New England 2, Toronto 0
Q. We were talking to Bob about a frustrating evening against a good team. What was your take on the evening?
MARK-ANTHONY KAYE: I think we started the game a little slow. Missed touches. Missed passes. Game was still 0-0. Obviously tough mistake that they capitalized on. We were down 1-0, and I felt like we started to pick up the intensity after the goal went in, but you know, this is a tough week.
So I think when you're playing at home, you have to dictate the tempo from the first minute, and we struggled to do that. Even in the second half, you can see with our change in positioning of certain players, we got on the ball more and was able to move it forward but really didn't create much.
So yes, we had possession, but we were still lacking some quality moments in the final third, and then the goal they score, just makes it even harder to keep trying to get something to kind of work, I guess, in the final third. It was a frustrating game. Can't sulk about it too long because we have a game on Tuesday and a lot of games this month. But it's definitely a bitter feeling, this one.
Q. What, if anything, is said after a mistake on goal, and Sigurd has been pretty solid, I think you would agree, so it's very uncharacteristic. How much of a deflating moment is that?
MARK-ANTHONY KAYE: For sure it's a tough moment for any player who is in it. But we're a team. So guys are going to make mistakes, and we have to have their backs. I make a mistake; I know the guys have my back. Sigurd makes a mistake, the guys have his back.
Maybe in that moment, you think about it, but then you have to be a pro and keep playing. You know, you can't dwell on it. Sigurd is going to bounce back, and he knows the whole team has his back.
Q. This is your second straight game playing in the midfield with Brandon and Alonso. What do you make of their performances so far, and do you take more of a leadership role seeing as you're the veteran?
MARK-ANTHONY KAYE: Alonso has done very well, coming in and adapt to the speed of the game. Smart player. Good with his touches on the ball. So I enjoy playing with them. They are young guys who are energetic and want to prove something.
Brandon, I've been playing with him since the beginning of the year, so he's very consistent and he finds good moments to pop up in spots, top of the box, and either make a pass or a shot.
So for them, it's early in Alonso's career, and Brandon has been in the League for a while now. So these guys are just scratching the surface of what they are capable of doing. I enjoy playing with them. Yeah, as I guess a veteran player, you know, my responsibility is just to keep a level head in there. Make sure their emotions are controlled and make sure there's balance in whichever way we are playing.
Q. In all of the conversations with Bob this season, one thing that stood out most is speed of play not quite being -- is there something you can point for that, is it consistency?
MARK-ANTHONY KAYE: Yeah, it's a good question. Yeah, obviously we would want the speed of play to be faster. I think we're still working out when to know where guys are going to be, when they are going to be in certain spaces, where they like the ball.
It's been tough, you know what I mean. I think with injuries and different personnel being in there, makes it tough to really get that clicking chemistry, even though you have a team of good players.
So if that has something to do with the speed of play being slower, it's probably because guys are trying to find the right decision rather than already knowing where it's supposed to be. That's something we're going to keep working on. It's still early in the year and I don't doubt that we'll figure it out. But yeah, it's definitely something that needs to get sorted for sure.
Q. Injuries are a way of life and a part of life in the League but do you shake your head when you see two players -- one player go down in the warmup last week and another player go down this week, and the person who replaces that player goes down, it just seems like one after another.
MARK-ANTHONY KAYE: Yeah, it's tough. Injuries are never good for a team environment, you know what I mean, because you want every guy to be healthy. You want every guy to be able to be selective for the 18 or the 20, whatever it is, and you feel for those guys because no one wants to get injured.
And it's just tough, like I said to your question, the injuries definitely take away from that consistency to create real chemistry. It's something that I hope doesn't continue to happen. We are all pros and we all take care of our body. I've been riddled with injuries before in the past, and yeah, it's definitely tough.
So I feel for these guys because they all work so hard, and you, MLS is such a grueling league in terms of the schedule and the flying and the difference of pitches, and it's not an excuse, but it's just a league where I think you've really got to be super resilient and you need your full roster to compete at the highest level.
Q. What are you looking to improve in your game for the match against Montréal this Tuesday?
MARK-ANTHONY KAYE: Yeah, I think for me, it's just getting back to where I was at the beginning of the season. I think I've had a couple games now where, you know, I haven't been as clean as I want to be on the ball, and it's just -- it happens, man, these up and down swings in a season. People don't realize how hard you fight to get out of that. Mentally you fight to get out of it, in the training, the way you prepare yourself at home.
So right now, yeah, I'm battling against the current a little bit and I'm just trying to continue to push. Once the breakthrough happens, I'll be back to my best and we'll help the team. But I'm very grateful that there's players around me who will step up in certain moments, and like I said when mistakes happen, guys have my back.
So this is part of being a pro. You've just got to keep pushing through the tough moments so you can see some sunshine on the other side.
Q. Maybe just talk about playing Montréal on Tuesday?
MARK-ANTHONY KAYE: Yeah, it's a big game. Rivalry. Obviously they haven't started too well in their season, but it doesn't really matter when you're playing in a rivalry game. It will be a good test for us. Hopefully the level of the contest will really bring out something in us, where you know, there's some hunger and guys will go out there and really compete. It's a real opportunity to get to the Champions League. I miss being in Champions League. It kind of sucks watching other teams in it. We have a real opportunity to get there.
So it's a good match. It's exciting. I have some old friends that are know friend/foes on Montréal, so I look forward to playing against them, and yeah, it will be an exciting one.
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