LA Galaxy 2, Nashville 2
Q. This game was a wild one. What do you personally take away from this? Does this keep the momentum going for you guys?
MARCO DELGADO: Definitely, yeah, I mean, yeah, the game turned out how it did. It is what it is. I think we be proud with the point. We dug deep. Got two goals, and we move on. And I feel like with the years in this league, I know these points in the beginning, they are always crucial at the end.
So for me personally, this point is huge, and it will definitely help us in the long run.
Q. Looking over your first three games, you've been busy, Miami, then San Jose and now this one. Does this feel different this year with the guys around you? Does it feel like maybe this is a progression from last year despite the new faces? How do you sort of look at these first three games?
Definitely. We've always had the quality in the midfield. But now we've just got a threat on the wings now, right. We've got wingers who will make runs behind and we've got the speed, right, which was I think the difference from last year to this year where you know, if we get to look forward, we have got runners running in behind, we'll have speed that are dangerous, not just always want to go face, and so I think that's the difference. We've got Mickey who has fit in nicely, and Julian has stepped up and done really well as well.
So there's an overall understanding in what we want to do as a group. You know, the message from Greg has been very clear and I feel like the unity within the group as players and brotherhood as well, it's there, it's great, and we all get along very nicely, and on the field, we are just having a good time.
Q. That was my next question. Are you having fun?
Excuse me?
Q. I was going to say, the next question is, are you having fun?
Of course, yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah. It's a great time. I mean, the ball is moving. You've got guys running. We're playing football and wore having a great time out there, especially personally. I think compared to last year, you know, last year's just in the rear-view mirror and it's gone, right. This year is just full of positive and good energy and obviously you know from the first three games, you know, you can see -- and this game as well coming back deep, coming back and digging deep, we are just -- you know, when we play, there's a lot of joy and it's fun to watch, and it's fun to be part of it as well.
So we are definitely all having a good time out there.
Q. You talked about it earlier with Mickey, and watching your last two games, you guys seemed to rotate a lot. You seem to cover in for him. How do you communicate with him, and how do you guys have that understanding of each other spaces and what to cover during games, and how has that evolved add you've built the relationship within the team?
It's been easy. At the end of the day you're playing football. As a good footballer and having a good IQ for the game, it's easy to understand and obviously sometimes there's a little bit of a language barrier. But you just kind of point and you get it right away. You're like, okay, got it, next, and we move on.
It's been easy, honestly, and his English for certain things is good and then we get by like that. So I've learned a little bit of Japanese as well. Not on the field but trying to learn a little bit. But overall, like it's been easy and it's been fun. He has legs and he's really smart and he can get up and down. He has good feet. It's been a joy to play with him.
Q. Yeah, and Greg was talking about you earlier saying you've seen all of his tactical ideas. You've been with him for so long. What's it like knowing that you're his guy; that you're a keystone figure within the group and within the team and within his tactical ideas?
I wouldn't say I'm "his guy" but I would say I'm just another player in the team. Yeah. But I do have many years playing underneath him, so I do understand his system. So it's definitely, whenever he makes an adjustment, it's easy for me to adjust to it, right, and communicate that to others as well.
So I would say, yeah, it's pretty easy and you know, as you can see when things are ticking, it's a joy to watch and it's a joy to play as well.
Q. A real quick question. You said you were learning Japanese. Do you have a favorite word so far?
Oh, my gosh. I don't have a lot but I'm learning. Like "mata ashitane" is like 'see you tomorrow.' Like these little phrases that kind of like show that you're trying, right. You're trying to learn. So yeah, a little.
Q. The team has put in some really good performances and has fans believing. For you, what's been the difference in mentality, and the second part of that, how much more do you feel like this team has to give, maybe like one or two more levels? Have you seen the best out of this team so far?
I wouldn't say there's a change of mentality from last year. I just I feel like guys understand their roles and guys are holding it -- holding it down and sticking to it, and we're all responsible for our roles on the team, and we're taking a lot of pride in that, right.
And it shows that we're all taking pride in that and when we do that, things take and things work, everyone is in the position where we need to be; and the ball moves and we're pulling guys from the opposition apart; and we're getting in behind now that we have -- obviously we have speed on the wing as well. And obviously Deci has had a knack for goal recently and he's doing really well, and he's been benefitting it from it, as well, right, because he didn't need to move too much, just be in front of the goal and the ball will get to you.
So cheers to him. That's not easy to do.
And then, what was the second part of that question?
Q. If you feel like this team has a couple more levels to give, i.e., have we seen the best out of this team so far?
No. I mean, we are style -- yeah, you haven't seen the best. I would say that. We're still, you know, getting our fitness up. We are still yelling. We are still in a work-in-progress, so we are still getting there. This is definitely not our best. This is definitely not the ceiling for us. We're still, you know, yelling. Joseph is still trying to get an understanding with us, as well, and the understanding of what Greg wants, and obviously we're still tuning little things here and there to get a bigger end product going forward in the season. So definitely have not seen the best of this group yet.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports