LA Galaxy 4, Sporting KC 1
Q. Just walk us through your night. Get the first goal early on. Kind of confidence does that give you in tonight as game?
JOSEPH PAINTSIL: Yeah, the first goal was something we train about, so it was not really like a surprising thing for me. We tried in the last game but it couldn't work, but today we decided to try it again and fortunately just happened.
So I was just happy when I had the first goal. I had that kind of feeling and confidence that I was just alone moving around without no any aggressive contact, nothing. So I felt really like good in the game just to run behind them, and they also give me a lot of spaces and I also use any space to do whatever I need to do.
Q. I think it was maybe might have been the second goal. Gabriel slipped behind to Cuevas and Cuevas got it over to you. How did you see that play develop there?
JOSEPH PAINTSIL: Yeah, so when I saw Gabe with his action and I saw Cuevas with this run, I knew it's going to go to Cuevas, so even though I was a little bit behind I just need to just go to the second pose and just surprise the defenders because they were a little bit slipping. So I just run in behind and Cuevas gave me the ball.
And I think we have done this before. Was it last year also? It was also like a similar ball from Riqui to Cuevas and from me to -- it's like the club game we played last time. That was last year. Yeah.
Q. Does tonight's performance give you a special extra confidence for Wednesday Campeones Cup?
JOSEPH PAINTSIL: Yeah, it's also adds confidence also to my game, but I also have the confidence to also play these kind of games up the Campeones Cup game. It's something that I'm waiting for to give everything. I think this hat trick really boost my confidence.
For that, I will just take it into the game on Wednesday and to give everything and the team gives everything and we just see whatever will happen.
Q. Congratulations on the win and the hat trick. Blessings. Did you prepare any certain way differently this week or did you work on anything differently in training in the leadup to the game?
JOSEPH PAINTSIL: No. I think it was the same thing. It's just a different opponent. Just the same play we always play. I'm someone that when you always give me the space I will just make use of the space.
It's not something that we train in training, but it's just how to -- while they are playing two forwards how we need to play them out and everything. But the information stays the same and the way we play stay the same. Just to put the ball out as quick as possible, use the lines.
So I think it was just for us nothing really changes. It was just today was a good day in the office for me.
Q. As a team, you took apart Sporting Kansas City. Do you feel like that's more of an indication of who this team really is to go out and score four goals and maybe could have had 6, 7, potentially 8, or is it more of a reflection of where Sporting Kansas City is?
JOSEPH PAINTSIL: It's not just because it's Kansas City. I think we can do it and we have prove it before. Just that this season we having some difficulties. It's not easy for us, but it's always like this.
But playing against Kansas City, it's like we playing against them in their home game they never even hit a shot and they came here. They know that it's also going to happen, even though they scored. It's not because of the team why we had these four goals. I think in the Cup game also we had three goals or something.
So it's something we are capable of. It's just we don't have the luck to make it keep happening. Just lose concentration and lose easy balls for the counterattack to us. We just always make it so easy for the other opponents to have access to our goal.
Q. Four goals in the last two games. We saw you with Ghana recently. How important is that good form as you work your way back into the national team?
JOSEPH PAINTSIL: It's really important for me to always make my mark, especially when I am in my team, my club, LA Galaxy.
With the national team it's something also really important towards the World Cup. It's also boost me, give me that energy to go to my national team to do whatever I need to do, no matter the amount of minutes they give me I don't really care in my national team though, but the most important thing is my club, and the most important thing is for me to focus on my club and the national team when it comes, it's kudos.
It's also give my an additional power to also go to the national team with these two games we have for the qualification of the World Cup. We just hope and wish we win our first game and just go through the World Cup. Thank you.
Q. You've wound up next to Harbor Miller the last couple games, a young guy breaking through. Talk to us about his performance, his game, how he helps you.
JOSEPH PAINTSIL: Yeah, he's really young and really talented. I think he's right back, but, you know, him being so young and playing right back and playing position like this is also like going to attack and coming back the same way as playing a right back.
He's been amazing all the games that he has featured, and really kudos to him because he's really giving everything as a young player and I really appreciate him a lot.
I wish with he keeps going like this and for the next game for the next season and the next season, because this is a club that is much more easier for everybody to log in and just show himself, and he's doing exactly what he has to do and he's doing really great and I'm really happy for him.
Q. Sort of the piggybacking on that, Harbor Miller on the left, sort of opened yourself up to play a lot closer with Gabriel Pec. How different is it playing closer to him, maybe next to him, versus across the field from each other?
JOSEPH PAINTSIL: Yeah, Harbor, I see him as a right back now I don't think he is a right back anymore. I think he needs to play maybe also in the left winger. Yeah, he's doing amazing. He's doing amazing and he always giving us also options, and that's something that is also really great, because it gives me also a lot of options and a lot of space behind the defenders. As you can see, whenever he has the ball he's dangerous. They either come to him or they leave me alone. As you can see he also did what he need to do, push hard and give me an assist in the game.
So he's really like amazing player and I really love playing against him. I don't love playing, you know -- I love playing with him, but I don't love playing against him, especially when we are training. He's really, really hard on me. I don't know why, but, yeah, I really love him.
Q. Coach Dan and Greg Vanney both talked about the planning the team does before the game. Were you expecting such an open match where you would have so much of an opportunity to shine?
JOSEPH PAINTSIL: Yeah, I think the game, we knew that we had the upper hand because as we reflect to what we did in the (audio cut out) we did whatever we need to do. Ball possession was on our side and everything, shoot the ball on their post. So they coming here and it's either they just work their way through and just see if they can win.
But moreover I think they also had the confidence that when teams come here they always take points and just go, so they also had that kind of energy to also win here. But the players were really like really focused, because if we don't win this game our confidence going to the next game on Wednesday will be limited.
I think everybody was fully focused to win this game so we can get the energy and the confidence to focus on the Wednesday game, and I think we did that as a team and as an individual. I'm really happy for the team at least winning a point in our home to prepare for the Wednesday game. That's really important for us.
So we just hope and just wish that we just win the Wednesday Cup and then we just give glory to God.
Q. I just remembered that we spoke to you a while back, I can't remember when it was, when your mom had just arrived here. Being stunned when you said she hadn't watched you play in person in ten years I think it was.
JOSEPH PAINTSIL: Yeah.
Q. I was just wondering, is she still here? If not, how was that time like for you?
JOSEPH PAINTSIL: She's still here. She's still home. She likes to be a little bit home eating African food, and is not really familiar with all the games coming to the stadium and all that. I really understand that. But sometimes I also need to give her that kind of rest, because the reason why I brought her here is to go for check-up and have a lot of rest.
So I think me bringing her in and out and sometimes when she's even there she's sleeping, so it's better for her to just be at home and just eat and sleep and relax and feel better. She pray always with me. Whenever I go out to play a game we always pray together before I go, so her blessings are always with me, even though she is not in the stands, but the spirit is always with me.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports