- Match: Atlanta United vs FC Dallas
- Location: TOYOTA Stadium, Frisco, TX
- Date: July 4th, 2018
- Final Score: ATL 2-3 FCD (Recap | Highlights)
Atlanta United FC Head Coach Gerardo Martino
On tonight's game...
I hope the loss doesn’t affect us for the next match. These kinds of losses hurt. They hurt the most when you don’t deserve to lose. When the opponents are better than you, it’s a different kind of feeling because you know that team outplayed you. You are able to accept that loss more even though it still hurts you.. In our case, we did everything we could to win but ended up leaving empty handed.
On if the heat was a factor...
I believe the weather wasn’t difficult to play in. If the weather didn’t affect us in the first five minutes of the game, then we were fine throughout the rest of the game. I don’t think it can affect us all in the last five minutes of the game. We just made errors and lost concentration of the match. We need to talk about the two plays that lead to the goals. I understand this weather takes a toll in your body, and it doesn’t let you think right. I would understand if it would've happened in the first half because the heat was worse in the first half than the second half, especially with five minutes remaining in the game with the lead in hand.
Atlanta United FC defender Mikey Ambrose
On the heat being a fact run the game...
It was a factor, but it was a factor for them, too.Two teams were playing in the heat. We had the result 2-1 with five minutes left, and we just all, as a team, have to close it out.
On the second FC Dallas goal...
I think tactically we lost a little bit of concentration. We were tired and really hot, but we all have to be better on the back line. Keep the concentration for the full 90 minutes. All of us.
On the final FC Dallas goal...
Just a few unlucky bounces. Bouncing around the box, people trying to clear it. The ball just squeaked through... I'm at a loss for words for what happened on that goal. A lack of concentration and a lack of discipline in the last five minutes.
Atlanta United FC midfielder Julian Gressel
On the final five minutes...
Not great. To give away a game like that is just frustrating. I don't really know what to say. You do all this work in such a tough environment and such a tough climate, play a great 85 minutes...to give it away in those last five minutes is frustrating and, obviously, something we'll learn from and have to be better, ultimately. It's just frustrating and annoying right now.
On what lessons his team could take away from tonight's game..
The lesson is that you can't give away a game like that. We didn't reward ourselves because we played a good game and came back from a goal down on a set piece, which happens. We fight back in a tough environment, then to give it away...that just can't happen. That's the lesson.
On the final two FC Dallas goals...
On the second goal, we switched to five in the back and we kind of make a couple moves where we don't necessarily have to go after the ball and can just wait a bit, but we made those decisions. The third goal was a set piece and they get three rebounds. It's frustrating and annoying.
