San Jose 0, Toronto FC 0
Q. Just wanted to get your general thoughts on the game, just given how you thought Toronto FC performed.
JAHKEELE MARSHALL-RUTTY: I think as it was a well-fought draw. We came away from home knowing that we had some young players on the team and some players like Oso and Richie are away with the national team, so I think we are proud of the performance but we are not satisfied and we wish we came away with three points but I think clean sheet and we continue to keep going into next week.
Q. No team wants to miss a bunch of guys for injuries and have a lot of guys missing, but young players on your team stepped up pretty good. What are your thoughts on the way yourself and some of the young guys who had to play tonight performed?
JAHKEELE MARSHALL-RUTTY: Yeah, I think it starts with the week building up to the game. Like I said, we came in knowing that we would have to step up but I think Bob and Fede and Mike, these big players give us confidence as young players and they tell us they are going to help us when we get out there. We just try our best and work hard for the team.
But I think the main thing is even from the coaching staff, coming in at the start of the week and knowing our objectives and trying to fight through it, and I think overall, I'm really proud of us young players, Alonso, Kobe, very happy for them.
Q. I think one of the things that I noticed today from your performance -- sorry, I'm stumbling on my words. It's a bit late here. What did you make of your performance today, and the defensive awareness you had on a couple plays, defending the back post, how much of that has been an emphasis for you in the off-season?
JAHKEELE MARSHALL-RUTTY: Yeah, I think I was a winger before, so I knew coming into fullback, that would be what I needed to work on, so I go into the off-season just working and trying to get faster.
And just it makes it easy when you have Federico and Insigne running after you every day in training. They have definitely improved that side of my game, and I just try to do my best to just stay focused every single may for the whole 90 minutes. My teammates help me as well. Sigurd, Sean, Mike, speaking to me, whether telling someone is behind me or giving me the confidence to continue to keep going play after play.
So I think I wouldn't take all the credit for that. For sure my teammate helped me in a big way especially, like I said, when those world-class players are running at me every single training, so it definitely helped.
Q. How does it feel to get back on the pitch and start a game again?
JAHKEELE MARSHALL-RUTTY: Yeah, feels amazing. Just going into every session, every week, every game, just basically waiting for my chance and then knowing that when it comes with all the work that we do in the week and with all the listening I do to my teammate, just trying to take advantage of it and not just only me, I think as a group, as young players, we did that today but like I said, we are not satisfied, I'm not satisfied. So on to the next game.
Q. Jack, Bob mentioned when we talked to him before you came out that, you know, valuable point obviously but he felt that the game was there in some moments; that maybe but for a lack of finishing that you could have taken the three points. Just wanted to get your view on that. Did you see it similarly?
JAHKEELE MARSHALL-RUTTY: Yeah, you know, we came into the changing room, first thing we said was, you know, clean sheet and those kind of things.
But like I said, we are not satisfied. We know the three points were there for the taking, and I think it's just training more and getting the feel for each other more and just in trainings, knowing where players will be and it will help us obviously in the final third.
But when Fede and these guys are so dangerous, every time they get the ball, you think they are going to score and do something. For sure it's a starting point. We take the jaw and go on to next week. But for sure we know we can come out with three points but clean sheet and away from home, we take the point and we keep moving.
Q. That's unbeaten in four for the side. What does that tell you about the group this year?
JAHKEELE MARSHALL-RUTTY: Yeah, we bring in a top, top keeper, we bring in some top centre-backs, a fullback, I think like I said just training together every single day and trying to just learn from each other and just trying to click with each other, I think the group is going in a very good way, clean sheets, unbeaten in four.
Now we turn these clean sheets and these unbeaten streaks into W's and three points and we continue to keep working and going; and we're going in a good way and we are going to continue to keep going in a good way.
Q. How anxious were you this week to get in a game and get in a starting 11 and just show your stuff again?
JAHKEELE MARSHALL-RUTTY: I mean, you know, I try to take it day-by-day. Like I said, I knew I was going to get my opportunity when Bob came up to me and when Richie was going away but just learning from Richie every single game and just learning from my teammates every single day, they put me in the best position to be ready, and I felt pretty good.
But again, like I said, we are not satisfied and we keep going. But my coaches, my teammates, everyone around me, they me gave me confidence. So for sure it felt really good to be back out there and play the whole game. Just wanted to keep going as a team and individually.
Q. You touched on it earlier when you said you used to be a winger and now you're a fullback. Is that where you see yourself moving forward? Do you see yourself as a fullback? Is that your best position?
JAHKEELE MARSHALL-RUTTY: I've said this before. Modern day wingers, fullbacks, you look at Alphonso Davies, Tajon Buchanan, these players, they have played winger and they have played fullback. So I just think being versatile and being able to play both positions is just what I'm trying to do, and it's perfect to learn from players like Richie and Tajon and Alphonso that are on the national team.
So I think wherever I'll get a chance, wherever Bob trusts me, he's a really good coach; so if he sees something I'm just going to continue working hard and do everything that he tries to teach me because we all know how experienced Bob is. I'm going to continue to keep working hard. I enjoy playing fullback and I enjoy playing winger. So wherever he plays me, I'll just work my hardest.
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