All of the key soundbites from the home locker room following NYCFC’s comeback victory over San Jose Earthquakes…
Vieira on Callens…
“I think he’s a really strong central back. Compared to last year it was important for us to bring a left-footed player. I think he makes our game more balanced. He’s really comfortable on the ball, he’s really good when he steps in, he makes the right decisions, technically he’s good.”
Vieira on McNamara…
“I always love Tommy, not just the player, but the person. He’s been a professional and his work ethic in training didn’t change at all. Even more, he wants to show me he deserves to be on the field. That’s what I like, what I appreciate about him.”
Vieira on the Winner…
“The goal we scored really reflects the way we want to play the game. Our collective game when we’re around the box, having movement because of the technical level of the players allows us to do that.”
McNamara on Opportunity…
"Whenever you're on the field, it's an opportunity, whether you're starting and if you're starting ten weeks in a row or if you're just coming off the bench and haven't played at all in the season. It's always an opportunity, it's always a chance to make an impression with the coaching staff within the club, but the most important thing is to do whatever the team needs at the moment."
Johnson on Early Concession…
“A lot of things happened there. You have to take an honest look at yourself first. The ball comes in, it can be a better ball, it can always be a better ball, it can be a better touch, a better clearance. We all switched off defensively. There were plenty of things that went wrong but what’s important is that we have a group of guys who take responsibility for that. Andrea, Alex or myself, whoever it is that’s involved in the play, we’re all involved collectively.”
Matarrita on the Assist…
“David had a good touch and to me and I looked across to Tommy. The goalkeeper went with me, the defense went with me too and Tommy was alone. I was only thinking about what was best for the team and I thought playing it to Tommy was the best choice. He finished it and we were able to get the points.”
Harrison on a Scrappy Win…
“As a whole, we can play better but we showed a side of ourselves today that we can get the scrappy wins which is what we needed to do. The willingness to win drove us on to the end to get the result.”
Ring on Comeback…
"I think we came back well. We drew pretty quick after that and had a couple of close chances. Maybe we were a bit impatient.”
