St. Louis FC 6, Austin 3
BRADLEY CARNELL: It's very difficult to find words to kind of, I would say the good start of the first half, and then we grab the early goal with Tim in the set piece, and we show great mentality through the game, right.
So you know, I'd say, during the first half performance, a little bit with the ball, you know, we let ourselves down a little pathway but I would say mentality to continue to do the right things, mentality to stay true to who we are and mentality to, yeah, we've been searching for goals from the run of play.
So I mean, we have had a scrimmage when the lights were off. We have always been speaking when the lights are off and able to try and manipulate certain situations, and we come out of the blocks flying and just show a ruthlessness and a mentality and a commitment to the style of play, right.
And then I have to give my players praise, to endure these conditions and play the way we do and the demands of the game. You know, the players who come on, I think it's three goals contributions, been the subs that came on.
Yeah, five goals from the run of play. I mean, listen, you can see when you get to 75 minutes at these conditions, I think the concentration levels I think for both teams it just becomes a real lottery, right, to operate under those levels of fatigue and moments. You saw some injuries, you saw a couple players going down.
Yeah, it was a tough slog today and credit to my boys. We stayed to it, and remained strong, scored goals by our. Principles, and yeah, listen, whether you win 3-0 or 6-3, I think it was a great evening for the fans. And obviously we look at things and try and repair the goals we conceded and some late chances. But other than, that very happy with that today.
Q. Lots of positives tonight. One of them, the first minutes with Nilsson and Nökkvi Þeyr Þórisson. What did you see from those guys tonight?
BRADLEY CARNELL: Yeah, listen, Nökkvi showed in transition he can be a real threat with some running in behind and some clean touches, you know, top of the box, and leading others into play and you know trying to search for another goal. So we saw some good things that we liked.
And I think Joakim just comes in a moment where there's a bit of chaos, there's a bit of panic, there's a bit of defending to do. So just for me, it's just that he gets on the field and finds comfort, finds confidence and finds safety in what we are doing. And you know, he's got the ability now to grow every single day with us, and to continue to be an option for us, right. Just having his presence around the team in the locker room before the game.
To endure the journey that he's had over 15 months now, and you know, he's committed to the cause. He's gone down to City 2 and played City 2 minutes, the most humble guy -- yeah, one of most humble guys I've ever met, and to go through that process, and to reward him with those minutes under tough conditions is never easy. But I'm looking forward to the next couple of months with Joakim.
Q. Scoring six goals, which is no small feat but when you look at the three you allowed, just a product of being worn out?
BRADLEY CARNELL: Yeah, you look at 4-1, right. 4-1 in control of the game, you give away one moment. You give away the penalty and these type of things.
But again, yeah, can you blame the players with these conditions, right. Especially playing the way we do, and do you know, yeah, doubting that it can work. It can work.
We just had to be a little bit more resilient at the end and find new ways to defend and show courage, and I think we did all of that. And just unfortunate that, yeah, the concentration levels, that's the first thing that goes with the heat. When you run out of gas, your brain is telling you to do things, but your body can't do it anymore, right, and you get to feel with the players. But yeah, credit to them, they did the job early on, right, and I think that's what got us over the line.
Q. When Tim scores that early goal, is it a throwback to the first Austin game, the first game ever, as you set the tone there?
BRADLEY CARNELL: This whole week was like that. This whole week was talking about the first game, this whole week. We said earlier in the week with the press conference, the first half, right.
And we sort of rekindled some of those memories before the game as well. We watched a bit of footage before the game, post-game, and all those emotions and just get us -- the pressure of not playing for five weeks, there needs to be a release, and I saw a nice release from our players tonight within our principles, right.
So it was just an enjoyable night, and I'm glad the fans came out with the late kickoff that it was.
Q. I've been very impressed give Gioacchini's poise, especially in the box. From a coaching standpoint, can you describe the poise you see overall?
BRADLEY CARNELL: Yeah, listen, any goal scorer or any striker that doesn't get a goal out of the run of play for the last couple of games, obviously they start searching for something, right. And in training I could see that Gio was searching for something, just something positive.
So we have been doing a lot of work with Gio, we have been doing a lot of work with our strikers and we have had ample time to work in transition and sharpen up some of our triggers and pressing, and not just -- especially in these conditions. When do you go; when is the right time to go; you don't go all the time so you don't get too stressed.
I thought from Gio and the supporting attackers with AZ, as well, I thought there was a good shape to us; and getting into good shape then gets you in good spots; and then you can see as a striker, because you have more time and you can set your body, you can focus and then start to finish your final play.
But it starts with the willingness to work the way we work, and then running behind and then get underneath and be an option, and you know, that's the way we play.
So it's demanding, but also I think when you see you stick to it, the results are just as sweet.
Q. You touched on this but one of the, I guess, commentaries early on when you guys were talking about how you wanted to play was, well, there's no way they are going to be able to do that when it's oppressive heat in the dead of summer. Did you hear that? Were you concerned about how the style would hold up to conditions like this and what do you think was proven tonight in your first test in a situation where it could have maybe tested?
BRADLEY CARNELL: Sure, I think we were tested, right. I mean, listen, Austin is great team. They are fifth in the conference. If you look at Match Day 18 through 23, they had more points than us going into this game. Credit to them.
But again just showing when we are operate at certain times, and we have to be disciplined in our press. We have to be really focused at when we release because every ounce of energy that we waste, you know, is a potential target, is a potential weapon for the opponent to expose us.
So yeah, you could see we had moments where it's not perfect, and I don't think it ever will be with both styles of play. But sticking to it is the beauty of it, right, and when everyone is bought in and when you or score goals in transition, it energizes you one more time to keep doing what we are doing because that's enough proof and satisfaction.
And everyone thrives on scoring goals. Everyone wants to score goals. But our way demands a lot of hard work to get to those moments.
Q. Is there a better way to say that you guys are ready for this, or put it all out there than Parker laying on the ground, looking like he had passed out on the field after the game?
BRADLEY CARNELL: Yeah, we want it dedicate this too Tim Parker, seriously, we wanted to dedicate this game to Tim, right. I don't know if you are going to get to speak to Tim at all, but yeah, I mean, he has some things going on in the next couple days, and I'm sure, you know, it's very exciting news and I'm sure he'll let you know all about it.
But yeah, this was probably for Tim. I said to him before the game, "This is for you." I'm glad he got his goal.
Q. How are you able to keep your players calm?
BRADLEY CARNELL: Yeah, listen, I can argue we're too calm because when we got the ball we are making silly mistakes with the ball. The best thing to do when you are leading 5-3 is to make the opponent work, make the opponent run.
But the fatigue set in earlier than we anticipated, right, and when the fatigue sets in, then you're not moving to be an option. You're not moving with and without the ball. You're not moving in transition. You're not supporting the play. And then we are getting stretched.
I would argue, yeah, we didn't do some of those things but then we made changes at crucial times and the guys that came in had a bit of energy and could finish off the final play.
I'm happy for a bunch of these guys because, yeah, we have a very good roster I feel now on the bench. I feel any time we start a team, it's competitive, and that's all the things we can ask for. But great mentality from the guys to come off the bench and show the hunger and the desire to help the team, and to help the team the way they did, then they score goals and we score goals and we all succeed.
Q. Can you talk about Adeniran coming in as a sub?
BRADLEY CARNELL: Sorry, who are you talking about?
Q. Adeniran.
BRADLEY CARNELL: Oh, Sam. Listen, Sam is a weapon. When he comes on, you know, just thinking about how Tim Parker felt, the other team is feeling that exactly the same way. When you bring Sam on, he's intimidating, he's quick, he's fast, he's technical, he's got a lot of space, speed and pace to get behind, and he's shown a bit more composure.
Thinking in the final third, making meaningful play, staying on the ball, getting shots off. I thought he did really well tonight and he showed a hunger and a desire to continue to be part of this team and part of this progress and part of this journey.
So credit to everybody, Tomáš Ostrák another one who comes in and does great things and who works hard in training. Yeah, some days we have off days. Some days we have bad days and good days. But he's a guy that's been fighting against it a little bit just in terms of trying to get his form and trying to play through things and yeah,.
So credit to him to come on and have a successful moment like that because I think that just lifts a weight of energy off his shoulders and negative energy maybe for him but it turns into positive energy for us. So resiliency for this group is key.
Q. You touched on it a second ago, getting three goals from your fresh legs, about to get Klauss back and have that roster just about complete. Have we seen yet how you're going to be able to deploy this roster now moving forward these next several weeks?
BRADLEY CARNELL: Yeah, I think the thing I'm thinking is, you know, trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle to be successful against each opponent, right. So that might be in a certain formation. It might be in certain personnel. But the luxury in having that is now the competition for places.
So again, it's up to us now to manage the group and manage the expectations and keep guys, you know, sort of modest and grounded and humble and when we get our number called that we empty the tank for the team, right.
So for me, I could be sitting here, another coach could be sitting here but this project is far more important than me and any other player, right. This is the journey for them. I'm accompanying the players on their journey.
But what a magnificent platform that we have been given to work, right. So we would be crazy to think, "If I'm getting subbed in at the 70th, eh, I'm not really valued."
We value everybody on our roster. We value everybody. And it's my job to keep those expectations tempered, but also to keep the edginess in the group, to keep on pushing us for the next ten games.
Q. Nico sitting on a hat trick has a breakaway, has a shot, attempt on goal, decides to pull back, pass it back to Sam for an attempt on goal. Does that frustrate you more or are you proud of your player for being selfless?
BRADLEY CARNELL: We said in transition, we could see tonight that Austin were just dropping off, right, so we said at halftime, stay on the ball so Gio gets time in their box and stays on the ball and brings Sam into play.
So I cannot discredit him for making that decision, right. And we support our players in the final third. And if he could think he had a good angle of the shot, and maybe he could have, but he thought Sam was in a better position for that moment. You know, if it goes in goal, we say great. And again, he's just trying to be a good teammate.
Q. At the second half, hydration break, Tim looked a little miffed.
BRADLEY CARNELL: Yeah.
Q. What was he upset about?
BRADLEY CARNELL: Yeah, if you were a defender, too, and we had just conceded a goal and we had given up a couple of moments; but again it's just tough out there. It's something you've never experienced, I'm not sure. And just to keep on playing the way we do and the demands we set on ourselves it's never easy, right.
So the first thing like I said in is the concentration, right, your body gets depleted of all energy resources and your brain just goes, right. It's almost a hard reset and sometimes that's purposeful by Tim and sometimes it's purposeful by Roman, me, a couple of guys, just to re-shock the system, just to clench a little more energy out of the reservoir, out of the batteries, maybe that was one of his tactics.
Q. You hate to see a guy getting a concussion, but getting a sixth sub, is that a good thing?
BRADLEY CARNELL: It helps both teams. It gives us an extra option and it gave them extra options, too, right. So you could see when they bring on two strikers with Bruin and Gyasi Zardes, then we struggled a little bit, right. Took a little bit of time to get recontrol of the game. But we worked it back to 4-1, and we just stepped on the gas pedal one more time.
And yeah, listen, this is the MLS. It's good teams. Driussi played on that team, don't forget. Rigoni is a DP. There's a couple of good difference-makers on that team, including Gyasi Zardes, and all the other players that they have brought in. Yeah, that's a very good team.
Q. Blom's yellow card, he's going to miss a game that. Has to be a disappointing thing, a yellow card like that?
BRADLEY CARNELL: Yeah, it is disappointing but again, players are emotional. Players are trying to gain advantage using their bodies. It's not on purpose. I think the hand just slides up the body and hits the neck, but I don't think that's any malice by no means. I mean, anyone who knows Jabs, he's the sweetest kid in the world.
So yeah, it sucks; we are going to miss him. But again, we just spoke about it, the roster is now getting stronger and healthier every day that goes by. So we'll have options.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports