Head Coach Adrian Heath
On taking the positives out of the match against St. Louis CITY SC moving forward…
“Yeah. I’ve always been brutally honest with the players and the media when I don’t feel as though we’ve played well. I can’t say that these last few weeks. The new stat that everybody keeps giving me, the expected goals, has been better than everybody we’ve played over the last four or five weeks. We showed the players the video this morning of all of the opportunities that we’ve created. We just need a break. We just need somebody to score a goal, and we need somebody to give us a bit of a break at the other end when things go against us. The performances have been good. It was a tough week, but we’ve got a huge week coming up for us again. We’ve got to be ready for it.”
On the defensive performances coming together…
“Our defensive record in the last nine or 10 games has been excellent, in the goals conceded column, and the expected goals has been very, very good. So, there’s not an awful lot wrong there. The level of performance has been acceptable for me, the coaching staff, and the players. We showed them [the team] a video this morning of about 20 opportunities we’ve created in the last four or five games. We just haven’t had a break in front of goal. People might us that as an excuse, I don’t. We’ve played well in the last few weeks and haven’t gotten what we’ve deserved.”
On expectations from San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday…
“You look at [Cristian] Espinoza, [Jeremy] Ebobisse, Cade Cowell. [They have] a lot of pace. [Jamiro] Montero is a good player. Luchi [Gonzalez] has given them [San Jose Earthquakes] more of an identity. I think we’re pretty certain of what’s coming here this weekend. We played them a couple of times in the preseason as well and the games have been tight. I don’t expect anything different because it’s huge for them as well this weekend. We’re all playing each other in the next three or four weeks. Every point and every performance is crucial.”
On resetting after creating chances at home and not getting results…
“At home, we’ve got to just keep doing what we’ve been doing: playing on the front foot, getting the ball forward, running forward with the ball and without the ball and getting people in the box. We’ve done it really well the last few weeks. I know our supporters never let us down, but I think this is one of those [games] where we need everybody this weekend more than ever. I think it may be the biggest game of the season for us and we have to approach it that way. I’m sure our supporters will get us through.”
Defender Zarek Valentin
On turning the page after a tough result last week…
“I think the most important thing is to get back out there and play. I don’t necessarily think the results have been directly correlated to the performances. We’ve put in a lot of good performances, it’s just the results aren’t falling on one end and the other. Ultimately the best thing and the most exciting thing is to get back out there in front of our fans and do it all again. It’s going to be a battle against San Jose [Earthquakes]. They have a good team and they’re pushing for the playoffs as well. Everything is to play for and as long as we take care of the business at home and pinch some results away and put in good performances, I think that’s the most we can do.”
On sharpening focus to eliminate costly lapses in the team performance…
“Even if you look at the last game, for the second goal, the guy [Njabulo Blom] puts it in the top bins. These are difficult situations that we’ve got to try to avoid as much as possible and try to put out some fires early. Communication and intensity, throughout the field and in every single moment, is something that we can control. And ultimately, holding our teammates accountable as best as possible. [Those are] probably the three main things, in my opinion, I think that we can easily control ourselves and hopefully go out there and get some goals as well.”
On playing another team in the playoff race and quieting the noise surrounding playoff contention…
“The most important thing is focusing on one game at a time. We have a busy week, we’ll be traveling a bit. But ultimately, all we can control is our preparation for the San Jose [Earthquakes] game… going in there and being aware of our opponent but focusing on our own game. Then, going out there and trying to put on a good performance in front of our fans – like they always deserve – and to go out there and push for three points.”
On the takeaways from the last match against San Jose…
“Both teams are aware of their opponent. They [San Jose Earthquakes] have some very dynamic wingers. They have a very, very good front-four that likes to play. They’re well coached. Luchi [Gonzalez] was in [FC] Dallas, and he was with the [United States Men’s] National Team for a bit, so they’re very well coached and they’ve got some talented players. We have to be aware of those people and be aware of their movements and try to limit their chances as much as possible. But at the same time, they need to be aware of us. We need to be cognizant of our opponent but ultimately focus on our game plan because when we’re playing our best, we’ve shown that we can compete with anyone in this league.”
