Head Coach Adrian Heath
On the takeaways from the match against Sporting Kansas City…
“In the second half, I thought we were good. We did a lot of the stuff we’ve been doing of late. We ran forward with the ball, ran forward without the ball. Combination play was better in the second half. I thought we were a little bit off it in the first half. It was probably as bad of 45 [minutes] as we’ve had for five or six weeks. Second half we got about them [Sporting Kansas City] and we had three great chances to go in the lead and then we made a couple of mistakes and it cost us dearly. Very disappointing in the end to come away with nothing, but we are where we are. I said a few weeks ago that five wins and maybe a draw would get us in [the playoffs] and that probably has not changed. We still need to win two of the last six [games] to give ourselves a chance.”
On the quick turnaround to face LA Galaxy as a way to bounce back…
“I think I speak for most people [when I say] I’d rather have a week’s [worth] of work and a week’s prep and everybody feeling fresh. We knew this was coming. We’ve got a big squad. We might make one or two changes in the lineup and freshen it up a little bit because we have to be mindful. The next home game is going to be massive for us as well.”
On a clean bill of health ahead of St. Louis CITY SC on Saturday…
“Yeah. Kervin [Arriaga] looks like he’s going to be back for the weekend. We’re at a really important part of the season and it’s important that we get everybody fit and healthy because we’re going to need everybody between now and then [the end of the season].”
On the importance of the match for LA Galaxy…
“I’m sure they’re [LA Galaxy] looking at the game thinking it’s a no-lose game for them. You look where they are with the games that they’ve played. About every game between now and the end of the season is huge. We’ve got to play them twice. Our games are the same. Everybody is playing each other. Everybody panics about their own [schedule] and then you look at everybody’s fixtures and it’s exactly the same. Everybody is playing each other, but we’ve just got to do what we can do. We’ve got three home games in the next six [matches]. We probably need to win at least a couple of them I’d think.”
On Riqui Puig as a key piece of the LA Galaxy attack and Minnesota’s defensive strength…
“He’s [Riqui Puig] a really talented player. You don’t play at [FC] Barcelona as long as he did if you’re not talented… and played on the first team. People forget he played a lot of games in the first team the year before he came here. He makes things happen. He’s got lovely balance, a really good turner with the ball and then when he has space, he attacks it and then he can either pick a pass or he’s got a really good strike outside the box. We’ll have to watch him very, very carefully but we’ve proved that we can go to the [LA] Galaxy and win. We’ve gotten results there in the past. It’s a big game. Let’s go and play.”
Midfielder Wil Trapp
On the benefit of a quick turnaround after the result against Sporting Kansas City…
“It’s always good to play quickly after a loss just because you can flush it and move forward. That being said though, you certainly want to consume and digest what happened too. There were some good moments and some moments we want back. LA [Galaxy], another team that plays a similar shape and likes to have the ball, so we definitely need to learn from some of the mistakes from Saturday.”
On the versatility of the midfielders this season…
“A big part of it is injuries, a big part of it is form. Ultimately, the guys in there are just trying to make the team go. It’s the engine of our group. Whether it’s winning the ball in defense or organizing the team or being the start of the team with the ball moving forward, it’s the biggest part of our group in terms of the four or five guys in that role.”
On what he expects from LA Galaxy on Wednesday…
“They’re [LA Galaxy] a team fighting for their life in the playoffs to try to make it in. We have to understand that they have quality, they have players that are hungry. It’s never easy to go there and win.”
On Riqui Puig and Tyler Boyd as offensive threats…
“With [Riqui] Puig, he’s excellent running with the ball and most everything goes through him. Understanding that he’s a guy that can find passes if you give him time, but he’s also a player that if you get tight to him, he can wiggle through things. He makes them go. Tyler Boyd is a guy that has come in and done extremely well for them and being vertical with how he runs and with how he can create things off the dribble. [They’re] two important pieces that we’ll have to look after.”
On facing St. Louis CITY SC at home on Saturday…
“It’s a team that defends extremely well. There’s a reason they’re [St. Louis CITY SC] at the top of the Western Conference. They’re very hard-nosed, very diligent in what they are and how they do it. If I think back to the game we played there [CITYPARK], it wasn’t an easy match and this one won’t be either.”
