Philadelphia Union Head Coach
Coach, your overall thoughts on the game?
Overall it was a really special win for the group. This team has now answered a lot of questions. You know initially the challenge was to get above the red line then it was to push for 1st place and stay in 1st place and today the challenge was against the top team in the East in their building and what would we look like. Every player to a man stepped up in a big way. I think you’re starting to see the quality of Jamiro Monteiro and his ability to get around the field and make plays for us. Haris again was excellent and I though overall as a team we made it very difficult on Toronto. Again, it’s a hard place to come and get points. So still thing we can work on but at the same time a special win and you can feel the energy from the guys afterwards in the locker room. Something to build on now but it gets no easier because we have Seattle coming next week so we’ll enjoy this, get back on the plane to Philly, hopefully watch a Sixers victory and get our group together and be ready to go for next week against Seattle.
You mentioned it, “A tough place to come and play” and some schools of thought would look at this as a measuring stick game. Is that ever a way you approached it, or the players approached it and overall what type of a statement do you think your team made today?
I think our players deserve all the credit as they’re not scared of any team. I think they respect everybody, but they’re not scared of anyone so again it’s a situation where we come to a tough building and we have believed. We’re brave no matter who steps on the field for us. Goalkeeper, you know whatever goalkeeper it is, whatever midfield we decide on everybody’s contributing in a big way and we’re taking points from really good teams. Happy with how we performed, it’s still early in the season but I think this team has shown now at least to the outside. We know we had something special in the locker room but now I think people are taking notice that it’s a team that can play with anybody in our league.
To do it the way you did it after Pozuelo pulls the one back to then take control of the game back does that make it any different in your mind to come back in that sense?
Look he’s a special player so it took a great effort from Haris to defend him all day. Everybody contributed and in the run of play I thought we were really tough to break down. It always hurts to concede a free kick goal and we maybe fouled a little bit. If I’m critical of one thing today, we fouled probably to much in and around our box and we paid for it. When you have a quality player like Pozuelo, you give him a couple free kick opportunities he’s going to make you pay on one and he did. Credit to the guys, they picked themselves up and scored two really good Union type goals where it’s quick on the counter attack and really clinical. And again, the defensive effort, the heart that they showed to roll up their sleeves at the end and fight was something that I’m proud of. I’m really proud of the group and I think everybody in Philadelphia can be proud. I know our fans will be really excited by where we’re at and we’re gonna have a nice 3 game homestand that comes up now. We’ve gone to some of the toughest places in the league already this year so that part of the schedule is behind us and now it’s take care of business in 3 home games.
Forward Kacper Przybylko
Big win tonight, overall what does this result mean for the team moving forward?
It shows the attitude that we can fight like a team. It was a good team performance and like last week’s game today was a big fight and it was a positive.
For you personally on the second goal especially it was a great pass to Jamiro. Take me through that play when you’re combining with him. What did you see and how did you attack it?
I don’t really remember how it was, but I was in a great situation to get the ball from someone. I don’t remember who passed the ball to me, but I saw Jamiro running in the gap, so I passed him the ball and you know he finished it.
To come back from the 1-1 after Pozuelo gets the goal, what does that say specifically about the team because this is a tough place to play and it’s a place the team hasn’t had success in the past.
We wanted to prove that we also can play against a good team and Toronto is a good team. It was a good fight for us, and we were able to earn the three points and I’m happy.
Midfielder Jamiro Monteiro
Huge win tonight, what does this win mean for the Union overall as you guys look to continue your run of good form?
This is good for us also for the trust. I think we need to continue in what we’re doing as next week’s another challenge, so we need to keep going like this.
You get the goal in the 1st half and Pozuelo ties it up. At that moment when it’s 1-1 what’s the mindset of the team, what are you thinking as you’re trying to come back and get that second goal?
The mindset is the same like in the first minute because we want to win, we want to spoil also so you need to keep believing in yourselves and go for another goal. Even if they score, we’d need to score again. You just need to keep moving and do our best to make some goals.
Describe your goal specifically. What did you see on the play, what was the combination like with Kacper and overall how did you get it done?
In that moment I say Kacper running to the left side into space and how he was moving you need to make space in the middle and I was faster than the man behind me so it led me to the chance and I scored the goal.
