LA Galaxy 2, Atlanta United 0
Q. Captain Maya, first off, just your thought on the new guy.
MAYA YOSHIDA: Who? (Laughs).
As I say before the game Thursday, he could be the game changer. He could today. Very happy for him. Very happy for the team.
Also, I felt like today, he could lift our midfielders, our strikers to the other level. Because like a little bit this kind of chemistry, it's too early to say but just one game because yeah, you can say whatever you want, but I feel, okay, if we are on the right way, this could be another level. That, we needed.
As I said before the game, we still need to catch up with the other several clubs who we need to fight for the titles. So yeah, that's very obvious and we need it. So I'm very positive today and very happy for the winning.
Q. 70 percent possession, which really helps, and when they got into their attacking third, a fine defensive effort. Your thoughts on that?
MAYA YOSHIDA: Normally according to the data, if we are in possession a lot, we always lost. Most of the games we lost. More possession, more defeat.
But today we are very solid, very organized. A couple of off side but we are pretty organized since from the beginning. Me and Jalen spoke like my birthday present could be clean sheet, and his birthday present could be clean sheet. So mission completed.
Q. How important was the clean sheet you guys have seven games left but you're in this stretch, you've given up some goals this year. How important is it to feel that zero on the scoreboard afterwards?
MAYA YOSHIDA: I know the Los Angeles people likes entertainment but I prefer more calm and solidarity and organized. We feel like really mature today, and also, we didn't consider from set pieces very focused. We need to keep going on like that. Yeah, so just one game but it's a big one game. One step forward. There's no shortcut so we need to build our confidence game by game.
Q. Thank you for your time and happy birthday. Today you put in a really good shift. Arguably one of your best performances in an L.A. Galaxy shirt. Do you believe it's been your best performance in an L.A. Galaxy shirt so far?
MAYA YOSHIDA: I don't know. I'm not journalist. So you decide. I focus on my performance. I try to play well every game and I want to grow up still, and Jalen become 21 and the other is 18. I mean, 18 years professional. Still I keep going, yeah.
Q. How is your partnership with Jalen coming long at that center back spot?
MAYA YOSHIDA: Yeah, I like to play with a young player, and you can see he has a potential. Potentially, very good. But sometime, lack of concentration. This is very normal as a young player, young center back. From the mistake we need to learn, he need to learn, and I can probably add some tip through the training, through the game, also preparation.
He's a nice kid. Sometimes he's too nice on the pitch as well. So he has to be very nasty sometime. This is very important for the center backs. Now, everything on the camera, it's difficult to be like, for example, Ancelotti or Gattuso or something like this, but this kind of mentality is very important as a center back.
He's still a lot of possibility to improve. I'm very happy to help, and I also, like if I play with a good player, I feel like also improving. So I need to feel this kind of feeling and I need a more competitive players between the squad. This is where -- this is what I have and where I have been, like I tally, this kind of level, and we are listing each other.
So this kind of environment is very important for the young players.
Q. Congratulations, like you mentioned, yourself and Jalen got to celebrate your birthdays on the pitch with a clean sheet. Did the team do anything to celebrate you both?
MAYA YOSHIDA: Yes, they smashed my neck. Normally the training, they make the corridor, the tunnel and we run through. I'm sure that they hit my neck very hard. I will get it back one day.
Q. How important was the downtime, a little bit of extra time? How did you find that? You looked so ready to go today and just wondered if you took advantage of the time that you've had since Leagues Cup.
MAYA YOSHIDA: Well, negative side, we are out of the Leagues Cup, very disappointed, because we are very serious to get through. Especially defeat from Seattle was very disappointed, how we play, also, was very unacceptable.
But the positive side, we could have a rest, very good rest, and prepared well for this game. Especially Marco came and very short period for him but he showed his quality and we tried to help him a lot.
Also, we practice our set pieces as well. So, so far, it's okay. I always take a positive side and that break hope make me make us -- helps us a lot for the rest of the season and also for the playoffs.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports