Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja
Opening Statement
“Well, we're very happy with the result, but much more for the way we did it against a tough rival and very difficult postseason game, which means a lot for our fans. We want to be grateful to them, with just that energy that they brought to the stadium with that many people. [In the] first half, we controlled it. We had a lot of volume; we created many chances. We could have put the game away in that half or put Charlotte in a more difficult position, but we missed a lot of opportunities. In the second half, we became more tense in the first 15 to 20 minutes of the second half. We sensed that we were winning, but this is a dangerous situation, and we started dropping in the zone where we don't feel comfortable. We started just getting into some space too. So, it was like a trade. We gave you [Charlotte] the ball to just bring some proposal to the game and we were going to use those spaces, and that's the way we created the chances in the second half and the counterattacks. I'm very happy with the group and this momentum. I'm very happy with the way that we're playing, but this is one game. We have to analyze it and just prepare for the next one. It’s a good first step.”
On playing Charlotte now verses earlier in the season
"It’s very similar. We know that they are dense as a team, with shorter lines. There's not too much space in between those lines, and when they defend low, it’s difficult to get in those spaces, and gains precision in the box. They have players that are fast, and they bet for a counterattack, and especially in the games that we have played before. Today was similar. So, I found a team that we were prepared for. That's what I saw, a team that we know, and we neutralized them the majority of the time.”
On scoring multiple goals in a playoff match
“Martín [Ojeda] gave us that bit of peace when we scored a second one, because it’s normal in those instances that the other group, or the other team are throwing bodies up front, and they have this chance with [Patrick] Agyemang. As I said, we were tense too, but we were waiting for that second one, and Martín was looking a bit tired, but also, his intentions were correct all the time. He's trying to gain space behind the defenders. Martín has that quality of not just creating in a dangerous place, but he's finalizing his second goal in and two games is great for us, and a great moment.”
Orlando City SC Defender Dagur Dan Thórhallsson
Opening Statement
“Amazing. It was a good thing to keep the clean sheet and two solid goals. Just an amazing feeling and we are happy.”
On the team’s confidence on the field
"I felt in the last couple of days and weeks the confidence was high. Like I said before, I felt a bit different than last year. I felt that we are going to go through, and then onto the next and just focus on trying to do everything with confidence in training and in the game. I felt like it happened well within the game, and it was good.”
On tonight’s gameplan
“It's similar that me and [Facundo Torres] understand each other really well. I know what he wants, and he knows what I want. We want him to be the main guy to have the ball and me to go around him and try to support him as well as I can. I felt that it worked really well tonight, but we just need to keep doing what we are doing.”
Orlando City SC Forward Facundo Torres
Opening Statement
“Yeah, you know, first off thank you, I'm very happy for [the goal] first and foremost because of how it helped the team tonight. We entered the playoffs tonight and we wanted to get things started on the right foot. Thankfully we were able to do that and really just get started in a great moment so we can go to Charlotte with an advantage.”
On his goal tonight
"Yeah, you know, we worked a lot during the week on trying to take it a little bit deeper down the line, and hit back towards the center and back towards that back post because Charlotte likes to get a lot of guys into the box defensively and thankfully when the ball kind of came my way, I just thought, 'just hit it on goal and see where it goes,' and thankfully it went in.”
On the team’s approach to facing Charlotte FC
“Yeah, you know, we know that Charlotte's a really good team. We know that they're a hard team to play against. They really come together and create a really tightly grouped midfield box with their defense, and it becomes difficult to break them down. So, we worked really hard on trying to break those lines and break into those spaces and thankfully the team did well, and we were able to break through in the first half. That created those spaces behind them as they were trying to push forward, and we were able to take advantage of that tonight.”
