Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja
Opening statement
“Very happy with the performance of the players, especially in the second half. I thought we played against a very good team and a team that has a model that at the beginning confuses you and we couldn’t stop them. That’s why I value the reaction that we had in that first half to create some options that probably should have taken us to lead the game at the end of the half. The second half was more controlled. In the second half I thought our shaping was much better and when they scored the [penalty kick], again the braveness and the character of this group is amazing. How they control their emotions and bounce back to score a goal, and we could have even taken the game. A difficult game, we’ll take the point and we’re happy with the performance. We keep going.”
On his team finding production from substitutes this season
“Right, it’s a great point. The help, support and energy that the boys are bringing from the bench is crucial for our objectives when we need to change chemistry, when we need to change the tone of the game, when we need to equalize or even to push higher. They understand their roles and they bring a ton of energy. I’m so happy for Martín [Ojeda], such a professional and committed to this team, to come on with that humbleness that he has and to equalize it. Very well deserved for his effort and you’re right, that makes us stronger when we are many more.”
On his changes to the starting lineup tonight
“Right, it has been a challenge I think for everybody, every team in the league, playing two games in three or four days and knowing that we have another game in another three days. Iván [Angulo] has done a great job with us. It’s not an easy task to replace him and his role, but Ramiro [Enrique] has had a good few weeks and how he’s merging with the team is great. He’s producing a lot of optimism about what we can get from him. He can play in a few different positions and today we wanted Iván to rest and I think it was worth it because the energy that Iván brought us in the second half just lifted us all. That was a very good performance for him.”
Orlando City SC Midfielder Felipe
Opening statement
“I think it is a great result for us, it is a point coming from behind. We always appreciate the points. It is never easy to come to a place like Charlotte, so it is a positive point for us. We will keep building; we will keep going because we are going in the right direction.”
On the elements of tonight’s match
“It is a different environment It is always great to play at home, but it is tough every time you go away, especially on the turf. We never use this as an excuse. It was definitely a fast field against a team that had a lot of the ball. In the end, I think we could have scored a second goal to get the three points, but like I said, we need to be happy with the points. We will keep building on this momentum in the way that the team has been playing, the way we have been handling ourselves, the way we have been controlling the games, that is what this team is about. We all need to be ready now in this part of the MLS season, we need to be smart and every point counts.”
On facing Charlotte FC and the problems they create
“They are a possession team. They have good players and they like being on the ball. All those games we had moments or opportunities but again today, they went up 1-0 but in the first half we had great chances especially with Ramiro [Enrique] hitting the post. They are close games and we were unable to get a win against them this year, but it is a positive point for us and we keep building from this momentum that the team has had in controlling the games well.”
