Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja
Opening Statement
“It was a much better version of us today. Obviously, not getting the result in front of our fans and conceding those goals in the second half was painful for us. But overall, it was a much better version of our team. The boys played a good game. There is not much to be disappointed with. It was a very competitive match as always against Miami. I thought in the first half, tactically, the boys did a good job. In the second half, we got unorganized, especially in the final third when Miami was better. We cannot give those spaces. We knew that, and we still conceded them, and then we conceded goals.”
On the team's performance
“We’re aiming for consistency, but we’re not finding it. Injuries and the need to ease players back have affected us in important moments. It’s difficult, yes, but we should still be able to deal with it.”
On the young players who made their club debuts
“It was something positive that, this soon after the game, you don’t always notice. But the energy Colin [Guske] brought and the energy Tahir [Reid-Brown] brought really refreshed us. It was hard for us to sustain it throughout the match, but for them it’s an important step to have competed today. They’re going to become much more accustomed to what first‑division competition is, emotional and important matches. They did very well, and those of us who have been in the industry for many years have to carry the responsibility for today.”
Orlando City SC Midfielder Martín Ojeda
Opening Statement
“The first half was very good. We were compact and coordinated, and we did all the things that hurt us in the first game. In the second half we dropped much lower. With the quality of players they have, we can’t give them even a meter of advantage and I think that was the difference. To move forward we have to understand that if we suffer in those moments, we suffer together as one team, then push forward and take advantage of our chances. That’s the work ahead of us now.”
Orlando City SC Defender Tahir-Reid Brown
On making his professional debut
“For me, I wanted to come into the game with confidence. Growing in the Academy and growing with OCB [Orlando City B], I know what this game means. I came into the game with a certain mindset by coming in confident, strong and knowing what I have to do.”
On the team's offensive approach
“We knew their attacking players didn’t track back, so they were really defending hard when we were going forward. We had to keep that in mind and recognize that their guys like to stay wide on the left. We tried to drift into those areas to create overloads. We knew we had a good matchup there with their backline.”
On the result
“It’s tough, especially going into the half up 2-0 and feeling confident. It’s on us to look at where we could have been better heading into this weekend.”
Orlando City SC Forward Marco Pašalić
Opening Statement
“Nothing special. We came out in the second half like we did in the first, with energy. Then we didn’t keep it up and we dropped a little. Two mistakes led to two goals for Miami. I don’t want to comment on the referees or anything else. I’m disappointed and sad about the result, but we’ll keep going, learn and get better.”
On Miami’s halftime adjustments
“They changed their formation a little, but that wasn’t the problem. We made two mistakes because we didn’t concentrate enough, and they scored on both.”
On his goal
“It’s nice to score. It would be nicer if we had won today and gotten the three points. This is what we train for, so we have a good connection up front. Now we have to train more, do everything we can to win the next game and stay positive. I’m not positive at all right now, but I will be.”
