- Match: Seattle Sounders vs Atlanta United
- Location: CenturyLink Field
- Date: July 14, 2019
- Final Score: SEA 2-1 ATL (Recap | Highlights)
ATLANTA HEAD COACH FRANK DE BOER
On the match:
“I think it was a tight game. They could be in front, we could be in front, so maybe a draw at the end would’ve been the best result. In sport, a lot of times it’s decided by mistakes. They’re human and it’s a pity they were on our side. In the end we made a mistake and conceded the game to them. It was quite frustrating because I can’t say we played bad. We had our opportunities. I really had a feeling that we were into the game. Very disappointed, of course, with the result because we had to get a minimum of one point out of this game.”
On Brek Shea’s injury:
“He twisted his ankle, but because of the speed that he did it, something else in his knee didn’t go well. We have to make a scan after tomorrow, but he’s quite doubtful for the next game.”
On the yellow cards:
“It’s quite frustrating if you saw the yellow card on Franco Escobar. It’s really a disgrace. The guy makes a foul on him. (Franco) had the ball and because (Roldan) is hurt he gets a foul. He’s the one who entered in that challenge. Franco was the first to the ball and made a fantastic challenge and suddenly he gets a yellow card. Now he’s suspended. It’s unbelievable. Josef (Martinez) gets a flying tackle on his ankles and they didn’t receive any yellow card. We get three yellow cards and two for nothing. It was frustrating from my side to see that happen because now Brek is probably not in, (Mikey) Ambrose is probably not in and then you have Franco suspended. We have to puzzle a little bit and come up with a lineup against Houston. They have a very good team also so we have to be prepared.”
On if the team is in the market for a fullback considering the lack of depth:
“We’re always looking forward for sure. Specifically right now with our lack of depth it’s a possibility that we do something in the transfer market. We won’t make rash decisions so we really have to see what benefits the club.”
On if there was anything Seattle did that was surprising:
“Not at all. We analyzed the first goal on the long throw in, they win the second ball and chip it in over to their left side, our right side. It was also good action by (Raul) Ruidiaz. Still, I think we have to do better defending in that moment. Again, it was a tight game and we could’ve easily drawn or taken three points away here.”
ATLANTA DEFENDER LEONARDO GONZALEZ PIREZ
On Seattle’s second goal:
“Yeah, I put the ball to make a free kick. I tried to split the team to try to play, and we try it and the ball kind of gave it to me again. I tried to play with (Parkhurst). I don’t know what happened to the ball, the effect. Because the ground is very soft, and I should, I made a bad pass. I tried to play with (Parkhurst) in the middle and nothing. I made a mistake. It was a goal. The ball didn’t stop rolling, but when the ball started to bounce, the grass affected it and it was difficult, and that is it.”
On the lapses that the team keeps making and how to change those:
“Yes, it is possible, we try our way to do our best. Sometimes we are playing a little difficult games in a row, maybe we are tired. This can be one thing, but it is not an excuse or we need to keep doing better for a full 90 minutes. We will try to avoid that mistake for the next game and try to keep it in the top.”
On the officials:
“It was ridiculous. Ridiculous. It was ridiculous because they go to challenge the ball and both head the ball and I don’t understand how he called it a foul. He called the foul and he made a yellow card for Franco and he said it was a red card play. We obviously didn’t understand what he was explaining. I don’t know on the previous goal if he was 100% offside because we saw it on the screen and it looked close. Sometimes we don’t understand the calls, but it is a league like this so this is what we have to expect.”
On having two games this week and how to turn things around:
“Yeah, these are important games and we play at home. So now we go home and rest and we try to be the best as possible in the next game. This is the only way we need to do. Rest and try to be better for the next game.”
ATLANTA GOALKEEPER BRAD GUZAN
On today’s game:
“When you come on the road, it is difficult. When you come to a place like Seattle it is very difficult. We had chances in the first half. When you are on the road, you have to find the back of the net with one of those. You’ve got to punish them when you get those half chances. They were probably better than half chances. But having said that, again we shot ourselves in the foot. Not good enough in certain areas and you pay the price.”
On the team’s play after the international break:
“No it is not bad luck, it is not karma. You make your own luck. We need to find a way to come out of this. Whatever you want to call this - we need to find a way because it is not bad luck, it is not just one-off games. Another day, they could have had a few more. The second half they hit the outside post. First half they get behind us once or twice. It is certainly not bad luck, it is certainly not bad karma. It is down to us and we need to be better.”
On what you can do as a team moving forward:
“We have to look at this and figure out why this is happening. Every day is a chance to get better. Every day is a chance to figure out why, and how we get better. It is not just the defensive side of the ball. It is everywhere on the pitch we need to be better. Create more chances, we need to defend better, we need to be better when we have the ball. Easy turnovers all over the pitch, we need to be better.”
SOUNDERS FC HEAD COACH BRIAN SCHMETZER
On possibly the best performance this year:
“So far, I don’t know. I’m getting a little older, my memory slips from time to time but there were certainly some good performances in the early part of the year. You know, if I had to be honest and we will watch the tape and we will kind of see what we see, I didn’t think our possession was very good in the first half. And even throughout spells in the second half [Atlanta] are a little tired and they are a little winded and it’s a little easier to create chances. I need guys in the middle of the park to dictate tempo of the game. And so that’s what we need to work on, making sure that we get the possession guys to do their thing. Collectivley as a group we need to be better at bringing the ball front to back.”
On the impressive defensive opponents:
“They had a couple of half chances. They created some chances down that side, they had some half chances that could have been full chances. I thought Roman [Torres] had a pretty strong game. I think we cleaned up some messes but I’m not sure it was one of our best defensive games. Yes, it was a good game because we only gave up one [goal]. We never like giving up set piece goals either. [Josef Martinez] was the leading goal scorer last year so they have a lot of potential.”
On Harry Shipp:
“Steady. It’s always steady. I know exactly what I get with Harry when he steps on the field. And that is a comforting thought. When Harry fits in through injury or when Harry fits in through a tactical adjustment you want to make. I thought that when he came on in our last match he kind of sparked that. I know what I get with Harry. Today he was rewarded with a goal.”
On it being potentially easier to score when there’s a lot of back and forth:
“Overall I thought our overall attack was good. I thought we had some good moments. The left and the right side was balanced. Obviously you guys saw Raul [Ruidiaz] quality on his goal was down the middle of the field. If you can balance you can have your center forward doing stuff like that we become a dangerous attacking team.”
SOUNDERS FC MIDFIELDER HARRY SHIPP
On the goal:
“I saw him kind of break free on the right side and I just told myself to get my head down and get to the back post just in case the ball got chipped across like that. It felt like the ball was in the air forever and I was just waiting on it. By the time it got to me, I knew the goalie had slid across so I was just trying to put it back across them and luckily it went in.”
On knocking the ball into the ground:
“I was trying to go back across the goal for sure and trying to keep it down and keep it on target and like I said, luckily it went in.”
On the atmosphere of the game:
“I thought we played allright. The first half, we struggled to keep the ball a little bit. We were a little bit impatient at times, because I felt like the times we were patient, we were able to break them down pretty easily. The second half we came down and played well. We gave up the goal in the corner but other than that I feel like we played pretty well.”
SOUNDERS FC FORWARD RAÚL RUIDÍAZ (THROUGH TRANSLATOR)
On his goal:
“It was an incredible goal absolutely. Very similar to the first goal that I scored in the MLS against San Jose. I received the ball and then I just did what I did.”
On Atlanta’s centerbacks:
“It was very difficult. They are very strong players, very strong defenders. But I think that the weather effected all of us. It was difficult weather to play in.”
On first half struggles:
“The first half we still had many chances and I think while we have chances, at some point we are going to be able to score.”
On being back in Seattle:
“Very, very happy. It was more than a month, it was a month and a half. I’m very happy to be back with the fans, with the crowd, with my players and back home here, I feel very good.”
SOUNDERS FC FORWARD JORDAN MORRIS
Overall thoughts on the game:
“Yeah it feels great, obviously being away for a month or even longer and then for me having a little injury beforehand, I was out for a month before that. It’s been a while since I’ve been back.”
On the hype leading up to the game:
“Obviously it was hot out there and so maybe some things weren’t as up to par but I think both teams were going for it and it was an exciting game.”
On a potential adjustment when Shea went out:
“Both great players, both guys I’ve known and played with for a little bit, you just kind of stick to your gameplan and do what you can to break them down.”
