LA Galaxy Postgame Quote Sheet
LA Galaxy 0, Toronto FC 4
Saturday, Sept. 16 2017 – 7:30 p.m. PT
2017 MLS Regular Season
StubHub Center – Los Angeles, Calif.
LA GALAXY HEAD COACH SIGI SCHMID
On what he’s learned about the roster since taking over:
“I’ve learned a lot of things. They’re for me.”
On the choice of formation tonight:
“I thought we were fine through the first 20-25 minutes. I thought we carried the game to them, we had more possession. The goal confuses me a little bit. Did they ask for ten yards, did they not, did the referee push us back…but anyway, it’s a non-attentive goal. I don’t think the 3-5-2 cost us in any way. It was probably a week too early for Michael Ciani to play with where he’s at fitness wise. But I felt with three [in defense], it would be better for him and with so many defenders missing out of our team the options are limited.”
On what he saw out of Ciani tonight:
“Light and shadows. There were good things. Obviously there were a couple of not so good things. We made two big errors and let in two really soft goals and you can’t really allow that against a good team.
On the team’s offensive struggles Saturday night:
“We weren’t good enough.”
LA GALAXY DEFENDER DAVE ROMNEY
On what Sigi Schmid said to the team after the game:
“We were just disappointed. We were making good strides, we were turning things around. We had two solid games of momentum going our way and then the case of this season: we have some yellow card suspensions, two injuries and we get two more injuries during the game. Everything is just compiling on itself.”
On what Sigi Schmid said after the game:
“It was pretty frank. Guys are playing for their jobs, he’s said it before. Couldn’t be any truer than that. If that doesn’t motivate you I don’t know what else will.”
On if that’s a motivating piece for some of these guys:
“I don’t know. But when I hear that, I think I need to play better and I need to be the best version of myself because I want to stay here. So it works for me. I don’t know how other people take it, I can’t speak for anyone else but that definitely motivates me.”
On if the postseason being out of reach can help the team refocus to get their fight back through playing for pride:
“Although you want to play for results every single game you’re in, you can take good things out of maybe a draw or something you can build on for next season or something like that. It’s just playing for pride. It’s frustrating.”
On feelings for Michael Ciani’s debut:
“It’s a tough game to come into. You’re coming in against a first-place team, we have a huge roster rotation with guys being hurt, guys on yellow cards and shifting into a new formation. That’s not easy especially after coming in from his offseason. That’s not an easy task at all.”
On the mental approach for the upcoming road trip:
“Honestly, I’ll approach it the same way I approach every game. I’m going to try and play my best and get a result. I don’t treat any game different, home or away. I have the same mindset, the same mentality every game. So I’m just going to play for my job, play as good as I can and hopefully we can get some results on the road. We had a four-game road trip earlier this season and that was one of our best stretches so hopefully we can do something like that again.”
LA GALAXY GOALKEEPER JON KEMPIN
On the team’s defensive performance:
“We were the better team for the first 20 minutes until they got that goal. That deflated us. We can’t keep letting in the first goal. It deflates us and that means we have to change the game. Toronto played well, you have to give them some credit. They spread the field, they made us chase. As the game went on, we tried to get some goals and we got tired and that’s why the score line is 4-0.”
On the team’s free kick:
“It’s a free kick. You’ve got to stand in front of the ball and not let them play quickly. Crazy…it goes right off the post and to an open guy and of course I want to save it…I got a touch to it, but from that close it’s a quick reaction.”
On if it caught him off guard:
“A little bit, but we talked about that before the game. On the film we watched you can see that all the time. I didn’t see any from Victor Vasquez, but I could see from Michael Bradley they put the ball down and guys are turning their backs and he quickly plays a ball over the top. We knew that they were going to do that.”
On what Sigi Schmid told the team after the game:
“The main message was that guys are playing for their jobs. Play for some pride. That’s the main message. You’ve got to go to practice now and work hard and play hard. Have some pride. It wasn’t loud, but he was frustrated. Anytime you lose 4-0, especially after we were starting to build after a 3-0 win and tie against Seattle. We were kind of on the right track and this is a little step back backwards. So the main thing he said was is this going to be a road bump or are we going to go off the path.”
LA GALAXY DEFENDER MICHAEL CIANI
On whether he thinks he debuted too soon:
“No, no. I don’t think so. It was hard because we were playing a good team. We left it on the pitch. We must be better. So, it’s all the team. it was hard because we were playing a good team, even if I think we must be better. we have a good team. we didn’t do what we know.”
On the fourth goal:
“I heard the keeper and my defenders say ‘Leave,’ but they said ‘Time.’ I wasn’t tired. I was good. I felt good on the pitch. It was difficult for all the team.”
On thoughts about MLS:
“We played against Toronto, they played well. I think we can be better. I wasn’t surprised. I played against good teams in Spain, Champions League, with the national team. I know what MLS is, I wasn’t surprised. We have to work together. It’s difficult.”
TORONTO FC HEAD COACH GREG VANNEY
On Tosaint Ricketts’ play:
“With Tosaint [Ricketts], he's chomping at the bit right now. Always wanting to get out there and obviously he has a tough task with the two guys in front of him, but he's a guy, that especially when there is space on the field and space to get behind, he can do some damage. Tonight was a very good opportunity for
him and he showed very well.”
On the team’s depth and performance:
“It's good. We have a solid team. A lot of guys who can do some things. We move the ball well. We were able to create some spaces for each other and make use of those spaces. We keep going--if we miss a guy, then someone else needs to step, which is what we did today.”
On the team’s structure tonight:
“Yes, the core group of our games who have started the games in this run where all out there. So our structure was more or else the same, but obviously we had different look up front, but it was good. I think we through off a little bit of the reference points they were chasing us in areas in the field that sometimes
weren't great areas for them and we were able to expose the spaces that were created because of that. Again, it's a big field, so if you can pull teams apart on this space has become really, really big. We were able to take advantage of those and guys stepped up.”
On getting a big win on the road:
“I think it’s giving our team a lot of confidence. They enjoy playing. You can see that they enjoy moving the ball, sharing the ball, getting it from one guy to the next quickly. They have a good sense of what makes them a good team. Guys are fulfilling their responsibilities on the field within our system, but within that
when we get games under control - we allow guys to interchange a little bit more. I think that's something the guys are building on. By in large, all the time we want to keep our structure and guys to fulfill their roles, especially in the defensive side. We had to adjust a little bit. They went to a 3-5-2, which is something
we haven't seen a lot of this year, so we had to adjust ourselves a little bit to make sure we had things held down defensively, but they created a few problems for us early.”
TORONTO FC MIDFIELDER MICHAEL BRADLEY
On the 4-0 win on the road:
“Yea I thought we played well, I thought the mentality was good. It wasn’t going to be an easy game. They have not had a great year but there’s still a lot of quality in that team. They’ve shown some signs of life the last few weeks and any time you come here you know that it is going to be a difficult game. I
thought that our mentality was really good. Obviously it’s never nice to miss a few guys but having said that, we’ve take any chance possible this year when certain guys are missing to use that as motivation. To make sure that we don’t skip a beat. To make sure that in little ways can send out messages across the
league that even on days when certain guys aren’t here we can still win.”
On Tosaint’s play and the depth of the team in general:
“I feel good about the group we have no matter who plays. On any given day we feel like we have a group that’s going to compete to win in a real way. Tonight was another example.”
On the key to keep the good run going:
“Just keep going. It comes naturally to this group. We enjoy each moment along the way. We use it to add to the confidence, add to the spirit but we understand that we have not done anything yet. We have to keep going. Our foot has got to stay on the gas until the end. Like I said, we remind ourselves of that
but in all honesty there’s no real need. You do it because that’s what good teams do and that’s what you’re supposed to do, but you look around before every game and you can see it in every guy’s eye that we’re not worried about anything we’ve done up until that point. We’re not worried about anything that’s
coming after. It’s about those 90 minutes and going for it in a real aggressive way.”
TORONTO FC FORWARD TOSAINT RICKETTS
On the immediate impact he had coming in as a substitute:
“We have quality in the team. I know if I make the proper runs, my team will find me in the space, and I could just stick to what I do best, and do what I can for the team.”
On his overall performance tonight:
“Of course, whenever you can get some minutes it’s good. It hasn’t been easy this year, in terms of getting minutes here and with the national team. You just have to take your opportunities when they come. I try to do the same thing every time when I get on the field. Whether it’s for the start or whether it’s for five minutes. I try to give everything. Give it all. That what I’m here for, when these guys are out, I’m here to step up, and do whatever I can for my team.”
On scoring two goals:
“It’s my first time playing here against la galaxy. The atmosphere was great, the field was great, and the team performed very well tonight.”
On the win without Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore:
“No not surprised at all this team has a lot of character and we’ve been showing it all year. Yeah, we got the win. But it’s not enough for these guys. We want to keep pushing. We want to keep going for the supporters shield and then off to the playoffs.”
On the 4-0 victory:
“Yeah its special, all the boys are proud of them, and they’re proud of themselves. It’s just how the year has been, and it’s just the character that we have.”
On comments that they are the best team in MLS:
“It’s nice to hear, but we don’t let it get to our heads. We just take it one game at time.”
TORONTO FC DEFENDER DREW MOOR
On his team's current form:
“This team, we’re not 100% healthy right now. But, we’re so deep, we’re so confident. We believe in what we are trying to do, and I feel like we are getting hot again at the right time, and we have to continue to ride that momentum and take it one game at a time.”
On comments that this Toronto FC team is the best team that has ever played in MLS:
“There have been some very good teams in this league. You can take it all the way back to the late 90’s and find some very good teams. We hear some of that talk, and we know we have a special group here. But, we’re putting our heads down, and we’re taking it one game at a time. We want to win the supporters shield, and then we want to win the MLS cup. We set those as our goals before the season even started, and obviously these continue to be our goals, and if we hit some records on the way that’s great. But, right now we’re putting our heads down and looking to Montreal.”
