LA Galaxy 4, Sporting KC 1
Q. Hey, Diego, you moved a couple more steps closer to the 80-80 club. As you're now so close to it, what do those numbers mean to you?
DIEGO FAGÚNDEZ: Those are just numbers. It's nice to accomplish, but at the end of the day it's -- I would rather be playing for a playoff spot. I think it's a frustrating thing to accomplish when the season hasn't been the best.
At the end of the day it's an accomplishment as a player, it's an amazing accomplishment. Like I said I would rather be doing other things and accomplish that as a team.
What I am looking more forward to is Wednesday. We have a trophy in front of us and an opportunity to lift something at home and give back to our fans that have been here from the beginning.
I think that's more important.
Q. How do you carry this momentum over to Wednesday?
DIEGO FAGÚNDEZ: Like everybody I think today showed up. You see everybody is working each other. Everybody is defending. Everybody is attacking. That's what we need. We finished a bunch of chances today and we probably could have had a couple more.
At the end of the day we still need to fix a little bit on ourselves defensively in how to prevent goals from happening, especially Toluca, who is so good at scoring goals, especially in the last couple weeks.
So as long as we lock them in defensively I think attacking, we'll be solid. It's nice to see that Joe had a hat trick today. I got one myself and we created so many chances.
Q. The team had four goals today. Very good offensive performance. Could've had even more chances. Is this the type of offensive performance that you're more used to seeing from the guys? Obviously the chances have been a little bit more limited this year. Is this an indication of who you guys truly are, or without disrespecting Sporting Kansas City at all, more a reflection of where their defense lies?
DIEGO FAGÚNDEZ: It's crazy. Every team we play against, they always tell us, I don't know how you guys are last. It's the same question every time. You start looking back and you're like, we do have a good team. Where did we slip, make mistakes? Yeah, we did all that.
I think last year we scored a lot of goals and also let in a lot of goals. This year we're not maybe scoring as many as last year and that's the difference. If you're scoring goals and scoring more than the other team, of course you're going to win games. Sometimes beating those teams you can score one or two goals and keep it zero, those teams make playoffs. I think that's where we weren't good enough this year. We need to definitely work on that.
And it's from everybody. It's not just this defense to offense. It's all 11 players, all 18 players, all 23 players, whoever is on the bench. Everybody needs to be better at that. I think next year it's something that everybody needs to work on.
But I think more importantly it's Wednesday. Everybody needs to be prepared for that. It doesn't matter who is on the field. We all need to step up and making sure we don't give any chances to the other team. When we have our own chances we need to bury them.
Q. In regards it Wednesday, you lined a lot with Edwin Cerrillo a lot this year. What has that understanding been like for you guys this year? Leading into that game against Toluca, how important will your partnership be to carry that game?
DIEGO FAGÚNDEZ: To be honest when play with Edwin, it's kind of one of those things we look at each other, all right, we're locking it in. Let's just finish out the game strong. The guy is a hard worker. He's feisty like me. It kind of brings us together a little more. But I think our midfield, at the end of the day, we have a really strong midfield. I think sometimes, yeah, we give passes away or sometimes we get broken, but that's part of the game. But it doesn't matter who is in there. I think Elijah today did a good job today, his motor running. Definitely helped us a lot breaking through the ball and driving at defenders. It helps.
And then someone like Edwin who can break people up, goes into challenges, doesn't care who you are, and it makes the game a little simpler. At the end of the day I just win to win the game, and whatever it takes, whatever position I play, I just want to make sure we win.
Q. Lots of younger players, Harbor, Mauricio, Elijah, Rindov, all of them getting into the team, and all credit them performing really well at this level. How do you go about being a mentor or leader to them, and what's that relationship like?
DIEGO FAGÚNDEZ: I think you need to look at yourself and know where you were. When I was younger I had people around me that taught me things and all I had to do was listen.
I think that's an important thing for them. When you listen and you take advice from peers, teammates, coaches, whoever is around you, they're always trying to make you better. Sometimes you just listening and just taking that information is important. I think some people don't like taking information. They think they know what it's like, what they have to do.
If you take as much information that's -- you'll take it to the next level. For me, I try to help everybody around me. I want everybody around me to be better and I want everybody to know what they're doing. I've been in the league so many years I know how to read the game a little more. When you go out there, like I said, I just want to win the game. It doesn't matter what position I play, who is in front of me, next to me. I just try to make people around me better and I want them to make me better.
Q. Today's game was somewhat unusual in the sense that it was quite open at times. I think I saw one of the companies that puts out the XG had you guys at 5.7. I can't remember what the other team was. Certainly not your typical MLS game. I think it's fair to say on Wednesday, probably a different game from that. Possibly. Potentially. Probably. How do you transition over with your mindset from a game like this to a game that might be played very differently from both teams?
DIEGO FAGÚNDEZ: I think we need to keep our foot on the accelerator tore. Everybody needs to come hungry like we did today. I think everybody wanted to win.
The XG, I don't know how they calculate that. I think from going to Kansas City last time and them not having a shot and winning the game, I think we deserved it today to come out here and really punish them.
But like I said, soccer games are played the day of. Whoever is prepared for those games and is ready and finishes their chances wins the game.
I think Wednesday everybody needs to come in and be prepared for a final. It doesn't matter who is in front of them. We just have to make sure we finish the game with more goals than them. At the end of the day we just need to win that. I think everybody is prepared for it.
Now we need to turn around and say, you know what? We're playing a final in a couple days. The most important thing is rest, recover, and be prepared for that.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports