Orlando City head coach Oscar Pareja
On the importance of having a full week to prepare for the match against Nashville SC
“It’s good to be back to the routines, especially with the players that have not had too much time with us, and to have regular sessions where they can get used to each other. I’m not saying that the other experiences haven’t helped us as well, but this of course gives us more time to prepare.”
On preparing for Nashville SC
“Nashville is like any other team in the league that we have faced each other [already] and since they have a coach that has been there for a while it’s the same with us and we know each other. [Nashville] is a team that has very bold characteristics too, as Philadelphia [Union] had, in the way that they do things. We would like to have control of those things and with the experiences that we’ve had with them we can expose them and we can use the good attributes of our team to hurt them. That is our focus.”
On the importance of the win against Philadelphia Union
“Yes, it was very important to win, especially after a loss to Charlotte [FC] at home. The team did well, continues to improve and we were without some important players in our team. The boys that played did very well and that helps us as a team very much. The team feels very deep and that we can have more availability with more players and that makes us better.”
On Iván Angulo’s performance
“It was very important for Iván to score that goal, well any goal, but in this case a player that has been doing well and is a very hard worker, habitual, tactical, his combinations are good, but he’s also young. He needs to be more decisive in the area and help us score more goals and him doing that will make us better.”
On Antonio Carlos making his 2023 debut
“We're very happy to have Antonio back. It’s normal that he’s needing games and minutes and actions in the regular phases of a match, but just seeing him healthy is great. It’s great to have him available, his presence is very welcome for us and just makes us feel stronger.”
On his thoughts on Daryl Dike playing in Exploria Stadium again
“Fantastic to see him in the stadium and how people remember him as part of our project here and it was very nice to see him dressing in the United States Men’s National Team jersey and just very proud of him.”
On his relationship with Daryl Dike and former players in general
“I’m very grateful for them because it’s mutual. It’s a collaboration between the coaches and players and it’s work that is the result of both parties trying to do the right things, the support of the Club, the fans and even you guys [in the media] that are connecting us all. It’s all trying to make things happen, but surely, I’m proud to see those boys with the national teams and their success. I remember when they were just kids trying to gain minutes and now, they’re dressing in national team jerseys. It’s fantastic.”
Orlando City defender Robin Jansson
On the win over the weekend
“I think we had a great game and a good start, obviously with the two goals in the first 15 minutes, and then they got one closer to our second goal so that was a little bit hard. We didn’t really know where the game was going [to end up] at that point, but we managed to get back on track and control the game. We were creating chances, keeping the ball way better than we had been doing in the other games, especially in the midfield and up front. We didn’t just go for it with the hardest passes. We kept it up there, rested with the ball and were clever because we knew we were facing a strong home team. We needed to put out a really good performance and we did.”
On Antonio Carlos making his 2023 debut
“It’s great to have Antonio back. We know his qualities and he’s been a solid, strong player for years here now in Orlando, so we were very happy to have him back. As you said it’s good for our depth to have in the future and we just need to continue working hard with everyone ready to be out there, so happy to have Antonio back and congratulations to him.”
On the importance of momentum after the weekend’s win
“Every win is important for every team, so now we just need to continue bringing those wins into our account and keep the momentum going. As you said, an away game against [Philadelphia Union] and going there to get all three points against a team that hasn’t lost since a year ago or something on home turf, it shows the capacity that we have within the team. When we get things all together on the field, I think we will be very strong.”
On having time between games to prepare
“It’s good. We have time for players to heal and recover so that’s always nice, but it’s also nice with the tight games when you have it for not too long, but one week here with Wednesday and Saturday is nice. We got a good start to the season with a lot of games and now we have more time to heal. So I think that’s better for the squad to be prepared for the next game, getting more time on the training field together and shaping things up.”
On his thoughts about the game against Nashville SC
“We know that [Hany Mukhtar] is a great soccer player and we need to be ready and aware of of the way Nashville is attacking and playing. We know them because we played them a lot in the last couple of years. It’s going to be an interesting game, we’re going to go out there and play our way and focus on our game first. Then we have to be aware of their strenghts.”
On the confidence of having both Pedro Gallese and Mason Stajduhar available behind the backline
“I think for the team overall it’s so important to see Mason come out there having such a great game and making some good saves and hustling back there. I’m very happy for Mason, for the team and for the Club. He just needs to continue his work and always be ready for when his chances are coming.”
Orlando City midfielder Iván Angulo
On scoring his first goal in MLS
“I’m very happy to have scored my first goal in MLS, but even happier still to get the victory. It was an important win for the team just really happy to be able to help the team in that regard.”
On the importance of having a week in between games
“I think it’s always important to have a complete week. You have more time to rest, more time to analyze the opponent, more time to prepare everything, so I think it was really important for us to be able to have that going into Philadelphia. Obviously we’ve had those games in the middle of the week because we’ve been in other competitions, but I think it’s going to be important again for us this week to have a full week to prepare for the next rival.”
On his experiences in other competitions outside of MLS regular-season matches
“I think every competition has something different. You're playing different rivals that come from different areas, there’s different protocols and each game is different in itself. I think, such as Concacaf Champions League, we played a team from Mexico that’s very different from the teams we see in MLS, but I think we were up to the challenge of that competition. We had two great games, obviously we were bounced out by the away goals rule, but we were able to rise to the level of the competition.”
On relieving pressure after scoring his first goal
“Yeah I think it did take a little bit of pressure off. I think you’re always anxious to get that first goal and to make a good impact on the team whenever you have the chance to play. Thankfully I was able to have that opportunity in on goal and was able to bury it and make a good impact on the team. Thanks to God for getting the goal, but hopefully I'm able to get more and continue impacting the team in that way.”
On winning with players away with national teams
“I think it was very important for the team to win and show not only that we’re all ready to play and that we’re able to win even without those great players, but even that we’re able to win away. Obviously missing Pedro [Gallese] and Facu [Torres} and Wilder [Cartagena] those are great players and they make our team better, but I think it was great for our team to show that those that are here, those that came in like Mason [Stajduhar] and those that came into the game are all ready and prepared to help this team in whatever way is necessary. I think being able to have that game was fantastic to be able to get that win away.”
On what his teammates have shared about Nashville SC
“Not too much at this point. We’re just starting our week to be able to analyze and prepare for them, we’ll that the full week to analyze Nashville as rivals and to prepare for anything they may throw at us. We’ll use the experience of the players that know them a bit better and have played against them a few more times. We’ll take this full week to prepare and get ready to put everything forward to winning this game.”
