Orlando City head coach Oscar Pareja
Opening Statement
“Well, another frustrating night because of the result. Obviously at this point we are having urgency to get points. It’s a feeling we all had in the locker room. But I think the effort and the correction of the players demonstrated we’re still brave and trying to bounce back. Regarding the game, I thought we were the best team but that doesn't give us anything. Those two dark moments in the first minutes, and the other one with the red card, just kept us from the result and that’s what makes us sad and frustrated. Other than that, I told the players what I saw on the pitch was a team with heart, with courage, and our fans in the stadium deserve it. We’re very proud of them as well and they didn’t stop pushing the team. We see we have to keep going, navigate this difficult time that hasn’t happened to us, to me in Orlando. But our heart is intact, and we have to push.”
On Cincinnati’s early goal
“That one moment when the game is just starting and the play that we recognize from them; the movement that their forward makes in front of our center back and the number 10 runs in behind. It was something that we worked, and we were not good enough to control it. It was pure lack of concentration.”
On Cincinnati’s second-half red card
“We changed in the defensive third when Rodrigo got the red card. We played with wingbacks, and they did very well. They played very balanced and also, we accommodated this so that we can have the opportunity to bounce back in the game and avoid them having more opportunities to score. I think that objective was accomplished. We didn’t score though, which is obviously what we were looking for. When they got the red card, I wanted to have two central backs again and then push Wilder [Cartegena] in front of them so that he could push Cesar [Araújo]. That way we can advance another forward or another midfielder. It unfortunately didn’t happen much. I thought it allowed us to play better in the end.”
Orlando City SC Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese
Opening Statement
“I think the reality of the game is, and overall is we’re in a bad run right now. We’re in a bad run, but there’s still plenty of games left to fight for and continue pushing forward. I think when you look at how we played after going down a man and taking that into our heart, it says a lot about this team the way we fought in those last 70 or so minutes. But you know football is like life, and in life you have tough moments you just have to face those moments and push forward and move ahead and that’s what this team is going to have to do.”
On the early goal for Cincinnati
“It was a goal that was so incredibly quick. You can say we weren’t concentrated at the start, you can say anything, but the reality is that that can’t be allowed to happen. That’s something that’s been talked about amongst the players as well.”
On the team’s problem giving up early goals throughout the season
“You can say its attitude, but if you look at the rest of the game today, you can say this team has that attitude as well, to go put up at fight. I think maybe in those first minutes we’re faltering a little bit; we’re trying to push a certain way instead of being ourselves. But this team just has to fix that and try and be ourselves.”
Orlando City SC Defender Mikey Halliday
Opening Statement
“We just want to win. Obviously not happy about it right now. I don’t think any of us are. We tried but we got to be better, and we got to win”
On his mentality entering the match
“I just wanted to play. No matter the situation when I’m going in, I am going to try my hardest and play the game on.”
On his late-game shot attempt
“I bounced around and tried to do everything I could to kick it towards the goal, but the defender’s foot was there, and we just got caught up.”
