FC Dallas 1, Toronto FC 1
Q. Bob, a lot to unpack from that game, good and bad, and that could just be talking about the VAR. What did you think of the performance?
BOB BRADLEY: Well, I thought that there were some moments in the first half where some of our decisions, some sloppy moments with the ball, and then those were situations that caused us trouble. In the first half, we were sharp, connected passes, moved up together, were able to press them that were quite good, and I thought the response after going down was important. I thought the goal we scored late in the half was really well done. A guy like Jacob Shaffelburg playing first game at left back doesn't start well but then I think he does a very good job of playing through it and getting to the game in a strong, positive way.
I think the second half for parts were better. At the end, I thought we were, again, a little too slow with the ball and then if we wait too long and we end up playing backwards, they step up a little bit or we end up playing the long ball but it comes right back at us. I think our ability to not just play the ball but play it faster, find the right passes, move up together, I think we saw it in period of the game and that's still positive but it's still got to be more consistent.
Q. You started three teenagers. How much confidence did you have in these fellas going into the match and what can you say about the way -- you mentioned Shaffelburg, and Marshall-Rudy played at the fullback spot, a position you've been reintroducing them to this season.
BOB BRADLEY: Yeah, I thought both those guys played very well, as I mentioned, Jacob didn't have a perfect start. Again he's playing Paul a lot and Paul is obviously an experienced player with quickness and gets into good spots. But I thought he had adjusted well in the game. I thought that Jahkeele first game at right back, really quite good. The things -- I think we felt very good.
Q. I'm not sure if you had a chance to review the two VAR decisions that went against you, speaking specifically about Dallas's first goal and the office wail low decision. Do you think those calls went against you justly or unjustly?
BOB BRADLEY: I haven't had a chance. The only thing I've heard about the penalty call is that he's right there, he makes the call, and that nobody that's seen it tells me that it's a clear and obvious mistake.
That doesn't seem to be the proper use of VAR for me.
Q. Couple of changes at halftime, Achara and O'Neil coming on, can you walk us through the thought process and how did that play out?
BOB BRADLEY: Shane has played well of late. When he plays with Carlos, he moves to the right, Carlos moves to the left. I think Carlos also does a good job of giving Jacob confidence.
You know, Chris, one of the biggest -- the biggest thing we continue to challenge Chris with is just his ability to stay more tuned into everything that goes on around him at times. It still means that he loses certain things. Building out of the back in the first half, we had a few moments where I didn't think our decisions were good and we felt it was just a way of changing the game at half time.
De-Andre never really got into the game. Wasn't enough of a threat. Achara had a few moments when he came on. Couldn't quite get a play right, the one where he gets pushed through and tries to play the ball across. It's a good opportunity for us in the second half. But look, it's preseason, and we've got young guys and we're still working on the whole group. So I think it's important that in different moments, if we think we've got to make changes at half, guys are ready, and the guys that come out, it's never easy and it's part of the process of us growing as a team.
Q. The other day you sort of hinted at or suggested that you wanted to see Pozuelo play with a little bit more structure, maybe a little bit more focus within the system. What did you see from him this afternoon or tonight?
BOB BRADLEY: Yeah, I thought he did a good job of staying connected with the other midfielders. You saw moments where he was the closest guy when the ball turned over, and he defensively reacted really well, and either closed the play down, won a ball or allowed everybody else to get back into good position. I still think that we were fairly fluid so that we found him in some pretty good spots.
Even in the first half I felt like he was still getting the ball in areas where he had a chance to be creative and make the plays that we know are special from him so overall, I thought he gave us a really good game.
Q. Osorio scores a goal, one in each of his ten seasons with the club. What can you say about his longevity and what he's meant to the club over the years?
BOB BRADLEY: Yeah, obviously I've watched Oso play an important role for TFC over the years. He's been a versatile player, smart player, a guy that makes guys around him better. He's always had an ability to get into the box in the right moment and score goals and working with him every day has been fantastic and you see on a night like tonight how he's able to make so many different plays to help us through a tough game.
Q. Can I get your thoughts on Jayden Nelson's performance today there in the left wing?
BOB BRADLEY: I liked it. He was full of energy, he made some really good runs, he was confident with the ball. Yeah, the final moments on a few plays didn't work out perfectly, but you know, I think Jayden is a good player and I want to see that type of, you know, when he plays like that, you see personality, you see life, you see his skill. So for me, we talked about it in preseason that that's what he can bring, challenged him in all these different ways and I think tonight we saw a lot of good things.
Q. Your evaluation on Jiménez making his MLS debut?
BOB BRADLEY: Yeah, some skillful moments, but overall, a night where some of the important opportunities, plays, didn't quite come off. Haven't had a chance to see the header again but that's a good opportunity in the second half. You know, I think he's a player that we can use in different ways and so in moments in the first half when we couldn't quite find our way through, I think he comes off the defenders and finds some good positions to be able to receive balls and try to connect things. Not everything that went to him came off really well in the next part, so there's still that sharpening up of things. But I think he's still going to be an important player for us.
Q. Your thoughts on Carlos during this match?
BOB BRADLEY: I always say that Carlos is a big personality on the field. On a night like tonight he makes some really good plays. He reads situations well. You know, when they clogged the middle, we had to find different solutions to play from the back. He helps, and then he also had some different passes that went a little bit off where the quality of his passes weren't always perfect. But the fact that he sees different things in the build up and helps us find different ways against their way of stepping up I think is important. And overall, we were still able to play forward in good ways and still have moments of control in the game.
Q. As we've talked about, a lot of moving parts in this preseason and your team remains a work-in-progress. Given that, is what you saw on the pitch today pretty much what you expected?
BOB BRADLEY: I think football-wise there are moments in that game where I still expect that we can be sharper and better. I think that's some of the moments in transition came from some carelessness. You could attribute some of that to the fact that the field was very slick. I think football-wise there were moments for me where we're better and sharper than that and that would include some of the execution and final parts of plays. But I like the fact that the group as a whole is showing a commitment to be a real team. I felt good about the response after going down. The feeling after the game is that it's not our best but it shows that we're going in a good direction, so that part I'm satisfied.
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