Columbus 2, Toronto FC 0
Q. Obviously it was your debut today, coming off the bench for the final 26 minutes. Wanted to get your general impressions of how you think did you and what was it like, your first taste of MLS action for TFC?
CASSIUS MAILULA: Yeah, I'd like to thank the team and the club, the coach, also, for giving me the opportunity and it felt great to be out there, to feel how it is and to get to understand how everything is in the MLS, and actually to even play away because I know it's always tough to play away. But yeah, I'm just glad that I got to feel how it is out there.
Q. It looked like you almost scored your first goal with your first touch there. Can you talk us through how that play sort of developed and how nice it would have been?
I think it was going to be truly great because it gave me a lot of confidence, and it will help me to lift the team up. I think it's something that it's on me. I think I always give myself a chance by being in the right positions. So yeah, just unfortunate that it didn't go in but yeah, I'm just happy that I got to feel the pitch and also to feel the crowd, also. To play away, it was actually hard; it was difficult, but under all circumstances, I'm just glad that I got to be on the pitch.
Q. As the second half grew on, you had interchanged with Deandre Kerr, at center forward and on the wing. Do you feel you're that type of player that you can play anywhere amongst the front three?
Yeah, actually, I am able to play anywhere at the front three. I feel comfortable, anyway. But I actually saw that on this game, we need someone that is going it hold the ball for us there up front because we can see that when we kept the ball, we are doing much better. But I feel like, yeah, we could have done better. In the second half we could have done better by scoring at least one. But it's a work in process. It's not easy but we'll get there.
Q. When we spoke to you last week, you talked about how the opportunity to play with guys like Bernardeschi and Insigne, I think you said helped open your eyes a little bit just in the general sense that you were looking forward to playing with them. You spent a little bit of time today playing with Bernardeschi. I wanted to get your general impressions of what it was like linking up with him on the pitch?
It was good. It was good. I think we needed a little bit of time to gel together but I think I get to understand what kind of a player that he is, and I think as time goes on, if we get a chance to be on the same, if we get a chance to start together, to play together, I think we'll create something for the team. We'll help the team to score, to get the results, but I think I am now getting to understand the kind of a player that he is. He's actually good. I just feel he needs a lot of support, you know, someone that is going to help him, also.
Q. I wanted to get your thoughts on how that match played out. It was a familiar story for Toronto, having some chances but mistakes proved costly on the other end.
Yeah, of course, I think one thing that the team has to try to improve and work hard on is to limit the mistakes, if you check the goals that they score us, it's not something that we can't solve. We can always solve it. But that's our training, how we apply ourselves, the concentration level, how it is in training. But I think it will get better as time goes on. It's just that now we are in a difficult position, but I feel like we are not really that bad. It's just that results that are unfortunate for us, and we will try to get back together, to try to keep on pushing and pushing, and hopefully we'll get the result. You know, I think most important thing that we have to focus on now is to just get that first three points, you know, and the rest of the things we'll definitely fix.
But as you say, the mistakes, the goals that we concede, it's something that the team can try to rectify. But even then, I think our position was actually good. It was good. It was actually good opponents. But I'm glad I actually learned a lot also today.
Q. Wanted to check how you're settling in. Sleep schedule straightened out, that sort of stuff?
So far so good, I'm starting to settle better. Yeah, I think I came at the right time where the weather is also good, and I'm settling very well. I'm trying to adapt, also, to try to gel with the team because the most important thing is to come and play football.
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FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports