Toronto FC Media Conference

Saturday, September 25, 2021

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Noble Okello Ayo

Media Conference


Colorado 0, Toronto FC 0

Q. Your thoughts on how that played out and how it felt to be back out on the pitch today?

NOBLE OKELLO AYO: Yeah, it felt good to be back on the field. I thought this we played well. I thought we were very good defensively and we countered the team very well and got lucky with the tie. I thought the team came out and did very well.

Q. Mark-Anthony Kaye is a very talented and tricky player and can create a lot for Colorado. But you and the rest of your teammates did a pretty good job of containing him and Acosta and Barrios for much of the game. In terms of Kaye, what's it like going up against him and what's the key to if not stopping him, minimizing him a little bit?

NOBLE OKELLO AYO: I think it was all about communication when one of the players went to the left of me or Marco or -- we communicated and handled him. I think we did a good job with that and just our presence, I thought we had a good game.

Q. You guys are now -- you haven't lost in three games. What's your take on just what the team has done overall sort of to turn things around here?

NOBLE OKELLO AYO: I think we just keep looking forward and each game we are looking to get better and looking to improve every day in training, and it's showing in the last games that we've played. We just keep on focusing on the next one and hopefully we can do the same thing in Cincinnati.

Q. It's our first time talking to you since you get sent out the last MLS game. What did you take away from that game and did Javier in or anyone else say something to you about that and what did you learn about that?

NOBLE OKELLO AYO: Yeah, it was a mistake I made and I learned from it and I move forward and try not to make that mistake again. It cost the team but I learned from it for the future.

Q. I know a lot of people can look at a 0-0 game and think there wasn't a lot in it but how much of a stable platform does a performance like that give to you guys in terms of moving forward?

NOBLE OKELLO AYO: Yeah, I think it gives us confidence going into the next game, seeing as Colorado is one of the top teams in the west, and I thought we matched up pretty well. Yeah, we'll keep working hard in training the next couple days, and we look forward to bringing the same intensity in the next game, yeah.

Q. Again, circling back to a recent game, obviously you scored your first goal there for Toronto FC. What was that like, and to come out there and get that goal there against York?

NOBLE OKELLO AYO: Yeah, it felt good. Obviously it was a good feeling to score my first goal at BMO Field and a club that I've been at since I was 12 years old. Yeah, I was very happy to get that milestone. Got to do it in front of all my family, as well. It was a good feeling.

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FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
112723-1-1003 2021-09-26 02:48:00 GMT

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