going to be difficult, but I know that we’re more than capable. Play as well as we can, go in there and get a result.”
On the difference in Miami from this year to last year…
“I think that the guys who are on the field have bought in to what Phil [Neville] is trying to do. There may not be star names on the field, but they’ve got people who want to run around and show what it means to play for Miami and I think that’s been reflected in their results.”
On how to possibly limit Leonardo Campana…
“Sometimes it’s not about limiting him, it’s can we stop the service getting to him in the right areas. Can we keep him as far away from our goal by dictating the play in their half of the field? But the kid looks as though he’s got a goal in him and obviously this season he’s playing with a lot of confidence, so we’ll have to be fully concentrated and I always use that word because good goal scorers wait for their moments of a lapse in concentration and variably there they go.”
On his relationship with Inter Miami Head Coach Phil Neville and the job he has done…
“I know him reasonably well. I think it’s been difficult down there for the first couple of years. Obviously I’m not on the inside so I don’t know what goes on internally, but it looks like now they’re starting to understand what they are and what they want to be and that takes time. Phil has had a bit of time and I’m sure that if he stays there next year, the year after he will keep growing this and they will hopefully become the club that they thought they were going to be when they started.”
On having a glass of wine with Phil Neville after the game…
“Possibly. As we go to LA [Los Angeles] after that. We’re staying over so we’ll see.”
Goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair
On 2022 MLS All-Star Game voting opening up and his eagerness to play in it…
“Of course, it being held at Allianz [Field], the first time it being here and maybe even being played in the Midwest – I don’t know if it’s been played in Chicago before, Kansas City, I’m not sure – but I think it being in our home stadium, playing in front of our home fans, I think it’ll be a spectacle. Of course, the U.S. played their World Cup qualifier here, so to have another big profile game and us playing against Everton, another big profile game, I think it just adds to the city and what it’s about.”
On the All-Star’s game as a showcase of soccer in Minnesota…
“It would be lovely to have a couple of players on our team [Minnesota United FC] then to get some of the guys from LIGA MX up here as well and guys around the League that us not playing all the teams this year, so maybe the fans being able to see some of the players they might not be able to see this year.”
On previous All-Star game memories of MLS and other professional sports…
“It’s kind of a fun weekend for all the people involved and the cities involved to showcase not only what the sport, but what the city’s about. Being here for a few years, I’ve realized it has more to offer than I thought there was here. So, I think it’ll be nice for guys to see that as well.”
On takeaways from loss against New England Revolution…
“There was definitely three points on the table for us. I, of course, made a mistake for one of the goals and I think I could’ve saved the free kick as well, so it’s a little bit frustrating in terms of that, but, knowing that we can move forward and I think to score again was big for us. So, to kind of build upon that and know that it was a game we could’ve won, going into Miami, it wasn’t like, we got played off the pitch and going right back down. So going into the next games, what’s it two more games in the next week? So, I think being able to build off that and go from there.”
On how he’ll define success over the next two road matches at Inter Miami CF and LA Galaxy…
“For me, every game I play in, I want to win. So, I determine success as that. Of course, on the road it’s tough sometimes. I mean, we’re going all the way to Miami and then flying straight from Miami to across the country to LA, so that’s going to be a lot of travel involved. I think if you can bring up points, but every game I play I want to win – I determine success like that.”
On challenges he expects to face against Inter Miami…
“They’ve been better this year for sure, but I still think that’s a game that we can go there and win for sure. I fancy us against anyone, to be honest, and as soon as we start to kind of get the attacking pieces right like we’ve played against the friendly [SC Paderborn 07] and scored a bunch of goals in that game, so we know that we’re capable of it. So, as long as we start clicking on that end and we’ve been good defensively – we’re, what, third in the West in goals conceded? So, just getting those things to click and a cohesive game, anything’s possible.”
On scouting any particular player on Miami’s side…
“Like you said, those players [Leo Campana, Gonzalo Higuain] of course are quality players and are capable. They have some pace on the wings as well, but I look at their backline and anything can happen. It’s going to be a game of transition for sure and if we can be better in transition moments, then we have a chance come away with three points.”
On how to get the better of Inter Miami CF…
“Just being good in those transition moments. We know that’s what they look for and even against New England the past weekend when we had a good shape, they weren’t really able to break us down, and you can argue that both goals came from our mistakes, so just not beating ourselves, really.”
Midfielder Emanuel Reynoso
On the possibility of playing in this year’s All-Star Game more exciting because it’s in Minnesota…
[SPA]: “No tuve la posibilidad de jugar el año pasado por mi lesión. La verdad que me puse muy triste, pero sabía que iba a tener más oportunidades y ahora toca devuelta. Tranquilo, esperar para que puede estar. Va ser un placer y un orgullo para mí.”
[ENG]: “I wasn’t able to play last year because of my injury. Honestly, it made me very sad, but I knew I could have the opportunity again and now the time has come. I’m calm, waiting to see if I’m in. It would be a pleasure and an honor for me.”
On the possibility of playing with the best of MLS and against the best of Liga MX…
[SPA]: “Como te dije, un placer y un orgullo, si Dios quiere, tener la posibilidad de estar. Va ser muy lindo para mi carrera. Se juntan lo mejor de las dos ligas y eso es muy bueno para uno. Seguir trabajando, seguir forzándome día a día para poder ayudar al equipo y para poder estar ahí.”
[ENG]: “Like I said, it would be a pleasure and honor, and if God wills it, to be a part of that team. It would be very nice for my career. The best of both leagues will be there and that’s great for a player. Keep working, keep pushing myself every day to help the team and be a part of this.”
On what he thinks of All-Star games…
[SPA]: “Es muy lindo. Es una experiencia linda para uno. Un premio del esfuerzo que hace uno que es muy lindo y ojalá que siga creciendo y que se siga haciendo.”
[ENG]: “It’s very nice. It’s a lovely experience for oneself. A prize for the effort you put in that is very nice and hopefully it keeps growing and they keep doing it.”
On his thoughts from the team’s loss against New England…
[SPA]: “Nos venimos muy triste porque en el primer tiempo habíamos hecho un gran trabajo, un gran esfuerzo. Entonces salir el segundo tiempo y que nos cambien el partido inmediatamente fue muy difícil, muy duro para nosotros. No pudimos remontarnos. No pudimos salir para arriba. Nos viene pasando ya que en el segundo tiempo no estamos bien claros y perdimos los partidos en el segundo tiempo. Pero hay que seguir mejorando, seguir trabajando. Tenemos un gran equipo y tenemos que seguir luchando.”
[ENG]: “We came back very sad because in the first half, we did a great job, great effort. So to come out in the second half and have the game change on us immediately, it was difficult for us, we hard for us. We couldn’t overcome it. We couldn’t move forward. This keeps happening where in the second half we’re not as clear and we lose the games then. But we have to keep getting better, keep working. We have a great team and we have to keep fighting.”
On what he makes of Inter Miami this season…
[SPA]: “Va ser un partido muy difícil. Una revancha muy difícil. [Miami] a levantado muchísimo, está cada vez mucho mejor, lo vemos. Entonces en pensar en que va ser muy duro, pensar en que nosotros tenemos un gran equipo y con confianza que todo va salir bien.”
[ENG]: “It will be a very difficult match. I touch matchup. [Miami] has improved a lot, they keep getting better every game, we’ve seen it. So we have to think on the fact that it will be tough, think on the fact that we have a great team and have confidence that everything will turn out well.”
On what the team needs to do to get the win in Miami…
[SPA]: “Trabajar en la intensidad que tuvimos en varios partidos en el primer tiempo, que no la tuvimos en el segundo. Hay que trabajar en eso, seguir mejorando en eso para seguir luchando, seguir arrancado para arriba. Como dije recién, tenemos un gran equipo, y creo que todos juntos vamos a salir adelante, así que a seguir a trabajar.”
[ENG]: “We have to work on the intensity that web ring in the first half that we don’t bring out in the second. We have to work on that, keep getting better in that so we can keep fighting, and keep moving forward. Like I said, we have a great team and I think together we can move forward, so we keep working.”
