"We'll play the two remaining matches like two finals", Gabriel Milito | OneFootball

It’s customary for our people to be with us anywhere in the world, and we never feel alone. Whether we’re at home or traveling, we always feel the presence of our people. We thank them for being with us in this match.

It’s not easy to control a match against the opponent we faced, and it wasn’t easy to control their transitions either; they are very fast and direct. From the first minute, we had the intention of winning the match and avoiding penalties. We even had a chance to turn the score around, and I really liked the team’s performance, the courage, and the commitment they showed while playing.

The team went toe to toe with them; we intended to win in order to earn points. There are two matches left, and we will play them like two finals. I feel that if we win those two games, we will have a chance to advance to the next round.

The difficult thing would have been to come away with nothing. I remember that last year five points were enough to advance. Today we’re thinking about earning more points, and for that we have to win the next match against Dallas, our next opponent. We need to play with the same intensity and the same passion we showed today to get those three points and go into the final match with seven.

MLS has grown tremendously; it keeps evolving with the teams it has and the quality that exists there. The two leagues are very evenly matched, and when teams from one league face teams from the other, they always produce great matches. That speaks to the quality that exists and how competitive this tournament has become.

La Hormiga scored 24 goals across the two tournaments, a very high number in 34 matches. If we count both tournaments, he has a very high scoring average. If you look at the top scorers in Serie A or the Premier League, they have a similar average. His goals will come. I’m very happy that Piojo is standing out and has scored three goals. We need him to keep contributing all his talent and everything he gives us on the pitch.

The rest of the team will score goals by playing at this level and creating chances. Goals will come from our attacking players, from Marín, from Cotorro, and from Aguirre, just as they did last season. In that regard, I’m calm. I’d be more worried if the team weren’t controlling games and weren’t creating scoring chances, because logically those are necessary to win matches.

We wanted to play with a team that has been with us for a long time, which is why we decided to play Efra and Piojo ahead of Govea and Oso. We have a game plan that we’ve used many times when facing teams that defend with a back four. At times it worked, and they did very well, which is why we made that decision. Efra missed preseason, but once he was medically cleared, he trained very well with double sessions at Verde Valle to complete his preparation. In the first matches he didn’t start because he still lacked a bit of rhythm, but today it was good for him to play. The good thing is that we have alternatives like Kevin Castañeda and Jordan Carrillo. We will surely have to make some rotations to keep the team fresh, but we need the quality and footballing level to remain the same.

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