Quote Sheet: MB 0-1 LOU
Cardinale Stadium; Seaside, California
Saturday, March 18, 2023
Sporting Director & Head Coach Frank Yallop
On the defense’s performance this week:
“We’re at home, we expect to win. We’re playing against a good side obviously. We had a couple of chances in the first half, but we didn’t play well for 30 odd minutes. Then I thought for the last 15 minutes at the end of the first half we played well. We got back to ourselves a little bit and had a couple of chances. It looked like Chase [Boone] had a really good chance but it squirted wide. We had a couple of good looks here and there, but it was just kind of frustrating. We didn’t play very well tonight for whatever reason, didn’t pass the ball well, didn’t create the chances we normally create. Maybe you can credit the opposition. They made it difficult for us, but still we are better than that and I think that we just had one of those nights where maybe it was a little bit off for us.”
On how the play changed after Louisville City’s sending off:
“We huffed and puffed and had chances, I think JJ [Johnson]’s header was a pretty good chance. I don’t think we had many other ones that were pretty clear cut, but that looked like a good chance for us. Sometimes they go in and sometimes they don’t and it was one of the nights where we struggled in front of goal. Last week we couldn’t miss and this week we couldn’t score. Disappointed, but the guys give a lot of effort and there’s nothing wrong with our effort and there is no lack of trying. It’s maybe tactical. It’s my fault because I thought we wanted to sit back a little bit and try and counter them in the first half, but it didn’t quite work and the guys figured it out and went a little higher. I shouted from the bench to push up a bit, but you know it could have been nil nil tonight.”
On the message to the team about bouncing back next week on the road:
“We’ll look at the tape and try to go over some stuff. I just think we were not as direct when it went to ten men. We should have created more chances. We were a little tentative with the ball, instead of being positive and getting some good service into the box and getting good balls in. I thought Christian [Volesky] was a bit unlucky with a few balls that he took on his chest and tried to finish. Again, we gotta maybe hand it to them. Their defending was sharp and good, they didn’t allow us many shots in the middle of the goal other than the header that JJ had at the end.”
Midfielder Sam Gleadle:
On the match:
“It was a tough game. I don’t think we started very well. We had some half chances. Still, I don’t think we gave them too much, we were pretty tight defensively. They had a lot of the ball so that’s tiring for us. Then I think the last 15-20 minutes of the first half we found ourselves a little bit, we pressed a bit higher and we had some joy with that. So we were looking to take that into the second half, but obviously they got the goal and that hurt us. Overall, it was an OK game. We will review it and see some things we can do a bit better on both sides of the ball.”
On playing against a team that goes a man down:
“They are a good team, they are experienced. They kind of sit in and make it hard to play in the gaps. They force the ball wide, so we have to put in a good ball or do something special and we didn’t quite do that today. Any team that sits back like that in those blocks of four or five whatever it is, it’s going to be tough and obviously, they are a top team. It’s something that we haven’t seen this year only being game two so we will learn from it. It’s something that we can work on.”
On getting off to a slow start:
“I think it’s always on us to dictate the tempo from the start and bring the energy. Again, they are a top side and they have been for years now in this league, so you have to give credit to them. They made it difficult, but I think looking back we would like to do things differently and obviously start from the very first whistle.”
Defender Hugh Roberts II
On feeling like a goal was coming:
“That’s exactly how we felt. We got fortunate against them last year and honestly had full confidence coming into this game. Even when they scored their goal, we were pressing. We knew it was coming, we had that belief, but we got unlucky unfortunately. Gleadle and a couple of the other guys had some good chances, but on our day we will finish those. It was a good hard fought game against a good solid team. It was good for us to see this early because it is similar to a playoff environment. We know we are going to see them down the road so it’s a good test for us right now.”
On playing against a team that goes a man down:
“It’s a challenge because you want to press forward, but you have to stay wary of the counter attack and they’re good at that. But for us it needs to be our time to dominate on the ball, create a bunch of chances and throw extra guys into the box. It’s got to be like an ultra press when they are down a man. And that’s what we kind of did, even before in the last fifteen minutes of the first half. We switched the game plan from the first 30 minutes where we sat back and let them have the ball, to pressing and getting after them. When they went down it was more so to throw an extra body in the box and create more crosses and more shots, trying to press for that goal.”
On if the defense regressed coming out of the half:
“I don’t think we regressed, we actually were in a full on press from their goal kicks. We were on them, we were ready. They caught us. Maybe we were sleeping on a set play, not aggressive enough on that one play. But one little moment, one switch off creates a goal and that’s all they needed. But from our standpoint, regardless of their goal, we were pressing before and after they scored. We thought, let’s redeem ourselves. We’re our home, let’s at least draw – get a good result out of this. We were unlucky with that, but that’s our mentality. Even down a goal we were still pressing to win this game.
