Columbus - 2, Toronto - 1
THE MODERATOR: Thanks for joining our postgame press conference. We're joined by coach Bob Bradley.
Q. Once again, it seemed like there were lots of good things from your team today. But no reward. What did you think of the performance?
COACH BRADLEY: I thought we started well. Some good control. Some very good ways of moving the ball quickly, moving forward, creating some chances.
First goal, very well done by Ali and then Noble moving into the box. I thought as the half continued that we still had a couple of good chances to get the second goal. But I thought there were some periods, some moments as the half went on where the sharpness of our passing and the ability to move the ball quickly and have a little bit more control started to get a little bit away from us.
And then some of that continued into the second half. At that point you're trying to just get a little bit more control. Hold onto the lead. We allow a ball then that gets whipped across -- turned loose at the backside. And Zelaryán does a very good job finishing. And then disappointing to a second phase on a lateral free kick for the second goal. So that's still an area where we've got to improve ourselves.
Q. What was your take on that yellow against Jayden Nelson, which ultimately led to a free kick and Columbus goal? You guys looked like you might have been running out of gas a little bit in the second half. Was that a turning point? And what is your take on the call?
COACH BRADLEY: I need to see it again, and it's far away from me. But at first I thought Jayden had actually gone through and won the ball and that in some way that happened first. So I was surprised by the call and the yellow card.
Q. When we spoke to you earlier this week, you talked about one of the things you were looking for is for your team to do a little bit more to create chances, specifically through the middle, as opposed to through wide areas of the field. Just wondering in that regard what did you see from your team? Were you pleased in that aspect or not?
COACH BRADLEY: It's still not as good as it needs to be. If you look at the sharpness of certain plays, the ball, then when you create a little bit of an advantage, the timing of certain passes and moves to get into the box and make more of it, I still think that's something that we've got to work harder at.
Q. What do you say to the group after a game like that where you had the lead and just couldn't see it out?
COACH BRADLEY: I speak with this group in a way that says, always that, look, to become a good team is hard work. And we have still some new players. We have some young players. And so this is going to be something where we just gotta, week by week, keep making sure that we find ways to work through details and improve.
Along the way, yeah, you need points. You need points for confidence. You need points just to keep fans happy. But I really talk about the process. And so I said that I thought we started well. I thought that we had real opportunity in the first half to nail down a second goal. We didn't.
I think in the second half we lost a little bit of football when we needed to bring subs on. I didn't think it helped us enough. And that everybody's got to understand that the work is going to continue. That's just the way we're going to become good. I totally believe we're going to be a really good team.
But I knew that this group, given starting points, given a lot of different factors, that this is going to be hard work to get it there. So the idea that the season has started in a rough way, yeah, that part is disappointing, but it doesn't change the ideas and the approach.
Q. That's two goals in as many games from Jesus. How have you sort of seen him integrate himself with this side? And what do you make of his burgeoning partnership with Pozuelo?
COACH BRADLEY: I think Jesus is a good player. And look, we know that when Ali has the ball at his feet, he's clever, he's creative. And so I want that to be something that we see regularly from different players on the field, from when Oso has the ball, when Noble is playing in the midfield, Ralph.
Our attacking ideas, those things are important. But certainly so far you see that there's a good understanding between Ali and Jesus. And it's something we have to try to keep building upon.
Q. Couple of first career MLS starts for Lukas Macnaughton and Kadin Chung. What did you think of their performance in the back?
COACH BRADLEY: I think they both did a good job. Obviously we played a little bit in training with three. That is not Kadin's main spot. But he's been there in training, and I thought he responded really well. I thought the understanding between Kadin, Michael and Lukas was good. I thought they handled situations in a good way.
I thought we were able, in a lot of moments, to play from the back when we needed to. I thought both stepped on the field in their first starts and did well.
Q. I know it's early, but is there any update on Jahkeele? And also can you just update us on, I understand Mavinga had a knock in training and O'Neill was also not 100 percent?
COACH BRADLEY: So Shane was not 100 percent. And he was on the bench just in an emergency but didn't feel that he was far enough along and therefore we did not use him.
Chris, yes, in training, sliding to block a shot. So, sore from that. We'll see how he responds to continued treatment. And I don't yet have a report on Jahkeele.
Q. Just wondering about the substitution early in the second half for Perruzza for Achara. Was that tactical or was Achara injured?
COACH BRADLEY: That was tactical. I thought that we still, with Ralph in there and then Oso in there, with Ali, I thought we could do a better job of connecting more passes in there. And that it was going to allow us to establish greater control.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports