LA Galaxy 3, LAFC 3
Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019 – 7:30 p.m. PT
2019 MLS Regular Season
Banc of California Stadium – Los Angeles
LA GALAXY HEAD COACH GUILLERMO BARROS SCHELOTTO
Overall thoughts on tonight’s game:
“We tied and we tried to win. I think the first half for us was wonderful, we scored three goals, made a lot of different plays, but we are playing with a really good team and in the second half they showed the soccer they have and the level they have. They thrived with [Carlos] Vela and [Diego] Rossi and thrived all the time with their midfield with touches and then they tied the game. But, I think we gave a really good game for the crowd, for the people watching on TV, I think today was a wonderful game.”
On giving up a two-goal lead:
“Yes, but when you play against a team like LAFC, you know they are very dangerous, they are looking for goals all the time and they could tie the game. In the first half, they scored the second goal in the last minute. The game was finishing and they scored the second goal and they are very close. But it’s soccer, it’s about 90 minutes, not just about the first half, and they played well so I think they deserved to tie the game.”
LA GALAXY FORWARD ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIĆ
Overall thoughts on the game:
“I think the first half was good, we did very good. We had a couple chances more to score, then conceded the second goal that was too cheap, I think, and we made simple mistakes. In the second, we were doing the opposite of what we should have done, because when you get tired, you need to make it easy for yourself, you need to play easy, but we made it difficult, we lost too many balls, and we got even more tired, and we were under pressure the whole game. They scored the third, and then.. we were just defending.”
On effect of conceding the goal late in the first half:
“We were still winning, we were still playing good, the whole first half. Then you go in the second half and you don’t know if you can keep up the pace and intensity, which is difficult, and they took over more and more, and we were under pressure.”
On team chemistry:
“We were doing good, we’re having fun when we play. [Christian] Pavon, he came out lately, he’s in the picture now from the last two to three weeks, and I said he’s a quality player, and when you play with quality players, it’s easier to play. You bring much more out of your quality and you can play in a different way because you leave more responsibility to the other guys, especially him who can do more things than normally.”
LA GALAXY FORWARD CRISTIAN PAVON
On playing his first Clasico:
“It was very nice. I really enjoyed it. I tried to demonstrate what I know and luckily, I was able to score which is what I was looking forward to.”
On describing the moment after he scored:
“It was very nice, and even more so during a Clasico which you live differently. Scoring in a Clasico was a great feeling and made me very happy.”
On playing one of the most passionate Clasicos in Argentina and how he compares that to the one he played today:
“In Argentina Clasicos are do or die, like Boca Juniors vs. River Plate. And games like today are played like that too, because you can’t relax in the sense that if they score on you, you must answer back and score as well. Today we had the chance to win and it didn’t happen. Luckily, we didn’t lose, and we go home with a point.”
On his connection with Zlatan Ibrahimović and Favio Alvarez:
“With Zlatan you all know we always try to find each other, and do a give and go play, or try to do whatever is best for the team. With him I am always trying to find the space and find a give and go, and today I was able assist on his goal and I’m happy and hopeful we can continue to score more goals. And with Favio, you all know I know him since we were young, and the truth is every game that passes and every day that passes we understand each other more.”
On the game’s intensity:
“It was a very intense game, it was difficult on the physical aspect and the way the ball was managed. They managed the ball well, we tried finding possession as well, but they had a lot of opportunities on goal. It’s situations where they got us in a moment when they were down and with the support of their fans it helped push them to want to tie and they were able to tie, and we unfortunately weren’t able to take home the three points.”
On what he has learned from Zlatan Ibrahimović in the last couple of games:
“Like I said before, we are getting along on the field little by little. You can learn a lot from him because he is a great player who’s played with the best. I try to learn from him every day.”
On Zlatan saying he is too good for MLS
“It makes me happy to know that a player like him speaks highly of me, and that pushes you to continue getting better and it makes me happy – it helps get more confidence and makes you happier every day.”
On Zlatan saying he won’t be in MLS for too long but LA Galaxy fans wanting him to stay here for a long time:
“I do my best for this team and I will try to do more and more every day. For now, I am here, and I don’t think about leaving at this time.”
LA GALAXY GOALKEEPER DAVID BINGHAM
On the game:
“They got a couple lucky bounces for two of their goals, and that happens, but coming in here and getting a point is going to help us in the long run and we’ve got to look forward to this coming weekend.”
On the positives from the game:
“You never want to give up a two-goal lead, it’s not what we’re trying to do. At the back end of the stretch we just had, coming in here isn’t the end of the world and we’ve got to win some games coming up.”
LAFC HEAD COACH BOB BRADLEY
On the game:
“Two parts to this thing. Obviously, there’s just what’s hanging over our heads which is beating the Galaxy. When you don’t do it, there’s a part to it that still stings and it will continue to hang over our heads. But what goes with that is the part of continuing to grow as a team and I still think that the package of things it takes to be a great team, most are going in the right direction. The last part is still this understanding of in the biggest games, with the emotion and everything, how to still make sure that you try to win, but you don’t do it in a crazy way. I thought we started the game, everyone wants to win so bad, but we were forcing passes, jamming plays, anxious to try and recover the ball when it was too far away. It was just a feeling of, “here we go, and we want to beat them,” and yet doing it in a way that’s still not solid enough, not experienced enough. So that’s one of our steps still.”
On his team’s response in the second half:
“The response in the second half was great. We had a bunch of chances still. The fourth one was there for us, but it didn’t happen tonight.”
On the performance of Brian Rodríguez:
“Brian [Rodríguez] was good. You can see that he was confident. He went right at [Rolf] Feltscher on a couple of plays right at the beginning. It still takes a little bit more to get him totally in sync with people.”
LAFC MIDFIELDER LATIF BLESSING
Thoughts on the game:
“I’m a little disappointed, I think we need to win this game as well as have a mentality to win. If you want to be the champion, any game you come out to win. We were going into this game to win but it didn’t happen way we wanted. Last game, sometimes you can lose, you can win, you can grow. As a losing team, sometimes things don’t happen your way so you have to forget it and move on.”
On team chemistry:
“I thank Bob [Bradley], Bob’s a good coach, he just built this team to be very good. We trust each other, we believe each other, we understand each other. Sometimes in training, we are happy, if you want to be a better team, you have to be compatible, so that’s what we do. So LAFC is a good team now, everybody can see LAFC is playing better and better. Playoffs are very important, we are ready for the playoffs and we’ll lead the trophy to LAFC. This is it, we have to bring a championship to LA, that’s what we want to do.”
LAFC DEFENDER EDDIE SEGURA
Overall thoughts:
“We knew it was going to be a difficult game. They’re [Galaxy] a team that brings a lot of intensity. We tried to play our game and what know to do as well as demonstrate why we are first [place]. The truth is that we were surprised by the first goal. The goals being so quick surprised us but we still kept the same desire to push and play our game. In the end, we tied and I feel like we could have a better result.”
On what Bob Bradley told them at halftime:
“He didn’t say a lot. We knew that we needed to more concentrated. He asked us to take control of the game how we normally do and to play our game and rhythm. In the second half, we were able to and found the game tying goal early. We had a pair of plays that could have changed the result of the game but we ended in a game and it left it was feeling like we wanted more.”
