Head Coach Adrian Heath
On the penalty kick order against Columbus Crew differing from the original plan before the match…
“I think the winning penalty might have gone differently because I think somebody shoved somebody else forward there [in front of] the rest of the group. I said after the game, I’m not a big believer in ‘you five are taking the penalties’ because so much can happen in 90 minutes: emotionally, you might have a cramp, you might not feel good, you might have had a bad night. I’ve always been of the mind that if you feel confident and you want to take one, that’ll do for me. Micky [Miguel Tapias]... great penalty, Boxy’s [Michael Boxall], Joe [Joseph Rosales]. I was talking to the owner the other day and he was asking about the penalties and I go ‘I can remember the World Cup Qualifier when the four best players in the world, at the time, missed their penalties.’ So much goes into it. It’s not about ability, it’s about how you feel at the time, the emotions, how the game has gone, how you’re feeling mentally and physically. That for me has never, ever changed. If they want to practice, they can practice all day if they want.”
On center backs feeling less pressure taking a penalty kick…
“Possibly. You know that Mender [Garcia] feels more pressure because he wants to score so badly. There’re little things that go into it but at the end of the day, if they want to take a penalty and they’re confident, they want to step up, I’m not going to stop them. I think it’s important that what you consider to be your better penalty takers are in important positions: the first, fourth, fifth because that’s when it matters. Certainly, getting the first one off is a huge, huge bonus.”
On Miguel Tapias and Michael Boxall looking confident before their penalties…
“Yeah they did. Boxy [Michael Boxall] always stays behind for the finishing. He took his penalty really well, all of them did, all of the defenders. Joe’s [Joseph Rosales] was a great penalty as well. I thought we deserved to take it to penalties. They [Columbus Crew] might have had a little more possession but we looked dangerous all evening on the counter-attack, I really did.”
On the quality of Deportivo Toluca…
“Oh yeah. 12 goals in three games and I think eight different goal scorers as well in that time. We know a lot about Pedro Raul from his time in Brazil. The two wide guys always make the box. They’re [Deportivo Toluca] strange the way they play because they mix it up: they sometimes play a four [back line] but play out in a three, then they end up with a 4-2-2-2 [formation] at times, then it becomes a 4-5-1. They’re very flexible. But on the counter-attack, they’re very good. They break really quickly and they get plenty of men in the box. We were looking at the goals over the weekend and there are two or three games that they had four and five men in the box every time the ball goes in there, so we’re going to have to be mindful of that.”
On Deportivo Toluca wanting possession of the ball…
“I think so and the fact that they play the way they do out the back, numerically, they have numbers up so they’re comfortable back there. But as we’ve proved this year, possession is one thing, meaningful possession and actually turning possession into goal-scoring opportunities is another thing. Sometimes people get enamored with the stats of possession… I’m more concerned with how many goals we get, to be honest.”
On feeling more confident with home field advantage…
“If you look, traditionally, in most sports, home field advantage is everything, especially with having the crowd at home. This year, it hasn’t been that way for us; we’ve taken more points on the road than we have at home, so that’s something we have to rectify for the back end of the season. I always feel confident when we step out at Allianz [Field]. We’ll get another great crowd. Our supporters have shown that they have supported this competition really, really well… more than most teams. I don’t expect anything other than a huge crowd tomorrow night and I’m sure they’ll get behind us if we can give them a performance that they deserve.”
On the defensive emphasis for the match against Deportivo Toluca…
“Preventative marking. When we’re in possession of the ball, deep in their half, are we in good spots? Because that’s sometimes when you’re at your most dangerous [position] when you’re watching the game and suddenly it breaks, it turns over and then somebody is free and then it’s a domino effect… somebody pops out. We’ve spoken about it; preventative marking is going to be huge for us tomorrow night.”
Defender Miguel Tapias
On his confidence to score the penalty in the shootout to win the game…
[SPA]: "Fue un partido impresiónate. El marcador lo refleja, 3-3. El esfuerzo del equipo hizo que ganáramos el partido. En lo colectivo, estuvimos juntos y unidos en los penales. Eso nos dio fortaleza para conseguir la victoria. Y yo feliz de conseguir ese último penal y dar la victoria, igual que mis compañeros.”
[ENG]: "It was an impressive match. The final score reflected it, a 3-3 draw. The team's effort is what made us win the match. Collectively, we were together and united during the penalty shootout. It gave us the strength to win. I am happy to take that last penalty and get the victory, as are my teammates.”
On if he had any nerves in taking the penalty…
[SPA]: “No, fui seguro. Yo iba con toda la seguridad del mundo. Tenía la confianza de hacer ese penal. De hecho, a mí me tocaba otro número de tirar penal y yo quise tomar ese. Y te digo, la confianza y seguridad hizo que yo metiera ese penal.”
[ENG]: “No, I was sure. I went with all the certainty in the world. I had the confidence to make that penalty. In fact, I had another number order to shoot a penalty and I wanted to take that one. Like I said, the confidence and certainty I had made me make that penalty."
On the center backs being cool and collected when taking their penalty kicks…
[SPA]: “Si, como dije ahorita, el equipo se portó de la mejor manera de darle confianza a los que iban a patear el penal. Yo creo que eso te da confianza de patear un penal. La unión del equipo fue la fortaleza de ganar esos penales.”
[ENG]: “Yes, as I mentioned, the team behaved in the best way to give [the players] confidence to those who were going to take a penalty. I think that gives you confidence to take a penalty. The team’s unity was the strength to winning the penalty shootout.”
On watching the replay of his penalty shot…
[SPA]: “Como 10 veces, facil. Mi familia me manda videos. Mi esposa y mi hija me grabaron y lo veo mil veces.”
[ENG]: “Easily, about 10 times. My family sent me videos. My wife and daughter recorded me and I have watched it a thousand times."
On facing Toluca…
[SPA]: “Son buenos jugadores. Tienen un muy buen entrenador, Ignacio Ambríz. Su juego se hace en la posesión del balón. Alla en la LIGA MX me enfrente contra ellos en la final y lo mismo, tratan de tener la posesión de balón. Tienen buenos atacantes. Lo han demostrado ahorita en el torneo que son de las mejores ofensivas, pero nosotros estamos completamente confiados de que podemos ganar el partido.”
[ENG]: “They have good players. They have a very good coach, Ignacio Ambríz. His style of game is in ball possession. In LIGA MX, I’ve faced them in the final and it was the same thing, they try to have possession of the ball. They have good attackers. They have currently shown it in the tournament that they are one of the best offenses, but we are completely confident that we can win the game."
On playing in a tournament against your home country…
[SPA]: “Muy bonito, igual porque me ve mi familia de México y la gente de México está viendo el torneo. Y es lo que igual me motiva un poco en jugar este torneo y contra una liga que yo estuve ahí casi toda mi carrera. Es muy bonito jugar en esta liga.”
[ENG]: “It’s very nice because my family from Mexico can watch my games and the people from Mexico are watching the tournament. It’s what motivates me a bit to play in this tournament and against a league that I played for almost my entire career. It is very nice to play in this league.”
On Toluca’s run in the LIGA MX playoffs last season…
[SPA]: “Toluca es un equipo que siempre está en los playoffs allá en la liga mexicana. Hace dos torneos llegaron a la final. Es un equipo que compite, que tienen buenos jugadores y buen entrenador.”
[ENG]: “Toluca is a team that is always in the playoffs over in LIGA MX. Two seasons ago, they reached the final. It is a team that competes, with good players and a good coach."
On Pachuca facing Toluca in the Apertura Final in 2022…
[SPA:] “Si fue que Pachuca se enfrentó a Toluca en la final. Igual, quedamos creo 7-2 [8-2 en goles agregados] estuvo gigante el marcador a favor de Pachuca, pero bueno tienen buenos jugadores también.”
[ENG]: “Yes, it was Pachuca that faced Toluca in the final. I think the final goals scored was 7-2 [actual 8-2 in aggregate goals] in favor of Pachuca, but they have good players too.”
On Minnesota United limiting Toluca in the upcoming game…
[SPA]: “Es algo un plus que tenemos. Los venimos jugando muy bien. Es el trabajo de la semana que le metemos, que estamos juntos. El equipo cada vez se contempla más unidos. Esa es la fortaleza y la confianza de jugar acá. Igual, que vamos a jugar en casa con nuestra afición, es un plus más para nosotros.”
[ENG]: “It is a plus that we have. We have been playing very well. We put in work throughout the week, we’re together. The team is increasingly seen as united. That is the strength and confidence of playing here. Additionally, we are going to play at home in front of our fans, it is another plus for us.”
On being able to provide insight into LIGA MX after playing there before joining Minnesota United…
[SPA]: “Si, yo creo que si he dado un poco. He hablado con unos jugadores y doy ahí los puntos de cada quien como juega el equipo, como se dirige el entrenador. Es un poquito de ventaja que yo igual ahí conozco un poco a los de Toluca como juegan. Pero, pues concentrado para mañana.”
[ENG]: “Yes, I think I have given a little insight. I have spoken with some players and given them some ideas of each one team, how the team plays, how the coach manages. It's a bit of an advantage because I know Toluca’s style of play a little bit. But, I’m just concentrated for tomorrow.”
Goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair
On the challenge of facing Toluca who leads the tournament in goals…
“It’s no surprise that they’ve scored a lot of goals. Even looking at the types of goals they’ve been scoring, a lot of tap-ins and late runs into the box and things like that. Our box defending is going to be very important, not letting those runners get through and denying crosses too. On the other hand, we’ve been playing great offensively as well. We’re willing to match them there as well.”
