Toronto FC 2, San Jose 2
Q. Painful end after a team that seemed to do the work to get the win. What did you think of the performance?
BOB BRADLEY: Yeah, we started moving the ball at the beginning of the game, moving the ball okay, but we weren't aggressive enough with the way we made harder runs and took some of the passes and really threatened them, and we didn't do a good enough job at times in the first half of collectively going after them stepping up a little higher.
The first goal we gave up was a poor goal. But then the response before the half was better and overall in the second half we do step up in a more aggressive way. We do play at a higher tempo and now you've got to finish the game. So it's just a game you have to win. When you get good response, when you get some goals, when you have a chance now at the very end to just finish a game, take your points, reward yourselves, then it's impossible that at the end you don't make a play or two, again, on the play that leads to the ball behind where Q makes the safe, he's got the ball at his feet, he moves outside the box, he plays the ball long and when it comes down, we've got three or five guys ash the ball. We have got Achara, Ayo, Jesús, and so they come out and they are able to get through. It's tight as far as off-sides. But without a goal, it's not one they are going to call back.
And then on the ensuing play, it's numbers outside the box but when the ball comes loose, they don't make a good decision and they get a foot on it and we're caught and we let the point slide away.
Q. How would you evaluate Mimmo's performance? Seemed like he was clutching --
BOB BRADLEY: Just cramping. Yeah, look, he's a steady presence. He's smart. He's experienced. All the things we talked about. He's got a good way about him and that was very positive.
Q. Is it just part of the growth of the team knowing how to lock down a result like that?
BOB BRADLEY: Sure, and a part of it still is that at the end when everything requires that extra little bit of concentration, that extra little bit of knowing what every moment is about, you've got to have every understanding. Even if you have a large percentage on the field at that moment who understand it, if a couple don't, then you can still pay the price.
Q. How tough was it for the group going into tonight with all the players in and out through the week and did that maybe show up a little bit at the end and maybe losing concentration?
BOB BRADLEY: No. Hundred percent no.
Q. Do you think it was -- to bring Mills in the second half, because you used to make him come out all the time at the first half. Do you think giving him too much time on the field makes the offense a little slow? Because I saw him many times out of position.
BOB BRADLEY: Look, the main thing would you say with Jayden is not talking about out of position. You would talk, that's still the confidence when he gets in certain attacking situations, to make a play, to make the right choice, to make the right decision, is it his shot, is it somebody else's shot. We've got to continue to help him with that.
When we are a little bit shorthanded physically he still has a way to keep going. But it's some decision-making. You know, he lost the ball one time deep in our end where he tried a little flick behind him. When we're in that part of the field, that's not a good choice. It's the maturity of handling different situations, and in his case, I still think it's just the confidence when he gets advantages that seeing the moment, seeing the one advantage that resulted in a clipped ball in the air over towards Oso, I mean, I think that if you find with guys on the move, you can find a window. You can play a ball on the ground. So we just have to help him with that. Look, he gets involved in a lot of pretty good plays and we just feel that we can help him so that he has more -- there's more end result.
Q. I'm not sure we spoke to you since the acquisition of Mark-Anthony Kaye, you sold him and got a lot for him and paid a lot. What will he bring?
BOB BRADLEY: Yeah, Mark's a good player. He understands the ideas of how we want to play, when we talk about a midfield three, his understanding of how to be connected with the other two, find space. He's a good forward passer. He's got good reactions when balls turnover. I think he brings a lot of good qualities. He's a good guy. I think he's really excited to be coming back to Toronto.
Q. Has he arrived in town? Do you expect him to be available?
BOB BRADLEY: No, he'll be -- he'll arrive in town tomorrow and then we'll size up where he is physically and get a better feel.
Q. Could Ralph have filled that role, or why was bringing in Mark so important?
BOB BRADLEY: I think at this point, Mark is far ahead of where Ralph is. I think Ralph is a good, young player, with all our young players, there's talent, there is good guys but then there's the process of growing in a team and becoming guys that can be counted on. In some ways with some of these guys, it's probably not a bad thing that they also get out of here.
Q. Why do you say that?
BOB BRADLEY: Because they need to get out of their comfort zones. They need to have a better understanding every day of how to train the right way, how to take little details and apply it all the time. They are good guys, and there's starting points, but the part of now really getting it and learning from training every day and getting better and doing more, yeah, I still think that's, you know, look, it's normal that when there's players that come through, that people in the area look at them and are excited. We are all excited.
But there's a big difference between being excited about that and knowing that those guys are ready for the next step. Look, it's not just that they are here. The Raptors have some young guys and they make a decision that they are not quite ready to really make a difference and so maybe sometimes there's got to be a move.
I think Mark right now is ahead of where Ralph is, and I think this is a move that challenges Ralph in a good way. He's a young player that has got, like all of them, big ideas, ambitions, and now you know when we talked about it, getting out of here, learning a little bit from where maybe it's not just everything you're used to, yeah, that's important. That's a big -- that's a big part of how young guys get better. Yeah, maybe we'll see him back here one day.
Q. Do you see the formation changing a little bit?
BOB BRADLEY: Yeah, tonight we played a lot more 4-3-3. I think when you look at Mark coming in, the possibilities of playing 4-3-3, having a three-man midfield where there's good understanding, yeah, I think that's something we'll definitely see more of.
Q. What's the situation of Carlos? Is he going to continue on the team?
BOB BRADLEY: I don't think anything's final but it's such that he will likely end up with a club in México. For personal, family situation, it was important for him to be back in México.
Q. Deandre Kerr was a threat for a lot of tonight, what did you make of his overall performance, and the goal was something special.
BOB BRADLEY: Yeah, a little tentative in the first half, all right. Too slow to get to certain plays. Not enough really aggressive runs. He's one that picked it up at the end of the first half and I thought the second half until he ran out of gas was quite good.
Again, when you talk about young guys take advantage of opportunities, when you see him being aggressive, when you see him making hard runs, when you see him mixing up quick passes with good dribbling, when he's part of the effort defensively when we lose balls to react and close things down or stay connected, then that's a good step. I thought overall tonight for him was really good to see.
Q. What would you tell the younger players who may be feeling disheartened after an outcome like that?
BOB BRADLEY: That this is all part of becoming a better player, becoming a real pro, learning.
I've probably said this 1,000 times since I started coaching to young guys; that any young guy that loves the game and has a little bit of talent always thinks, man, I want to be a pro. Then all of the sudden they are there and they find out it's not quite as easy as they thought, all right, and that ability -- and this goes back to your question about Ralph; that ability then to understand the challenges every day, the demands every day, compete when things don't go well, know how you keep going. That's an important part. That's why, again, not everybody can do it.
And so part of it from a coach's side is encouragement, showing them things they are good at, but part of it is challenging them and helping them see things they need to improve.
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