Head Coach Caleb Porter
Opening statement
Obviously a really difficult game. I can’t remember playing in a game where a team played so deep – especially at home – dropped off 35 yards from goal with a back line five and a three line and a two line. We knew that was going to be the case. You never know how difficult it’s going to be until you’re actually in there, and I think it’s a difficult thing to break down, and that’s why [FC Cincinnati] have been a lot better over the last six games and why they’ve gotten results in a lot of games. They won’t score very many goals that way, but you have to give them credit for being tough defensively. Certainly Jaap Stam being one of the best center-backs [of] all-time in the world, you can see his influence. They’re difficult to break down. In saying that, I thought we had three clear chances, and we’ve got to score one of those three. First half we had two, the breakaway where all we need to do is lift it over the keeper and it’s in the goal, Gyasi’s [Zardes] header and second-half Gyasi’s breakaway. You’re not going to get a ton of chances, we certainly can do better in terms of creating more, but in that type of game, you’re never going to get 10 clear chances.
So, the positive for me is I don’t care who you’re playing, you take a point on the road. The clean sheet, I’m very proud of that, and the back four and in general defensively, we didn’t give them anything. So I thought we executed extremely well. We had a lot of the ball, and that’s our game, and we need to do better at finding at least one goal. If we do that, then teams stop playing the low block and making life difficult. But we’ll keep improving on that. I do think also, a little bit our lack of cohesion showed and it especially showed in the attack, because when you look at those little connections and the chemistry, it takes time to gain that chemistry, especially in the attack. When you’re trying to break down a low block with the guys 35 yards away from goal, that collective chemistry is crucial and we’ve had some guys injured, we’ve had to rotate in games, and we looked like we weren’t quite in a rhythm and in sync and cohesive like we were early in Orlando where we had the same group training for three straight weeks. So, we’ll get better with time, we’ll get better with more training and more games where we can play the same group and dig into some of those little final third details. We’ll take the point, we’ll build on the positives, we’ll work on the negatives and we’re excited to be back and home for two games, and obviously if we get this next result, then we’re in good shape.
On Eloy Room’s performance against FC Cincinnati
He was excellent, the back-four was excellent. Any time on the road you get a clean sheet, you’re happy with it. You’ll take the point. Our standards are high, so we’re not going to be happy with a point on the road. We expected to win the game, but it’s not the end of the world, either. We go back home and get two home games and we’ll take the point, and we’ll move on and improve like we always do. The biggest thing, we just need time. Get time together, get everybody in sync, and we’ve got to finish the chances that we get.
On Crew SC getting more minutes, cohesion and next step in attacking third
We don’t need to possess the ball more, we’ve had plenty of the ball. So we’re getting control and that’s not a problem, and I don’t think there’s any problem, actually. We’re getting clean sheets, we’re defending well, we’re having a lot of the ball, I know everybody wants us to score four goals every game and that doesn’t happen in football. We needed to one tonight, to score one [goal], which we should have. We’re still not mad, we got a clean sheet, we take a point, and we will improve and I know the improvement will come mostly with having more time together. It’s going to be different every game in terms of where the space is. Not every team’s going to play a back-five and a three line. Some teams play two lines of four, some teams play a line of four and a line of three, some teams play a line of four and a line of five, so the spaces are all different in how you open up teams, and we need to obviously do better at creating chances, but there are a lot of positives, too. I think the best thing is when people are not happy that we’re not winning, we’ve raised the standard for everyone. It’s not too often that you’re disappointed with a point on the road and a clean sheet.
Goalkeeper Eloy Room
On returning to action and maintaining a clean sheet despite FC Cincinnati’s offensive threat from set pieces
I‘m happy to be back and help the team again. I know they have some players that can take some good set pieces, so luckily I knew some players already so I was prepared for [them]. It’s still difficult to play against a team like this – they’re laying back and they just open up a chance. I think we did okay in some phases of the game, but you need to push more in games like this because more teams are going to play against us like this because they know it’s difficult to break it [that style]. I think we need to learn from this and move on.
On seeing Andrew Tarbell perform well during Eloy Room’s spell in the sidelines
I’m feeling really good to be back. The games I didn’t play Andrew did really well, so I’m also happy for him. He stepped up when he needed to. We are professionals, we work hard in training and we help each other. Andrew is a good guy and I was happy for him that he played those games. Even though I cannot play the games, I want to play every game. But now ow I’m fit and I’m ready to play again. I try to be important for the team and that’s what’s most important for me – to help the guys and keep clean sheets. Today was a good day for the defense and for the team, but hopefully we are going to win the next game.
On being tested on his first game back
It’s always nice to be back like this, you know? You’re staying busy and some shape. I thought t was difficult because it was more mental this game, because we had more ball possession, so we have to be sharp in those moments. Luckily, today I stepped up and had some good saves and could help the team out. But for me the most important thing is how we play as a team. Today it was not enough to win, but we kept a clean sheet so I’m proud of the defense and the team and we move on.
Defender Josh Williams
On FC Cincinnati’s deep defending
I would say that’s probably as deep of a team that I’ve played against as well. But I think in games like this you have to take what the game is giving you. Patience in those moments is huge. I think maybe we were a little too rushed into making decisions going forward at times, but at the same time we had enough opportunities [to] where if we bury one or two in the first half and get a clear cut chance in the second half… In a game like that you only get a few chances, so it’s crucial for us to take advantage of those moments. As soon as you get one, they come out and the game opens up a little bit. But when there’s zeroes on the scoreboard they can play as deep as they want.
On the importance of earning a clean sheet to at least guarantee yourself a point
Yeah, we were saying that from the 20th-minute mark. We knew we were going to have a lot of the ball just by the way they were setting up so I kept telling Jonah [Jonathan Mensah], Harry [Harrison Afful] and Milton [Valenzuela] that when we have the ball going forward it’s crucial for us to lock down, to seal the play. So as the ball is going forward we need to locate their forwards, be right at their back as soon as they get the ball so they didn’t have any moments to break out. Because teams that are playing that deep are looking for moments to catch us falling asleep at the back so they can come in on a breakaway, and it seemed like that’s how they were looking to get on the board. When we have that much of the ball it’s always hard to stay mentally focused and mentally in it, so I always try to keep using my voice. I heard Jonah, Eloy [Room] back there has a a great voice, he’s a great leader, he’s always reminding me and Jonah to keep talking, to keep guys pinched in, to keep guys ready. Even though we have the ball we need to stay defensive-minded.
