Presented by:
HEAD COACH ADRIAN HEATH
On room for growth in the next stretch of games…
“When I examine the performances, I think there’s not one game where I can think we haven’t had control of the game for large periods. For an hour in Seattle. I look at the game against Salt Lake where we had 20 efforts at goal, and this weekend, probably the first half in Colorado is as well as we’ve played since I’ve been the coach here. There a bit positives. Hey, we can’t get away from the fact that we haven’t done enough in the attacking third and we’ve certainly not defended the goal as well as we can. One of the strengths of this team last year was its resilience and not giving up when we were on the road, under pressure, and this year, it’s not been the case and we have to get back to that.”
On the attacking group having 61 shots, but not finding the back of the net…
“A little bit execution, I think the final ball has been wanting at times and not been at the quality it should have been. But as I said, I don’t think there’s an awful lot wrong with the group. We certainly think there’s so much still to play for in this season. There’s 80-odd points still to play for. We didn’t expect to be 0-4, we know, but I do know is this team is capable of winning on Wednesday, capable of winning on Saturday and then capable of winning in Salt Lake. Now we have to go and prove that.”
On getting results in these next two home games this week…
“Your homes games are always important in this league. Most of the clubs in this league, it’s your home form that gets you where you want to be. Most clubs will settle for a point on the road, but we’ve put ourselves in this position, this is the third home game and we haven’t won yet. So we need to go an pick up three points. We know it’s not going to be easy. [Vancouver] is coming in with a lot of confidence but we’re more than capable of winning the game.”
On defending against a strong Vancouver set-piece attack…
“We have to do better than what we’ve done. As I said, I don’t think we’ve been great in both boxes, we have to make sure we’re better. They’ve got good quality in the box, they’ve got good size, they attack the ball with a lot of determination, so it’s going to present its own challenges. But if we can play the football that we can play, and get opportunities, I’m convinced that first win is around the corner.”
On Michael Boxall reaching the 100th game appearance with Minnesota United…
“I think I’ve said it before, he epitomizes what being a professional is. Everything you want in a professional, Michael Boxall is that. Very rarely gets injured, always available for selection, trains really well, great teammate on and off the field. I remember when we brought him in and we weren’t sure what we were going to get, is he going to be a rightback, centerback? But whatever we’ve asked him, he’s been exemplary. It’s his 100th, there will be plenty more for him for sure.”
DEFENDER MICHAEL BOXALL
On what it’s going to take to turn the team around after a disappointing start to the season…
“For a lot of the time, in big parts of the game, we’re doing fine, we’re playing well. In those moments when we’re not, it’s recognizing that and making a couple adjustments on the field, set up a defensive block a bit better than we have been, get numbers behind the ball until we get our composure again and here we go again.”
On the importance of these next two home games…
“I think with how the last month or so has gone, it puts a lot of onus on these two games. When there’s pressure on the games, there’s no better place for us to play than at Allianz Field. We know what we have to do and just make sure we’re doing it for 90 minutes.”
On reaching 100 game appearances with Minnesota United in the Colorado game…
“I feel lucky since I’ve been here. I’ve had such great teammates. So it’s been the most fun for me. Being able to get out of bed with a smile on my face and show up to work and play with some great guys. The last two seasons we’ve built on the first two so we need to keep pushing and raising our standards and get us back to where we need to be.”
On the impact of the fans in Minnesota…
“It’s massive. Some of the places I’ve played where you’ve struggled to get crowds, and for the first couple years, we struggled to get results, all the Loons faithful continued to show up. I do not take that for granted so I appreciate every single person that shows up inside the stadium, watches at home, has a bumper sticker on their car. It’s cool to see around the city and we need to get on the right track to repay their faith in us.”
On his MLS debut with Vancouver ten years ago…
“Back then, Vancouver fans that had shown up in those early days were pretty similar to the Minnesota faithful where they knew we were an expansion team but they supported how hard we worked and we weren’t the best team but the days we showed up, we worked our asses off. That was a big day and to kick off a season with an expansion team with a win like that was pretty cool. I think, when I was there, it was the first sunny day I’d had in about four months in Vancouver so that just added to it.”
MIDFIELDER OSVALDO ALONSO
On what needs to happen to change results…
[SPA] “Si, un comienzo difícil. No esperábamos, nadie, a empezar así, pero bueno, es parte de la vida. Ya estamos aquí y tenemos que seguir adelante. Sabemos que tenemos un gran equipo, que la mentalidad es darle lo mejor y viendo lo que ha pasado en estos cuatro partidos, sabemos que tenemos que seguir adelante y como dije anteriormente, el equipo está mentalizado para salir a este juego. Ir a los grandes equipos y viniendo de abajo y pienso que este equipo tiene la capacidad para hacerlo. Pienso que las cosas pasan por alguna razón y las cosas pasan a las personas que pueden superarla. Y pienso que este equipo lo puede superar y es la mentalidad que tenemos para mañana para enfrentar a Vancouver."
[ENG] “Yes, it’s a difficult start. We didn’t, nobody, expected to start like this, but well, it's part of life. We are here and we have to move on. We know that we have a great team, that the mentality is to give it the best and seeing what has happened in these past four games, we know that we have to move forward and, as I said before, the team is psyched to go out to this game. Facing agaisnt the big teams and coming from below and I think this team has the capacity to do it. I think things happen for a reason and things happen to people who can overcome it. And I think this team can overcome it and it’s the mentality we have for tomorrow to face Vancouver."
On the message among the players...
[SPA] "El mensaje es claro, es ganar o ganar. Sabemos que mañana es una final para nosotros. Perdiendo mañana en casa en frente de afición, tenemos que darle lo mejor y salir a ganar. La mentalidad es, 'no hay mañana, es ganar o ganar.' Todos están mentalizados, como te lo dije principal, de los tres puntos, pero siempre con la intención de dar lo mejor, de cada uno en el equipo y buscar la manera de jugar lo mejor posible para poder llevarnos el triunfo."
[ENG] "The message is clear, it is win or win. We know that tomorrow is a final for us. Losing tomorrow at home in front of the fans, we have to give it our best and go out to win. The mentality is, 'there is no tomorrow, we either win or win.’ So everyone is mentally prepared, as I told you before, to after those three points, but always with the intention of giving the best, of each one of us in the team and looking for the way to play the best possible to be able to take the victory."
On the qualities a team needs to have to be able to overcome a difficult stretch…
[SPA] "Si en la vida, es como toda la vida, hay momentos difíciles, momentos buenos, pero aquí no sé ven lo grande, pero como los hombres, no se ven por la veces que se caen y se levantan y el equipo se va a levantar porque estamos bien preparados. En lo mental estamos bien para afrontar lo que venga y es un momento muy difícil, pero todos sabemos que se puede y es lo que tenemos en nuestra mente. Dar lo mejor de cada uno y mañana vamos a salir con todo para buscar los tres puntos. El equipo está bien mentalizado y sabemos que todos queremos ganar y eso es lo que queremos."
[ENG] “Yes, in life, like in all of life, there are difficult moments, good moments, but here, we’re not looking at the big. We don’t measure men on how the fall but how they get back up and this teams lifts each other up because we’re well prepared. It’s the mental, we’re well set to go against what’s coming y and it’s a difficult moment. But we all know that we can do it abd that’s what we have in our minds. Give our best and tomorrow, we’ll go out to get those three points. This team is well prepared and we know we want to win.”
On Michael Boxall reaching 100 game appearances...
[SPA] "Primero, felicitarlo porque ser parte de un equipo es bastante. [Boxall] hace un ejemplo dentro y fuera de la cancha por los años que estuve aquí, en los años que yo no estuve. Tuve la oportunidad, tengo la oportunidad, de jugar con el, y me ha agradecido poder compartir un vestuario con él, practicando con él. Es un ejemplo, como te dije, dentro y fuera de la cancha y nada más felicitarlo por todo lo que ha hecho, por toda la fuerza que ha dado, para todo el esfuerzo que le ha dado al equipo, y que venga 100, 200, 300 más partidos para él."
[ENG] "First off, congratulate him because being part of a team is a lot. [Boxall] has set an example on and off the field for the years that I’ve been here and in the years that I was not. I had the opportunity, I have the opportunity, to play with him, share a locker room with him and train with him. He is an example, as I told you, on and off the field and I just congratulate him for everything he has done, for all the strength he has given, for all the effort that he has given this team, and I wish another 100, 200, 300 more games."
