Philadelphia Union Head Coach Jim Curtin
On the match:
"Overall, all things considered, the amount of guys that were missing, the travel, playing against a good Vancouver team, I thought that the effort was very good. We got a lot of answers from a lot of players today that stepped up in a big way. This group has been shorthanded now week in and week out, and different guys have responded with big performances. I can’t say enough how proud I am of the group. If we get greedy maybe we could have stole a second goal at the end, but I think a draw is a fair result.”
On a busy schedule:
"We have a long travel back now, then we have to recover quickly for two really important home games. So we’ve set ourselves up now for those. It’s been a very good start to the season for this group. We’ve challenged them to take a step forward and be one of the teams that’s challenging for that home game that’s so important. And the players to a man have really stepped up.”
On players stepping up:
"I could go through the names. Each and every guy, Matt Freese stepping up for a 20-year-old, looking very calm and composed back there in a hostile environment. The performance from Gaddis and Mbaizo, the centre backs did a decent job other than the free kick. The midfield was solid and stable, and obviously Kacper a big contribution for him. So every guy has stepped up in a big way, we’ve used our whole roster. It’s been some challenging situations for us on and off the field this year, suspensions, family things, injuries, but really I give full credit to the players and the strength of this roster that we have.”
Forward Kacper Przybylko
On his goal:
"When I scored the goal, there was no feeling, but I just wanted to continue and to win the game, and to score the next goal.”
On getting the chance to start:
"I’ve played a lot of games but I was just glad and happy that I got this chance, and I was just on fire because it was my first game in such a big league and this great team. I was just thankful that I got this chance today.”
On a busy schedule coming up:
"Not everyone can play, and not everyone can play in all these big games, because it’s very tough to always play 90 minutes. We need to try always to do the best pressing, so we also need people to get this chance on the bench to get some minutes, and hopefully we will also rock it on Wednesday.”
Goalkeeper Matt Freese
On his first career start:
"It felt really great to be in net. Looking back at the whole game, it was definitely an exciting game. It was fast paced, especially on the turf. That was a pretty even match, both sides getting some chances. I think we played well, it wasn’t our best game, but I’m really happy that we fought back and got the point in the end.”
On his nerves after coming in last match:
"It was a completely different experience, but I wasn’t thinking about it that much, wasn’t that nervous. All of my teammates really took care of me before the game, and they were just like you deserve it, be confident, be happy, smile, and own the moment.”
