Sporting Director & Head Coach Gregg Berhalter
On the significance of tonight’s win...
"I think so. I think the most important thing is that you see the translation from the training pitch to the game field and that we worked hard on some elements in the last seven days and then were able to see them on the field today, so I think that is really positive. We worked hard with both groups on purpose so that you wouldn’t see that much of a difference in the structure when two different teams are on the field."
On his team’s performance and fitness...
"I thought we were fine. It was a little warm, we trained hard all week. Yes, there was not a normal pregame session, we pushed them hard or in a moderate session, so I think overall it was positive."
On Lalas Abubakar’s performances this season...
"I think that he is doing a good job. Lalas [Abubakar], he competes and you can see that he makes a lot of plays on the field due to his effort. That’s what you want from centerbacks. You want them to be up for every battle that takes place and I think that he had a good night tonight."
On Cristian Martinez’s performance tonight...
"I think it’s great. I’ve said all along that it’s a shame that Cristian [Martinez] hasn’t gotten more games this year. It’s a disappointment to me that he hasn’t been playing regularly because he has ability and if he’s fit, you can see that he can make plays and it’s difficult to be fit when you aren’t playing many games, so it’s a catch-22 situation. Cristian has been plugging away and it’s nice to see him on the field tonight."
On evaluating friendly matches...
"You always have to evaluate the circumstances. It’s the same thing as when we went down to Brazil and played those games, it was no different. They’re in preseason, they’re flying all around the country and it’s difficult for them to bring the energy level that’s always needed, but they still have quality. You’re talking about a team that just transferred a guy for nine million euros. It’s still a squad with a lot of quality and any time that you can play squad like that, you get to measure yourself. The competing part of it and seeing how guys competed was what we were looking for."
On what he learned from his younger players...
"Well they’ve taken information in because you see in the game that they were certainly watching the game. You can see that, for the most part, there was a clear understanding of what needed to be done and what was asked from their responsibility and there position , so that’s good. When you see guys that come in, that haven’t been playing regularly and they understand the responsibility of their position that makes us feel good."
On his team playing with three defenders...
"Well I think that we’ve played with four in the back in 17 games this year. We just want to practice with three in the back. Marisa asked me can you experiment a little in this game and that’s what this was, experimenting with different guys in the same formation."
On the experience of participating in an international friendly...
"It was nice. You get to see people that you haven’t seen in a long time, a lot of familiar faces that you get to talk to. Again, it’s how does our league measure up to other top leagues in the world, how do our fans get another experience than seeing an MLS opponent every weekend and this is a great way to do it. Credit Andy Loughnane for organizing the game and making it happen and making a good opponent happen as well, because that is not always easy. Overall, I think a positive experience for everyone."
On how Cristian Martinez gets regular playing time...
"Stuff like tonight and then regularity in the training sessions. He’s in a tough position, look at the guys ahead of him, he’s in a tough spot. For the most part, the guys have been healthy and it’s tough for him to break in. He has to keep plugging away. He’s a young player with potential and his time will come."
On Wil Trapp’s passing in tonight’s match...
"This exercise tonight was that they’re a compact team, but they have a high line. Wil [Trapp], this is a specialty of his and it’s a great opportunity for him to practice things that make our team successful. We are a more successful team when Wil is playing those types of passes, when he is looking to open the team up. What happens is that they need to drop then and we have more space to play into, so it’s crucial in our game that Wil is able to play those passes. Tonight is a great opportunity for him to practice that."
On how this match prepares his team for their next match...
"It’s great. The seven days of training have physically prepared us, this game has physically prepared us to be able to take Philly [Philadelphia Union] on. We’ll have enough rest, we’ll be recovered and ready to go."
On Harrison Afful’s injury status...
"I think it might have been a cramp or something like that. It was a long session, he was doing some work, but he’s already jogging today. We held him out as a caution. I would imagine that he will be in a position to be involved in the game."
On Nico Naess’ performance in tonight’s match...
"I think he did fine, I think he did well. Again, he’s another one that we need his passing to open up the game. You see some of the balls that he’s played, it’s amazing, really good passing technique and when he does that it opens up the field for us."
Midfielder Abuchi Obinwa
On his debut for Columbus Crew SC...
"It felt amazing. I learned that MAPFRE [Stadium] is huge. I just stayed calm on the ball and knew that even though it was my first time on the field that I can play just like the rest of them."
On playing alongside the veteran Crew SC players...
"They made it very easy to know where to pass, make sure that I didn’t have to make difficult decisions and things like that, so they made it very easy for me to have a decent game I would say."
On his performance in tonight’s match...
"I thought I did really well. Coming in in the last 30 I think was a good decision by Gregg [Berhalter] obviously because it was my first game and he wanted to put me in the best position to play my best."
On his team’s effectiveness tonight...
"Our training in making sure that we close down the middle really affected them they couldn’t play wide and wide doesn’t get you close to the goal. Once we closed down the middle, they had limited opportunities and that made our job a lot easier."
Midfielder Wil Trapp
On Ola Kamara’s goal...
"They [Eintracht Frankfurt] were playing a high line and I think we did a decent job recognizing it. The ball was between the lines, which is what we were working on all week, trying to move the ball forward. Cristian [Martinez] made a good touch, Ola [Kamara] made a good touch and we scored."
On Cristian Martinez’s performance...
"It was great. He did a great job, his first 90 minutes in a long time. It was his first 90 minutes with us. It was a hot night, with a lot of running against a good opponent."
On the importance of playing during the MLS break...
"It’s huge. It’s a little different with the personnel on the field. We just need to think about reinforcing the same concepts that we’ve been working on. It’s just the team building aspect, getting new guys on the field."
On the future games against Philadelphia...
"These concepts that we used against Eintracht Frankfurt are really what we’re thinking about form against Philadelphia. Like I said, defensive shape, dealing with crosses they have some physical and athletic guys in attack and then playing balls between the lines in transition."
