Toronto FC Media Conference

Saturday, June 24, 2023

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Deandre Kerr

Media Conference


New England 2, Toronto FC 1

Q. Congratulations on the goal. Not the result you wanted. The team pressed in the end and it looked like you had got the tying goal but the off side flag went up. What did you think of the team's performance and attempted comeback in the second half of the second half?

DEANDRE KERR: Yeah, we have to -- obviously it's tough going 1-0 up and taking the lead and giving up two goals, which we feel could have been prevented.

But yeah, we pushed in the end to get the second, and it's a game of inches, so we were just really off-side to get the tying goal. But that's football, so yeah.

Q. Can you walk us through what you saw on the goal and how it felt to find the back of the net again tonight?

DEANDRE KERR: Yeah, I was out wide and I saw Lorenzo pick up the ball and play Guti on the overlap and something that I've been trying to work on a lot in training and implement in games is when the ball goes wide and it's like it's going to cross to run hard in the box and right in front of the defender and use my presence in the air.

So I'm glad that that worked and what I worked on in training resulted in the game. Would have been even better to come away with the win but I'll take that positive.

Q. This was a tough stretch of games because you've played the Top 3 teams in the League over the last three games, but it's not really going to get easier because the next four games are all against sides that are above you in the standings. I'm just curious, what gives you hope just based on how the team is playing that you can sort of navigate these next four games and get something out of them and sort of be in a good spot before the month-long break?

DEANDRE KERR: When I look at this league, it's such a competitive league that anyone could beat anyone, and yeah, our last couple games, we played against the top teams, but we weren't out of our element. We played -- we can play with these teams, and it just comes down to like minor details and minor moments in the game where we might switch off a bit, and those goals have been punishing us. But we haven't played these last three games, and we're like, oh, these teams are such a big step, big level ahead of us.

So we know we can play with anyone. We know in the league anyone can beat anyone. So just on to the next and focus on who we have to beat next.

Q. You found yourself in and around the starting 11, or making substitute appearances within the last handful of games. What's your mindset like from game-to-game, and how do you try and stay in the zone on a weekly basis?

DEANDRE KERR: I just always have to stay ready, whoever the coach wants -- it's not a lot in the midfield, just staying ready for my opportunity, whether I start or whether I come on and just doing whatever I can to help the team win. That's always been my mindset from the start and will always be my mindset.

Q. You kind of touched on this a little bit but did this feel like another game that was right there for you guys and came down to a couple of moments, and what do you have to do to get over the hump and see some of these results?

DEANDRE KERR: Yeah, for sure. We took the lead away from home against a top team in the League, and then yeah, I think we were defending well. There was two moments we switch off and they score, and then we're playing comeback; away from home against a team like that, made it tough for ourselves. But again, that's football.

We just have to be ready for the next game. We have a week to prepare, and we just go from there.

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134310-1-1003 2023-06-25 02:06:00 GMT

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