LA Galaxy 3, Minnesota United FC 2
Saturday, March 16, 2019 – 7:30 p.m. PT
2019 MLS Regular Season
Dignity Health Sports Park – Los Angeles, Calif.
LA GALAXY HEAD COACH GUILLERMO BARROS SCHELOTTO
On Uriel Antuna’s Performance:
“We couldn’t press FC Dallas last Saturday, so during the week maybe we can press a little more high with [Uriel] Antuna there, and Chris [Pontius], now in the right place, maybe we can do better. I think today, the pressure was perfect. The first half for the team was really good. I’m very happy. I’m very happy for the result, for the game, because we played really good. I didn’t like giving two goals, but at the end I think we played really good today.
On conceding two goals:
“I think it was too easy for them to score, but I want to think about the good things we did today. At half time I talked with the players, I said these 45 minutes was perfect, because we scored twice and we kept the ball, we played very offensive. In the second half, maybe we gave them some advantage, but I am very happy because the team is growing, and they are getting my idea. And they can do it on the field.”
On Joe Corona’s Performance:
“He made a lot of touches, easy touches. He played forward the same way with Sebastian [Lletget]. They can understand each other really good on the field, even with Jonathan [ Dos Santos]. I think that is the reason we played really good during almost all game. Joe Corona, Sebastian [Lletget], and Jonathan [dos Santos] play really good.”
On Zlatan Ibrahimović’s absence:
“I think we played well, but you know when you don’t have a player like [Zlatan] Ibrahimović, the team sometimes can feel it, but today I think the team, without [Zlatan] Ibrahimović, played really good. But if I have to take an election, I’d choose to play with a player with a player like [Zlatan] Ibrahimović, but I think today the team played really good, and we can win and play really good without him; without Romain [Alessandrini]. I think this is a good thing for the team.”
On Jonathan Dos Santos’s role as captain:
“Yeah, he’s the captain. I talk with him, and today he was a leader. With Joe [Corona], and with Sebastian [Lletget] they can take the team to the front to play well and to get the win.”
On this possibly being Uriel Antuna’s best performance in his three season matches:
“Yes. I think even for the team; today was the best game. Of course, for [Uriel] Antuna, I am very happy for him, because he ran a lot and he could make a difference in front. So, I think he’s very young, and he’s growing, and he will keep growing better if he can have games like today.”
On the team’s performance today versus the performance against FC Dallas:
“I think after the game in Dallas, we felt a little bugged, because we lost. We couldn’t do what we practiced the week before Dallas. I think during this week we worked on paying attention on every training; even every word I gave to them in the field this week, because we feel like we had to win against Minnesota United because it’s very important for the team to keep on growing. And, maybe the result, not the game, but the result in Dallas was bad for us. So, I think when you have every player paying attention, and trying to understand what you want to do, it’s better and I think they gave 100 percent every training, and today. Today I think was really good.”
LA GALAXY FORWARD CHRIS PONTIUS
On the team’s performance:
“Certainly I felt more comfortable out there, but as a team our ball movement was better. When you have that as a team and you have the ball there’s a certain confidence that gets built amongst the guys. That was a bit of the problem in Dallas. We were chasing the game and when we did get on the ball we weren’t confident. I thought you saw that confidence. People moving off the ball, showing for it in good spots and we created a lot of [inaudible].”
We said we were going to make the mistake of being over-aggressive if anything. We put them in some tough spots that they didn’t want to play out of, we picked up second balls in good spots and when you do that you have 90 yards to get to their goal. We were picking the ball up 40 yards from their goal and it made it a lot easier on our legs tonight.
On Uriel Antuna’s performance:
“He was a machine for us. Then in the 90th minute he was going pressuring, helps create the third goal. Just a guy that’s shown up in spots that we need him to. He was unbelievable.”
On Joe Corona’s performance:
“He’s so comfortable on the ball. With Sebi, Joe and Jona, they were in a really good rhythm with them on the ball tonight. They outnumbered their midfield and caused a lot of problems for them.”
On Sebastian Lletget’s performance:
“It’s a big goal at the end, especially when they get that second goal. It was a little bit of insurance for us and I’m happy for the kid. He works his ass off every day.”
On his first goal of 2019:
“It was a tough end of the year for me last year, having to go get surgery. It feels good to get the monkey of my back. Goals come a little bit easier after you get that first one, so hopefully that’s the case for me.”
On the 24 pass build up goal:
“Like I said, we created a lot of problems because we were inside, we were outside. We were making them guess as to where we were going to pop. When I was played the ball, I gave it out to Rolf, he takes a good touch, sets himself up and I’m just making a near post run.
LA GALAXY MIDFIELDER JOE CORONA
On first home game performance:
“I think the way everyone played, it was very good. I think in the midfield we were superior than the other team and I’m glad we won my first home game.
On acclimating:
“That was the plan since I came in, I was already playing midseason in Mexico and playing along great players like Jonathan and Sebastian, it makes it easier for me to come in and have that chemistry with them since day one.”
On Antuna and Boateng’s performance up top:
“Those two players today, they ran so much for us. They helped us recover so many balls and I think they did a great job. It makes it easier for us. In the middle, we try to keep the ball and they help us with that. We wanted to be aggressive and they were, so it was good.”
LA GALAXY MIDFIELDER URIEL ANTUNA
[Translated from Spanish]
On how important this night was for him:
“It was an unforgettable night, this win was a credit to everyone, I think everyone did a great game. There was good pressure, good finishes, everyone fought throughout the whole game so this game was credit to the team as a whole.”
On his assist:
“Like I said since I got here, I will work hard every day so I can one day go back to Europe. I have worked hard since preseason to be in top shape and I am here to be a champion and give the best I can.”
On playing as a forward today:
“I know the position. In the beginning of my career I played as a forward so I am familiar with it, I know what it means to be a forward and I will play any position if needed and will always give my best wherever the coach thinks I should play.”
On Guillermo’s trust in him:
“That gives you a lot of confidence, knowing the coach is giving you the opportunities and the confidence to put you on the field. Thankfully I have felt better as games go by and like I said, I have given my all in all the games I’ve played since I arrived and at every training session.”
Thoughts about the league after playing three games:
“This league is not easy. The league is growing and is getting better. I was very surprised since the first game, to see how the league is, and it’s not easy at all. And like I have said before, I am here to work hard, to give my best in every game.”
On the midfield’s work today:
“Like I said before, it’s not just credit to one, two or three players, it’s the whole team working and knowing what our goal is. We all gave our all today, we all knew it was important to add points at home and it’s everyone’s win today, from the goalkeeper to the forwards.”
MINNESOTA UNITED FC ACTING HEAD COACH MARK WATSON
On tonight's game:
"We didn't have a good start and when you play against good teams away from home you usually get punished for it. Our message at half time was it wasn't good enough, we didn't have enough aggression in our play and that is never going to be good enough on the road but two nothing at half time is rarely a winning score so we knew that if we had a little mentality change and came out with more aggression and a little more positive in our play that we had chance in the game and it turned out like that. Even in the last couple of minutes in the game we were pushing forward and had a couple of good opportunities."
On the team's performance:
"Credit to the Galaxy, I thought they did well tonight. They had a lot of energy and were pretty sharp. They moved around in some good spots which caused us some difficulties, but I was pretty proud of our guys in the second half for the fight back and showed that we got a pretty good spirit and good character in the group."
On if the absence of head coach Adrian Heath affected the team:
"I don't know what the affect was. We had a good week of preparation, a very similar week of preparation as we had in the past so the approach to the game was the same, the things we were trying to get out of the game were the same. He is obviously a big part of this club, so he was missed but we kind of went into our regular match week preparation."
MINNESOTA UNITED FC MIDFIELDER OSVALDO ALONSO
On tonight's game:
"I think we started too slow. Giving away to goals in the first half was killing us but we started to push in the second half, but we didn't win so we have to learn from the mistakes we made and keep going."
On if the absence of head coach Adrian Heath affected the team:
"He's the head coach. When you are missing the head of the team it is always difficult, but I think outside of that we have to play better in the first half and not give away two goals to start down 2-0. Like I said we have to look forward. We lose one game the season is long, and we have to keep going."
