- Match: Portland Timbers vs Atlanta United
- Location: Providence Park
- Date: August 19, 2019
- Final Score: ORL 0-2 ATL (RECAP | HIGHLIGHTS)
Atlanta United FC head coach Frank De Boer
On the satisfaction of tonight’s result...
“Well first of all the result of a win is always satisfying of course. That’s the most important thing, but you look also forward, how you get a win, I think we feel fully deserved to win. Of course the first half it could also be three for us, but I think the second half we have to really punish them more. We scored a really fantastic goal the second one and then we had like three, four opportunities to make it 3-0 and then is the game over. When it’s 2-0, the ball will have to bounce little bit wrong…they had one really good chance, a great save off Brad Guzan. Then it’s the crowd gets behind them and then you know we are little bit maybe afraid of that moment and then… so I think it’s a very good compliment for the team if you see what kind of effort they brought today again against a really good opponent. Especially here they are quite difficult to beat and I think how we did it and the way we did it will make me very proud.”
On trying to extend the team’s first-place advantage in the Eastern Conference...
“We have to understand why we are in the standing right now in this position. And this because… of course how we want to play but if we want to keep this going on, then we have to be mentally prepared because physically this is how we want to do and don’t get sloppy in that kind of thing and if you get sloppy, you will get punished because we take a lot of risks. But if we are in good shape, then it’s a fantastic system and we can beat everybody I think. Everybody has to be 100 percent and 100 percent concentrated. I think we are in a good fight right now. People coming back so we can also rotate sometimes when we need it. It’s nice to see the great atmosphere in the team and the results help with it and we want to keep that of course.”
On Brad Guzan’s performance...
“You know it was fantastic. That incredible save keeps you in the game or gives you the victory sometimes and from today it was a fantastic performance I think.”
On keys to tonight’s victory...
“I think the first half it was a little up and down. And I think the second half we had more control and sometimes we played a little bit too up high and if we lose the ball, we couldn’t really get the pressure on directly. so it was back and forth and it’s nice for the fans and everything, but you want to have more control and the second half we did.”
On the compact schedule in the next couple of weeks…
“It’s a long way, I experience that already. We have to prepare the same like we always do and of course afterward. So it’s a very important one and we are going to look how our players come out of this game. Again, what I already said, we have a good roster and we are going to see what we are going to do.”
Atlanta United FC midfielder Julian Gressel
On if the team is peaking at this point during the season…
“Just feels good to win. You know in general after long flights like this, long trips like this, we said it that we’ve got to reward ourselves on the road especially. We did that tonight. Good performance. And yeah, three points.”
On being accustomed to playing so many games within a short period of time…
“I mean it has been like that. You kind of just play, recover, play. It’s a good rhythm. Sometimes it helps and obviously it’s helped us the last few weeks and we got a few more to go before we get a little break and hopefully get three more wins.”
On Brad Guzan’s performance…
“Big time. I mean, with that, it becomes a game with… I don’t how many minutes were left, 20 or something. So especially with them at home, good crowd, those things are massive and that’s what we have him for and that’s where we have to rely on him at some point and he comes up big tonight and saves us in a really tight game at the end.”
On his assist to Josef Martinez in the second half…
“I got a lot of space…I see Josef kind of running the line and try and squeeze it in there. It went through and what a finish it was. Right outside the box, he had so much time, but great finish and just a good goal.”
On staying in first place in the Eastern Conference…
“Just got to continue to get points…we still play [Philedelphia Union] obviously that’s going to be a big one in a couple of weeks. But we’ve just got to keep picking up points. We go to Orlando next, that’s always a fun game down there. And want to continue that win streak against them and pick up three points and it’s going to be hard to get us out of that spot.”
