GREGG BERHALTER - SPORTING DIRECTOR AND HEAD COACH
Opening statement…
Anytime you are playing an Eastern Conference team a road point is valuable. Philadelphia is a good team. I think they have been improving year to year and now to seem to have a lot of the pieces that they wanted. It’s a good team, I think they will win a lot of home games and at the end of the day we will live with the point.
On the battle between Auston Trusty and Gyasi Zardes…
I think Trusty did well. A couple opportunities we got behind him and Gyasi had a couple chances but he battled. You have to remember how old he is. A centerback that young typically has positional problems, and sometimes on the ball they are not that confident. I do not know him that well, but I think he had a good, solid game and looked like he is a high potential player.
On his team’s defensive effort against Philadelphia’s attack…
They did a good job. We know CJ Sapong is a very difficult striker to play against. We know David Accam is probably one of the best one-v-one players in the league. You had the new player from the Czech Republic, Dockal. He is a good player as well. We knew they were going to cause some problems. Overall, beside the height of the line in the first half not pressing up high enough, I thought we did a good job.
On what to improve on for D.C. United next week…
We can always improve. We are going to analyze the game and look for things. We will pick it apart and we will find things. I don’t think there is a game since I have been around that we have played perfect. We will find some stuff.
On Gyasi Zardes fitting in to the team…
That is exactly what we want. You saw the chances he had today. The header and the two breakaways, also his running behind the line. That’s what fits well into his skill set, and that is what we look for in a striker. I think it is a very good match and then you add back to it that he is a high character person. He always wants to learn and is improving all the time. He is a pleasure to work with.
On his approach to the road game…
Throughout the years, if you really look at us we do not change much at home or on the road. There are still going to be moments when we high press on the road and no matter where we play we want to keep the ball. It is just about how effective are we in doing so. We want to keep the ball and we want to tire the opponent out. We want them to have to chase the ball. It is a very simple concept.
On going on the road to play…
I think from the outside it is a lot different from what is happening inside. From the inside, all we are focused on is playing well and developing our game and the team. The guys have been really good about staying focused on that. The issues that will come up this year will be normal management issues of a coach managing a team. Like the guys that are not happy with playing time. You will have some discipline issues that will come up. Things happen in a group and what I see right now is the guys are focused on improving and focused on getting better. They have been very close as a team and all of this has helped deal with all the stuff off the field and when we play, whether it is at home or on the road, we want to entertain the fans and leave them with a good experience.
On his first draw against Jim Curtin …
I think there were some chances that were not capitalized on. I think there was not potentially enough power in the game from both teams. I think we could have used a little bit more to create the final goal scoring opportunity. You need the impulse and the change of pace. I think some of that lacked. Overall, I thought it was a hard fought game. I give both teams credit for really competing and playing hard.
On the 13-game unbeaten streak…
We have a way’s to go. We are nine games away from the record. It is going to be difficult. I think the focus is on one game at a time. Next week we have a home game against D.C. United. We are most likely going to be missing some players. The next guy will have to step up and hopefully we can have a good game and a strong performance.
JONATHAN MENSAH - DEFENDER
On the draw and the clean sheet…
It was not bad. Coming on the road and getting a point is very important, but a win would have been very good for the team. You know we will not say a point is not good for us. We just move on and focus on the next game.
On the defensive effort against the Union attack…
I think it was a collective effort. The midfielders helped us a lot. We worked on it during training and we knew it was going to happen. Accam wants to get one on one and come at us. If we do not defend together as a group, it is going to be difficult for us. We communicated well and we just defender two-v-one against them. It really helped us.
On the importance of winning at home next weekend…
I think the motivation is there. Going on the road and getting a point then going into a home game is good for us. We have to be calm and capitalize on the chances we going to get. We just need to relax and just get ready for the next battle on Saturday.
GYASI ZARDES - FORWARD
On the match…
A point is a positive factor, it’s a positive thing. Playing away is very difficult, Philadelphia is a great team. It’s a great point away.
On the team’s performance…
We had a couple of opportunities in the second half that were pretty big. Just was unlucky today.
On his form…
I’m always trying to work, even if I score goals I’m constantly trying to work. There’s always room for progress.
On returning home…
To be better than we were this weekend. Every weekend we want to get better as a team and as a unit.
