COLUMBUS CREW SC SPORTING DIRECTOR AND HEAD COACH GREGG BERHALTER
On the lineup…
I think in the beginning of the week we laid out that we’re going to have to use a number of guys. We said there’s going to be a lot of involvement from the squad. We made the change based on getting fresh legs out on the field. We thought if we had that ability to move the ball and wear them down we’re going to be successful. I think the guys that came in did a great job, did a really good job.
On accountability and mentality…
We needed to bounce back. It was a tough game on Wednesday. We’re looking at the week, we thought we had a big opportunity this week, and we’re disappointed with Wednesday’s result. So we asked the guys to bounce back, and I think they did that and then some. I think it was a strong performance, great intentions in the first half to dictate the game to put them under pressure, and overall pleased with the attitude.
On the changes’ intentions…
I think we identified spaces where we can potentially hurt them. Then it’s about just being able to get them the ball in those areas. And I thought we did really well in the first half doing that, executing the game plan to a tee. So I’m happy with that.
On Wil Trapp…
He suffered a concussion. We don’t know the severity of it as of now, but we’ll work through it this week. I think what initially happened, it wasn’t good, and as time went on and as he walked off the field he started to get clarity and feeling much better. So we’ll get the full scope of it this week.
On bouncing back…
Like I said, mentally, it was difficult. Because again, you go into the week, you’re saying ‘Ok, we closed the gap against New England, we have momentum, let’s continue that momentum,’ and then unfortunately against Philly we weren’t able to do that. So it was a test. It was a test for the guys. What are we made of? How deep can we dig? Third game in a week. Short rest in this part of the series. And I think they did a good job with that.
On Federico Higuain’s status…
If you think about playing on turf and then playing the next game, it was a heavy run for him. He had inflammation in that area and we didn’t think that he was going to be able to play, and he was definitely hampered by that inflammation.
On the type of inflammation…
In the area of the operation.
On the momentum of the game…
There was going to be a period, we talked about that at halftime, where they’re going to put more pressure on us. I think that period was the most beneficial thing of the whole game because we had to stay organized, our centerbacks had to be winning duels, we had to be moving well, and we prevented them from having many good goal chances. That was a good part of the game and then as the game went on, you could see that it started to tilt more in our favor and it was pretty clear we were going to get the win.
On Adam Jahn’s performance…
He was a handful. We put a lot on Ola’s [Kamara] shoulders these last couple months in terms of production. He was another one that was pushed to the limit with these last couple games, and we sensed he was getting fatigued. So coming into this game, we put the onus on Adam [Jahn] that you need to outwork these guys. You need to keep going and really give them a hard time to play against. That’s what he did. He was tireless out there. He had a couple good chances, unlucky not to score a goal, but just battled. Great resiliency and a great performance by Adam.
On if he was happy with the result because he made lineup changes…
Well, I think to be fair I’m not sure Federico [Higuain] could have [played] anyway. He was hampered by his injury so that one was forced. We said early on in the week but also early on in the year we are going to need guys, we are going to need bodies, everyone in this room will be asked to step up one time or another. We believe in the team and there was no hesitation in making these changes at all.
On if this week they will be shorthanded by international play…
We will. We’ll be hampered. We’ll have a bunch of guys gone.
On the decision to substitute out Dilly [Duka] for Cedrick [Mabwati]…
He took a knock at the end of the first half, which was hampering him a little bit. But I think he did a great job. He hasn’t been playing much and we got some good minutes out of him this game. We thought by moving Justin [Meram] in the center it would give him less one v. one work to do and also provide some counter-attacking opportunities and then Cedrick [Mabwati], with his speed, we were confident he would take advantage of some open space.
On what you say leading up to a game to get this result…
I think it’s that period when we were really pushed today was very beneficial for the team. It gives them confidence. You work on principles of defending, you show the video of things that didn’t go so well and you are looking for improvement. I certainly see some improvement, especially from last game.
On finally getting a win at home…
For as much as the fans support us, it’s nice to get this win for them … and give back to them for being in the stadium and cheering us on.
COLUMBUS CREW SC MIDFIELDER JUSTIN MERAM
On the team effort…
I think our movement, our spacing was really good tonight. I think we alluded on Wednesday after the match that we needed to get Ethan [Finlay] more involved and more touches on the ball because his runs are exceptional and I think tonight showed how dangerous he is. Team effort to find him the ball and get him behind and penetrate.
On his performance tonight…
These games are important and we’re trying to make a push, and we’re just trying to stay focused one game at a time. When I’m on the field and my name’s called, I’m just trying to execute for the team and help out in areas I can and I think tonight showed a good example of me playing between the lines and getting everyone involved and keeping it simple.
On the team trusting the system…
The losses are tough but we’re not going to change the way we’re playing because we know how successful we can be. So we just have to keep at it. And I think we’ve been a little bit unlucky and I think it’s good lately. Myself, Ethan [Finlay], other guys to score goals and to be on the scoresheet to help get a win.
On getting the whole team to contribute…
It’s important. I think multiple guys need to score and help out for periods. For the last couple months it was Ola [Kamara] and he was kind of by himself so we definitely need to help out, especially when we’re playing major minutes. And I love seeing Ethan [Finlay] keep scoring so we definitely need him, and we need everybody to keep scoring.
On what the team talks about to keep its confidence going into next game…
I think first it will be recovery from this game and then we will assess the film and what we did well, what we need to do better. We know LA [Galaxy] is a tough team and we will be traveling so we need to stick to our game plan and go on the road and try to get a result.
On finally getting a win at home…
Of course. The fans deserve it, we deserve it, this organization deserves it and we work too hard to not be winning games at home.
COLUMBUS CREW SC DEFENDER NICOLAI NAESS
On his first home win since joining Crew SC…
It’s an amazing feeling when you have the supporters behind you. We came out there tonight, and it was a must win game for us tonight to keep track of teams. But also it was an important win and it was so good to win in front of the supporters, they deserve it.
On the defensive grind this week…
He [Gregg Berhalter] always expects a win, like all of us. And I’ve played with Mikey [Michael Parkhurst] for four games now; we’ve started to know each other better. This is the second clean sheet in three games, so we keep going forward, and just hope we can keep going like this.
On his assist…
It’s always good to have an assist. I felt my long balls were good tonight and that’s the way they want me to play today so I felt it went okay.
On the defensive line being more in control…
Like you said, we had good control back there. But, it’s not only the defense who defends. We defend from top to bottom. We start with a good effort on top with Adam [Jahn] tonight. He’s worked hard for the team and he’s a good striker up there and works hard for the ball. So then you have the midfield, which takes a lot of space in front of us in the back four. So, it’s a good defensive performance by the whole team.
