Toronto FC 2, New York City FC 2
Q. A wild game tonight. It was a tie that kind of feels like a win. What did you see in the first half and what prompted to you make some pretty bold moves at halftime?
JAVIER PEREZ: Yes, I think the first half we were not in control of the game. So other times when you make changes in the game, you expect to regain the control. I think the changes, I think you saw the changes, they made effect. We took the control and we were close to score a third goal that would give us the three points.
At the end, it's one point, and we have to think about the next game to get the three points. The mentality is the same. Just get the game, get the three points and try to make the playoffs.
Q. Obviously you figured that bringing in Ralph and Achara would give the team a boost of energy, but what were you thinking with those two guys in particular, the way they looked in training that they were ready to help this team sort of surge ahead?
JAVIER PEREZ: Yeah, I think Ralph, he came as I thought in one of the games, and he played a couple of more games. He did really well. So we felt comfortable and confident that he was able to do the job.
And Achara, we thought it was a good fit for the team to run him behind. We knew that they were trying to put the pressure on us, the center backs are very high and we needed someone with someone like Achara to run behind and get these chances.
Q. You know, for Alejandro who missed the last two games seemed to have a really good night tonight, scoring the one goal and obviously setting up the other. Just wondering what you saw from him and how would you evaluate his overall performance tonight?
JAVIER PEREZ: I think Alejandro is a special player. He's one of these players that change the team. I think tonight he was really good. We didn't know how he could go, given the fact that he didn't play for the last couple of games, but he came on and he never disappoint us.
Q. You've had a busy schedule and you've been playing against good teams, but is there any explanation for why the first half performances in the last two games have been so poor?
JAVIER PEREZ: Yeah, I think you can -- I mean, everybody can say it, right. It's everything about the energy, the attitude. You can read in between lines, you can read -- I think it's obvious; it's evident, and I think it's not important what happened in the past. I think now it's obvious for us what we have to do for the team to react and to find the right energy and the right balance to get the team going and at the end to get the points.
Q. Two very nice goals from your team tonight. What did you sort of see in how those two were created? And conversely on the other side of the ball, turnovers ended up proving costly.
JAVIER PEREZ: I think the two goals in the first half it falls consistently with the goals we have been making the first half of the season. We are now just about halfway through.
The second half is the type of team that we want to see. We want to see a team energetic and a team that puts pressure on opponents; that controls the game, creates opportunities and they link you have and in the end they can score goals, not only from a set piece or from an individual play but as well because the team -- the team participates. Everybody in the team participates and get the connection to create opportunities.
I think we score a couple of goals but I think it was two, three very clear chances, as well, cutbacks, that we could have scored as well out of these opportunities and get the three points tonight.
Q. Michael is not used to being substituted out of games. What was the conversation with him like when you told him that he would be taken out of the game at halftime?
JAVIER PEREZ: I think it's a difficult -- it's a difficult situation, right, because Michael is the captain. Michael is a tremendous player with an amazing trajectory. He's the heart and soul of the team.
But tonight, the team needed something different, and we made a change just for the good of the team.
Q. It's two games in a row where Achara has come off the bench and made an impact, and he's done this after such a lengthy injured layoff. Just wondering what you have made of him since he's come back and is he ready to potentially play -- to start a game and possibly go a full 90 minutes if required?
JAVIER PEREZ: I think we have been pushing Achara due to the urgency and the situation the team is in right now.
As you said, he made a big impact or a significant impact in the last game. He made again an impact today. He's a player -- he's a player that has different qualities to other players on the team and I think that's what it makes a team versatile, a team that has players with different characteristics and can bring something different to the table.
I think we have been pushing for him to get on the field. We have been pushing to get him ready, and tonight we made another extra step 45 minutes. We will see in the next game if he's ready to get a little bit more playing time.
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