Orlando City Interim Head Coach Martín Perelman
On the result
“Happy with the victory. I think the guys are putting in a lot of effort and we had a really good performance. We made some mistakes that led to what everyone saw. What I learned from this game is to enjoy the victories and that’s what we’re going to do. There are things we still need to improve, but we understand the process. We see the big picture and little by little we are continuing to grow. This is our fourth home game since we started this process and we really want to win at home, so I’m happy about that.”
On players’ confidence when scoring
“For any player, especially the forwards, it’s important. I’m happy for them and I’m happy for the team and hopefully they can continue on that path. It’s especially important for Duncan [McGuire] because he came back from an injury and he’s an amazing guy, and of course Tincho [Ojeda] as well. Anytime one of us scores, we’re happy for the player and for the team.”
Orlando City SC Forward Duncan McGuire
On the result
“We made it harder on ourselves than it needed to be, but we did a good job responding when they tied it. I think we needed to look for that third goal quicker and put the game away. By not doing that, we gave Philly some hope and they did a good job fighting back. I’m really proud of the guys for sticking with it, staying confident and getting the win.”
On his team’s defensive performance
“You have to refocus during those vulnerable moments when your guard is down. We didn’t do a good job locking back in after they scored. We let them continue to put away chances and made it a little too easy on them by allowing numbers around the box. We didn’t get enough numbers back, myself included. We have to be better defensively as a group when the other team is in transition. Luckily, we were able to score one more than them. It’s tough to give up three, but we were able to win.”
Orlando City SC Defender Griffin Dorsey
On seeing out the game
“We didn’t necessarily talk when we went up 3-1 because it happened in the second half, so we were all on the field. Starting with myself and going through the experienced players we had out there, we need to find a way to be more professional in closing out these types of games. This starts with me. We need to finish games in a way that completely takes the opponent out of it, and this is a match where we definitely could have done that. We gave them opportunities to get back into the game when we shouldn’t have. For me, first, and then for the rest of the group, I think we can be more professional in those moments, whether we talk at halftime or not. The message from the head coach was to celebrate the wins. This league goes up and down and there are no easy matches. When you win, you celebrate. There are a lot of things to learn, no doubt, and he emphasized that too. But we celebrate the win, we celebrate three points at home and then we look forward to Atlanta on Saturday.”
On starting games better
“I think it comes personally from me, and Martín [Perelman] has talked to the group about being vocal and starting games with energy. If you look back at the last two matches, we haven’t necessarily started that way. The Montréal game stayed 0-0 for a while, but we all agreed the start wasn’t great. The Inter Miami game before that was also not a good start. So for us, the clear message was how we can start this game with energy. Martín [Perelman] spoke to the whole group about how we bring that energy onto the field to open the game. For me personally, speaking up helps me. It helps me get going. Sometimes my teammates might laugh and wonder if it’s helping or not helping, but for me it works. I think overall it helps get the group’s energy going as well.”
