Head Coach Ben Olsen
On how guys played today…
"It wasn't a great night from us and New York played well. It wasn’t a terrible performance from us soccer and energy-wise, but the other team were just sharper in all the facets of the game; in and out of possession and in transition. They had more bite and a better pulse than us tonight."
On the team's road form helping boost confidence…
"It hasn’t been good from us for the last three home games but we have to keep in mind that we got a win on the road last week and that’s a positive thing. We can’t be too dramatic about this moment and need to get through this period because it doesn’t get any easier. We now have to go to two tough places to play in Columbus and Minnesota."
On Griffin Yow’s MLS debut...
"We started four Homegrowns last game and we just gave a 16-year-old his MLS debut. He’s a lovely kid who has a bright future for us."
Steven Birnbaum
On the results against NYCFC
“The moments defensively, we need to be better. They could have a couple more on us today. So, it wasn’t good enough.”
On not connecting on set pieces
“We’ve been pretty good on set pieces as of late, kind of relied on it a little bit. We probably thought we should have had one or two there, but in the end, we weren’t good enough tonight and they were the better team.”
On what the team needs to improve
“I think it’s a little bit of energy from the entire group. I didn’t think we started the game well. And we just need to take better care of the ball. Plain and simple. I think, as a group, we’re giving the ball away in the wrong positions. And it’s the same as the LAFC game today in the first half, where we kind of give it away in a bad spot and they’re off to the races in a counter attack so we’ve got to be better with that and pick our times to play out. But overall, we haven’t been good enough in possession and on the opposite side we haven’t been good enough defensively and breaking up those plays.”
Griffin Yow
On the moment he was called up from the bench
“It was really - everything just kind of went black for me. I can’t even remember it. It was an amazing feeling.”
On getting his first appearance
“Obviously, it’s just great to get on the field and get all the nerves away because I know the next game, I’ll be able to play a little more confidently, maybe a few more minutes. And to get this debut in, even though it was just three or five minutes, that was huge for me.”
On being the youngest active MLS player
“It’s a great feeling to be able to start so soon and get ahead of the game. I feel great.”
On getting a quicker start than other homegrown players
“I knew from the start, as soon as I signed, that I didn’t want to be like the other homegrowns. I didn’t want to wait a year, I didn’t want to wait two years, I wanted to get out on the field as fast as possible. And I think I made that very clear to Ben and the other coaches. And I think it’s really paid off for me.”
Wayne Rooney
On the results against NYCFC
“It was very disappointing… We weren’t good enough on second balls, we weren’t good enough in possession, we didn’t create enough chances. So, yeah, it’s very disappointing. I think we need to get back to being hard to beat and being resilient. Quick turnaround on Wednesday, so hopefully we can be better.”
On teams stopping Rooney and Acosta
“I think teams are defending, they’re watching videos of us and they’re defending a bit more so it’s up to us to come up with new ideas and break teams down and get more on the ball because I don’t think either one of us were on the ball enough today to build a connection.”
On the opportunity to face potential playoff opponents
“Today was a good opportunity for us, not just to beat New York but to create an even bigger gap between ourselves and Red Bulls and Atlanta and teams that are down near the bottom. So, again, it’s a disappointing result. The good thing is we’ve got a game Wednesday and a quick game so we can’t dwell on this game too much. We’ve got an opportunity to put it right on Wednesday.”
NYCFC
Head Coach Dominic Torrent
On the performance
“Against Minnesota, we played really well. We played a great game today…. We played with confidence.”
On the result
“Today they deserved to win this game because I know how hard they work every single day at our facility.”
On playing away from home
“I remember last year we had many problem when we played away. That changed and right now I am very happy, especially for our supporters because I know how important it is for them.”
On injuries
“Everybody is much better. We have enough players.”
On playing Lucho and Rooney
“It’s the same (as playing) Quintero (Of Minnesota United.) Last year, I remember we have many problems because he (Acosta) played in between the lines. Same with Quintero last week. When we decide to play with five our center backs can jam.”
On the formations
“Right now, our players are more comfortable when we play five in the back and attack 3-4-3”
On Héber
“He was very tired… I am sure we signed the right player. If you want to play him in the spaces, it’s good news for New York City. I am very happy for him because he’s a good player and he’s a good guy. When I saw these players in the training sessions, I think they can win in DC, in LA, in any stadium because they are ready. We played more solid than Minnesota, that is right. We had an accident in Minnesota, and that is the reason why we drew the game. Right now we have one point down to the playoff. We played bad one game, for me, in Toronto...the rest of the games for me they played really well.”
On having the confidence of his players
“I am sure I have the confidence of my players because every day they show me how hard they train and how much confidence in my staff they have.”
Héber
On his first goal
“It’s important to be confident because always the chances come. When the chances come you need to be ready to score.”
On how he’s feeling after his first start
“This is my first game this year so I feel tired. I need to learn. Tactically, it’s different.”
Defender, Anton Tinnerholm
On the pressure to win
"I think after a win you can feel pretty... you're going to feel pretty confident after a win. Of course, everyone knows that we haven't won, and it's our first win so we're happy. I think if you look at our defense that's the best in four months since I arrived back here. We know they have a lot of quality players, especially in [Luciano] Acosta and [Wayne] Rooney. They didn't score, and we scored. That's pretty much it. We're the bottom of the league, and they're the top of the league."
On the level of support for head coach Domènec Torrent
"We haven't talked about that in training. Everybody supports Dom on the team. I think today we showed the way he wants to play and finally, we got a win. You look at the team and we got one win and the problem is that we haven't found a way to win again. Today we did that. Now it's an even more important game on Wednesday and I think we have to look at this game... and it shows the character of the players."
On his performance in this game
"I was running a lot today but it's that kind of position when you're playing with the running back when we're attacking you're supposed to be awake and must be a fullback. It's a lot of running but I do like that. Call me the mark on that. I can take that especially after a win."
On James Sands dropping back from the midfield role
"He's playing like how he played in Europe for 10 years. That's all I'm thinking."
On Héber Araujo dos Santos
"It's something he has to finish. It's important that he's able to keep the ball up front and it's important for the team when we're on the pressure and he keeps the ball moving forward. I think of course it's important for him on the team that he scores but if you look at the 90 minutes he played like 60 minutes but he did a really solid performance and especially the way he's keeping the ball up front it's important for the team."
