St. Louis 3, Chicago 1
BRADLEY CARNELL: Great to be back at CITY PARK. You know, I think there's a certain buzz and an energy in this stadium and a certain enjoyment and how we like to play. Yeah, I thought it was a very controlled performance, bar the goal, I would say we concede just after halftime.
But very happy with the way that we continued to apply the principles, to apply the game plan and very happy to have a response when we go concede the equalizer.
So credit to the boys. Very happy for this, a very important three points, and this hopefully kicks off for a good stretch here at CITY PARK over the next couple of weeks.
Q. One win, two draws, what made you put that out against Chicago?
BRADLEY CARNELL: It's a great question, if you had three hours, we would explain so many different formational changes throughout the game. Up high, it's 4-2-3-1. When we are defending, it's 4-2-2-2. We like to call it when we're attacking, it's a 4-3-2-1. I promise you, we can go on for days. What you see and what you read is not always what we put out as coaches.
So it's a great question. It's a little bit more complex but I appreciate that.
We looked at the game plan. We looked at the opponent. We came up with our game plan, and I thought we executed it really well.
Q. Rasmus's goal to start things off, a good way to get back, and a good way after struggling to score goals in the previous game?
BRADLEY CARNELL: Yeah, I think they tie are first or tie second for shots conceded outside the box. They were going into this game six. So we told the boys, be brave. It's a back line that drops off. Shoot from the very get-go, crosses, and I think you could see that intent the whole night, to shoot and get balls in the box. Part of the game plan was chaos in the box, and I think we created that and we shot from outside, which we got rewarded for.
Q. Rasmus has not taken many shots this season. So it's a message that got through apparently.
BRADLEY CARNELL: Glad he took on the game plan.
Q. And Klauss, you give up that goal, it becomes a tie game and you had had a lot of chances then to score in the first half that you couldn't get in but then retaking control of the game there.
BRADLEY CARNELL: Yeah, just shows that there's a lot of resolve in this group of ours. Last year, these things would have ended 4-0, 5-0 maybe, just the way we would have taken those chances and utilized them.
I feel like last season, right, it had that same type of edge and the same type of buzz; that we don't take the chances, 1-0 score line is always tight. And if you fall asleep in the MLS, you can get punished, right, especially with guys like Shaqiri on the field who are really big game changers.
We came out of the locker room a little bit slow and we get punished for it. But great resolve from the guys. And it's not a rally at the 90th minute, but a rally from 47 minutes. Again, that we get on top of it; take a stranglehold in the game. I'm really proud of the guys.
Q. Klauss, he started the season slow. I think in the past few weeks, a turning point for his season in a good way. How important is it for Klauss to play like today? Obviously to expect two goals in every game is insane, but to be active and active with the players around him?
BRADLEY CARNELL: The cherry on top is the two goals. Klauss plays the way Klauss plays. Just because he's doesn't score goals doesn't mean he's not playing well. I think there's a clear distinction. Unfortunately we see the two games on the post-game results and you see his name twice. Then all of the sudden, he played well.
I slightly think differently. We see Klauss day-in and day-out and the way he trains and the way he puts in effort and the way he applies the game plan.
Good from him and the cherry on top is getting rewarded for all the hard work. I'm glad it's starting to fall his way a little bit. He's due a couple of goals, and I'm glad he's starting to take those.
Q. This is a much-needed win for the team. How quickly do you reseat because you've got a big MLS Cup on Wednesday night at home.
BRADLEY CARNELL: Yeah, I wish we could play tomorrow. I feel really great. The guys came out of it really well. I think the boys managed the game and the intensity levels of it and the more intense we are, the less we need to run, and we've proven that over time.
So the game was played in one-half in my opinion, so the guys, we should recover well, and hopefully this is a good game for us to get over and then we can prepare nicely now for LAFC in a really good and healthy way.
Q. Speaking of Klauss, he scores that first goal -- seemed like one of those games --
BRADLEY CARNELL: Yeah, good. I mean, we knew we can get him out in 1v1 moments in isolation. We know he's very dangerous when he cuts in and he can go for goal himself or he can slip little passes through. He's very creative. Yeah, we enjoy Célio's contribution.
But I thought Rasmus on the one side, a little bit more vertical, a little bit more direct and Célio on the other side.
So we have different tools to unsettle different opponents, and even in the same game, two different mechanisms to combat, and if we need to change and orientate something over the left or something over to the right in different ways.
I think we are a little bit more unpredictable than last year, and I think you can see that with our final third sort of attacking play.
Q. Rasmus scoring that goal so early on, is there any sort of change in philosophy or game plan when you get that early advantage?
BRADLEY CARNELL: No. I told the guys, it's 0-0. The minute we scored it, I said the clock restarts now.
So I never want us to be complacent and passive. Sometimes those are of the worst things that can happen because you fall into a sense of sort of, yeah, a comfort zone, you know, is a word that I would use. I try to keep the edge from the very beginning. Because to go up a goal early is very difficult to manage, especially when over the last stretch that we've had, it's very easy to fall negative, fall passive and drop off.
So for me, it was very important to stick to the game plan and be on the front foot and be brave, and I think you could see that with the amount of chances we created especially in the first half. And then I thought we controlled the game very well in the second half.
Q. A little bit of a switch with attacking in the second half. Was there anything -- going into that decision?
BRADLEY CARNELL: You talking personnel or are you talking shape?
Q. Just the attacking -- towards -- for the second half --
BRADLEY CARNELL: No, I think, you know, through the chances created in the first half, it's more of the same for the second half. I think we had to step up the urgency levels a little bit because we were really frustrated that we conceded so early in the second half. That was not in the game plan.
We take our clean sheets with a lot of pride around here, so we are all disappointed around that. But again, great resiliency and great urgency to play to the north -- to the north side, and we end games pretty well going that direction.
Again, whether it's first half, second half, it's always a joy playing that end.
Q. You already talked about the three primary formations you play and the different phases. One of the big things I noticed was the versatility was Durkin gives you. He's playing center back in the back 3-1 phase, and he's pushing high up and causing chaos. Can you talk about how much his versatility unlocks you in all phases?
BRADLEY CARNELL: Yeah, it's versatility. It's flexibility. You can drop him between the two center-backs. He can be tight in the pocket with catch and play moves with Tomáš Ostrák and then, you know, I sort of have to close my eyes and clench my fists a little bit when he starts on his forays upfield because I'm looking at the holes where he's leaving in the midfield.
So sometimes it's a little bit of shape and structure that we need to have; that when he goes, we have to shore up the house there just in front of the two center-backs. But again he has the urgency and the energy, and through his mentality, he just puts us in another gear which is really good for us.
Q. Does he have more leeway in 1-0 than 0-0?
BRADLEY CARNELL: No. Listen, he's been managing yellow card for three games now I think it is. He's been managing positional discipline, as well. Because we see a lot of the things that we are trying to help him along and urge him along, and we know how comfortable Tomas is in the buildup phases as well. You know, he's almost like the destroyer but almost, you know, when they jump on Tomas, then he becomes the open guy.
Again we are pushing him along in all phases and he's showing great responses. Yeah, I think he's a good fit for us. He's got good mentality.
Q. How did the turf hold up?
BRADLEY CARNELL: Yeah, I mean, we trained on it on Thursday. It just takes time to get a feel of it, right, when you travel away from home, you need to get the feel of it in the first couple minutes.
Luckily we had a chance on Thursday to get a good feel of it, and today it was playing a little bit quicker. At least that was a thing, right. Still a bit of bounce we have to deal with. Wasn't as lively as it usually is, these types of fields but I thought the boys managed it pretty well. We need a slick field. We need a quick, fast field. That's the way we want to play and that's the way you apply the business over here.
Again we have a game under our belt and it's only going to get better from here.
Q. Do you have any word on Löwen's availability going forward?
BRADLEY CARNELL: Yeah, it's a really good question. You ask the good questions. So Edu will probably make a statement next week. He wants to publically come and address you guys and when he addresses you guys, that will be the time that he's available.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports