Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja
Opening Statement
“A hard night for our team offensively. I thought we did a lot of things that we planned towards the game where we had control in our operations and our sequences and where we wanted. Our last third is not being effective, so we paid the price for things, and they scored on something that we don’t do. That is a disappointment as well. We will continue and try to polish things off and reorganize. We will take this [upcoming international] break as a way to reshape the group and see how we can bounce back.”
On trying to turn the chances created into goals
“In the game you can find solutions for that difficulty and one of them is checking that the structure is allowing us to have volume on the center backs. The other one is that if we have that volume, we have to check if we have numbers arriving in the back with the possibility to score. Also, this is something that depends on all of us, the coaches and players, to see if with our abilities we have that power to create those actions. We are aware of that, the players are very aware of that, and they have been working on trying to translate those situations into goals, but it is evident that we are not finding it yet.”
On what else the team can do to try and get results
“I think we are at a point where we are trying to see if we can help with the structure and try to get the players into a situation where they can feel they are more precise and closest to their best level of performances. That job belongs to the coach, and you know I assume that responsibility 100 percent. At this point, we have to keep searching to see if what we have tried in the last five games and trying to change the structure and see if it is necessary to keep doing it. It is evident that we have to find some other ways to get better in that regard. We are very aware and very disappointed in not being that team that can be heavy in the last third of the field. When we arrive at the back it seems like we don’t have that punch and, in this industry, when you lose 1-0 and the other team doesn’t have that many [chances] but they score one goal, and it changes the situation.”
Orlando City SC Forward Ramiro Enrique
Opening Statement
“It is always difficult to speak after a loss, but we have to keep going. We are a very united group, and we know we have to pick our heads up and continue working to find our way back. For my part, very happy to be back on the field. I missed almost two months with an injury so to be back out there is good, but unfortunately today was a loss so we have to pick our heads up and keep going.”
On having more possession in the match
“It was a very tough and hardworking game because of the way that both teams like to play. They were able to score a goal just before halftime and I think in that moment and throughout the game, we didn’t have the clarity to be able to finish or in a lot of cases be able to shoot on goal. We know that there is a lot of games left and this group is incredibly hardworking and united, and we know that we are going to continue to work to find our way back.”
On the team’s struggles to score in tonight’s match
“Thank you for the wishes on the return. Like I said, it was a moment that they were able to find the goal and we were lacking that clarity. We weren’t having good ball possession around the goal and around the box. We were missing that clarity to finish and also maybe a little bit of luck, but you can’t rely on that luck. The only thing that there is to do is continue pushing ahead, continue to work with effort and with sacrifice which this team always has so that is what we are going to continue to do.”
