FC Dallas head coach Luchi Gonzalez
On why he changed back to a 4-3-3 formation...
“Like I said, I think we’ve got things in our pocket that we can use at home, away, against different opponents. I want us to be versatile. I don’t want us to be a one system team. I don’t want players to be very limited to what their positions can be too, right side, left side. You saw Jáder (Obrian) and (Freddy) Vargas switch sides today. You saw Paxton (Pomykal) on the left, Paxton on the right, little bit in the midfield. I think it was just the right moment to get an extra midfielder and do this at home against this opponent. But that doesn’t mean it’s going to be every time. I think our guys really embraced it in the preseason to be fluid and flexible. But we want to have a style of play, we want to have possession on the ball, we want to create with outside backs and we want to put away chances. I think our pressing was also very positive; to force the opponent to make mistakes and play long. So those are the things - no matter the system - we want to maintain.”
On why he brought in certain Homegrowns as subs…
“This is a roster, this is a team, a family that everybody needs to be ready for today, and then for tomorrow it could be different. Those guys were the ones we felt should start and we knew guys coming into the game could change the game, like they did today. I know the first game we didn’t have Homegrowns starting but I wasn’t worried. I knew the guys had good form in preseason and they were going to contribute very soon. So, that’s the kind of roster we have. We can start or not start Homegrowns or experienced players. The mix and mash of them are going to help us reach our potential.”
FC Dallas forward Freddy Vargas
On the consistency on the team…
“I think it was very important that the first attack was from us. We were forceful. Also there were times we would lose focus. But we were forceful and persistent when it came to scoring."
On the one on one scenarios…
“I believe that one-on-one matches are my strength. Around there I lost some encounters, but I kept insisting. There was a pass that I made where we could have scored on, but it’s okay and we’ll keep on working."
FC Dallas defender Bressan
General thoughts on the performance...
“I think we started really well as we did with Colorado and San Jose. We are doing a really good job. The results were not good before but I think this game is going to bring the confidence the team needs. The team talked a lot about how important it is to score the first goal. This is something that brings confidence and helps us to maintain calm during the game. We talked a lot about him in the locker room and I think we did better today.”
On playing next to Eddie Munjoma on his first start…
“Eddie did a great job. It is not easy to play the first game. He did really great tonight. He is working really hard, pushing as much as he can. He learned a lot from Reynolds and was just waiting for his moment. We were excited about him starting today. We were excited to see his performance as well. I have all the confidence in his game. He is a quick learner and he shows that he wants to learn. I am sure he is going to perform well in the next game also.”
