Toronto FC Media Conference

Saturday, March 19, 2022

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Jonathan Osorio

Media Conference


Toronto 2, D.C. United 1

Q. Can you tell us a little bit about the play, you started the play when you intercepted the goal and you showed some pretty impressive acceleration going towards the goal.

JONATHAN OSORIO: Yeah, once we got the ball out, I forget who gave the ball to Luka, but once I saw that kind of Luka making the overlap, I kind of saw the play developing and you know, actually a little bit similar to my first goal of the season. I've seen the space in the back, just hoping -- making a hard sprint to there and making a space before the defender and hoping Luca would put the ball in that area and he put a perfect ball. Then it's just about getting good contact and putting it on the net.

Yeah, I think it was a good team goal, and for what it meant in the game, giving us the lead and the momentum, so everybody is very happy with the result today.

Q. How good does it feel going into the international break finally getting rewarded for the team efforts?

JONATHAN OSORIO: Yeah, I think it's huge. For me personally, you want to go into the international break on a high with your club, and so that was huge.

But more so, I think for our team, you know, getting this win in front of the fans after the last result in our home opener was huge and getting the result and fighting the way we did, we wanted to give the fans more what they deserve. They didn't deserve the result in the home opener. We made sure to fight today and I think it was a very good response.

It would have been very easy to let that goal really kill our spirits, but we kept going and we got the equalizer, and the way we came out in the second half was great. Overall, just a great performance.

Q. I know you're not one to talk about your own personal achievements, but have to ask you anyway, what does it mean to score this goal at home, and over the course of the years, is there one or two goals that stand out in your memory as one of the most memorable of your career?

JONATHAN OSORIO: Yeah, first to score this goal in the sound end, I wouldn't want it any other way. It's where I scored my first ever goal, and to score 50 there is amazing, and just more so what it meant in this game, too, to give us the lead everything and I was happy to get that because we needed the win today.

It's been amazing. I love -- I'LL keep saying it, I'LL always say it, I love this club and I will always do my best here, and now I want to keep going. It took me ten years to get 50 but hopefully I've got another ten years in me to get another 50 and get to a hundred. So bueno, amazing, great to do it in front of my family and of course the fans. The fans have been very supportive of me since I got here. I love them and I feel the love from them, and, yeah, happy to score in front of them.

Q. Just wanted to get your impressions of Luca so far this year, because I'm not sure there was that much hype about him coming into the season but so far he's produced as we saw today. What's been your take on how he's taken the most of the opportunity that's been given to him?

JONATHAN OSORIO: I think it's great. He's a kid that worked -- I saw him working on the training ground this off-season working every day very, very hard, knowing that, you know, if he keeps working hard, when he gets his chance that he would be ready and he has taken this opportunity, the way every -- every young player should.

He's playing with confidence and he's producing, which is important, and we're very happy, we're very happy for him. We're very happy with how he's doing and he should be very proud of himself and now he needs to not relax. He needs to just keep going and take it game by game and keep putting him in these performances because he will definitely get rewarded for it.

But yeah, it happens a lot of times that a player that's not hyped and not really talked about in the off-season or before season is the one that comes up. This is normal. I'm sure that, you know -- I hope that he's not paying attention to it but if he does, it's just fuel. It's just fuel for him to show that when I get my opportunity, I'm going to be ready. I like that in a player, and I'm very happy for him.

Q. What does a result like today do for the group in terms of the confidence and the faith in the new ideas that you guys are putting together?

JONATHAN OSORIO: It's huge, especially for a young group to get the feeling of what it takes to get three points in this league, the hard work that you have to put into every game, I think more so it's important to have that feeling, to experience that feeling of the three points.

So I think this is a big step for us. I know all the guys are going to keep working during the international break, and looking forward to that game against New York City, then at home again. That's going to be a big game for us.

Yeah, this game was huge for us. We needed to get this and the way we performed out there, we deserved the three points. Yeah, a great feeling to get especially for the young guys to get that experience.

Q. Can you just speak about what it meant for you and the squad to get Bob his first win as manager of Toronto FC?

JONATHAN OSORIO: Yeah, it's important to get the manager the first three points of his tenure. I mean, Bob has done such a good job of creating such a good environment in this club and trusting the young players and coaching them and coaching them in the same way and treating them in the same way he treats the veterans. It's great. You know, he has deserved these three points for a long time coming now and we're glad to give him the three points today.

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118401-1-1003 2022-03-19 21:48:00 GMT

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