LAFC vs ORL | Postmatch Media

Mark, congratulations on the rather convincing win. I want to ask you about Jacob Shaffleberg. Obviously, his first minutes back healthy from his surgery. Just wanted to get your feel on how you thought he played today cuz he seemed to look really good, right in sync out there. >> Yeah, he's a different type of winger. When he plays on the right side, uh he has a tendency to come more into his left foot inside, attacks very well the space. you know, we all know his speed. When he plays on the left, maybe he gives us a little bit more of this crossing ability. Um, that brings a different look. Um, he's uh, look, I always knew about his mentality, the type of person he was, the the work ethic he has. Yeah. And then when he comes in and has that injury and sets him back, he always kept a good mentality. Um, and I'm I'm happy for him to get this opportunity. >> Quick follow up on that. Does he have the freedom to move between sides or is that something that you guys >> He could play on both sides but uh it depending on the opponent depending on who we have available you know it's we we can play everywhere everyone right it's wide Banga Sha Martinez Boyd um it's just good to have these different options when we have a schedule the way we have I'm happy for him I'm happy he came back. Uh, and he's now slowly going to get more Ltier and Ltier and more rhythm, so it's good for him. >> All right, we'll go with Josh. >> Mark, on on the lineup that you put out tonight, I just seemed just looking at the sheet and seeing the players that you guys wanted to be on front foot, you wanted to attack them and be as offensive as you could. Yeah. >> Is is that the thinking coming in? And then, you know, what do you what do you get a little bit more offensively when you go with the two fullbacks as opposed to like the three center back hybrid? What what do you see more offensively out of your group, if anything? >> Yeah. No, we stayed a lot of times in the three hybrid uh using Ryan All said, but then what we saw in the last games is that we had to have the ability to build especially in the first phase in a different way. Uh so we worked at at that during the two weeks of international break. Um and uh at the same time Eddie is different characteristics and Eddie defends really well, really strong in the 1 v one. It depends on the game, depends on the opponent and uh we did want to go on the front foot today because we we came out of this break. We wanted to keep winning. I think we didn't cheat at all. We never put our guard down. And I think some of you asked me in the press conference before the game about the danger of playing Orlando, a team that has struggled and then you easily put your guard down and and we didn't do that. We have a very humble group and our group doesn't get too high or too low and that that is a strength of ours in my opinion. >> Um again, there was a lot of space. Um, do you owe that to the way that you approach the game or sort of Orlando has been struggling defensively and then you know just opening up those lines for for Deni really he just seemed Sunonny just seemed to feed him without any problem. >> Sunny for me uh in the second half Ugo had more work much more work than the first half the the many changes kind of unbalanced a little bit the team that's normal and mentally in the subconscious you're 5-0 up. So, you know, a mistake here or there, it's not the end of the world. But for me, the best player in the game was Sunny. Uh the the amount of involvement in the goals. Not only he got four assists, he was also involved in the first goal that is almost an an assist. And I think that is a collective thing, you know. I think by Nathan constantly making the runs in behind, it give free spots and pockets to Sunny. Then we worked a lot during the last week on attacking the spaces. You know, I think in the last few games we were very a lot of players showing to the ball, not a lot enough players attacking spaces. Um, and yeah, we're not we're not comfortable. I said it so many times, you never had me here even winning and going through it saying, "Yeah, I know everything." Still today in the second half, there's things that I'm going to show the guys that we have to do better. So, we're a very uncomfortable group in a good way and uh I think that is important if you want to keep growing. >> Stephen, >> coach, congrats on the win. Um, four assists for Sunny like you just said, almost five and a half. Yeah. >> Yeah. Um, was there anything about the way the way the kind of game was flowing today that you were able to get the best out of him as a playmaker? And also, just kind of a two-part question for you. Um, he's back from his international break. U no more international duty for him until the World Cup. How is he feeling physically? >> Yeah, I think you know sometimes people are so hard on Sunny to he has to score. He has Sunny has been amazing for our group. Um he doesn't have to score every time. He has to help the team and that's what he's doing. So I see it in a different way today. I saw Sunny very involved, very committed, so intense, so intense from the beginning, how he pressed uh the opponent um and then involved in our five goals in the first half. So, what can we ask more? If if people think that he's going to show and score five goals every game, it's delusional. It's no clue about the league, no clue about the game because it's hard and Sunny gives a lot. He works hard. I have full trust in him and man, what a performance in the first half. It was savage kind of the way he played. So I think physically is in a good place. He flew from London, came back, wanted to participate. We had a conversation when where I told them beforehand that minute 5560 M and Deni would come out regardless the result. I trust the other guys too and I think about Cruz Azul on Tuesday. So um yeah, amazing. I'm I'm happy for him because he's such a good guy too and a good teammate. >> We have time for a couple more. We'll go Michael over here on the right. >> Over here Mark I'm going to pile on the sunny conversation. Man, I I if I would make money answering Sunny. >> I mean, go on. It's not your fault. >> His four goals, if we're going to count the four and a half, it would give him the record. But it ties Messi for the most goals in a single half in MLS history. Or assist, excuse me, assist, excuse me, assist. >> Oh, I didn't know that. >> Yeah. So, four assists in a single half ties Messi for the most if we give him that half. >> Messi had four assists in one match. >> Now, the thing is with Messi, we know his ability to do that. We don't when we talk Sunny, we talk scoring, his touch and class, you know, to finish, uh, free kicks. >> We don't talk about his ability to play. And it felt like all the assists were so different, including the fourth one along the sidelines. So, >> look, I'm going to stop you. >> That's what I want you to ask. >> Yeah, I'm going to stop. It's not your fault because you guys only watch matches and I'm in every training session. and the amount of assists and like through little passes that he he does in training that we see uh I I've learned a lot from him like sometimes balls that I don't think a player could play and in training he does it and I turn to myself how did he see this you know so what I saw today is like what I see in training in many many moments and it's not you guys fault cuz you guys just see the games. So for me it was normal. I didn't know about this four four assists in one half. It's impressive. I didn't know Messi did it. Messi does everything. But uh I have to be careful cuz I'm Portuguese also. So >> all right, two more and Daniel. No, no, no. Numero. Last one. important. Scambio You see, Sergi, uh, first congratulations on the the goal tonight. That had to feel good. But I want to ask you about the shutout streak, especially in Major League Soccer. I think you guys are nine minutes away from tying the all-time record to start the season. >> Uh, obviously no club has ever done what you guys have done in terms of clean sheets tonight, the whole season. Does it just feel different out there? Do you feel a little bit more connected? What's the difference that you feel on the pitch this season than maybe in years past? M nothing nothing particular honestly but I feel yeah we we are we are more as um more playing as a block uh this season of course Ugo is the leader of the is the one that take that we see in the photo because he deserve he is always very clutch in some saves and he's just the best for us but I think it's a is a work from the from Nathan to Porto to co see that they are doing an amazing job and yeah it's a it's a thing that I think Mark since the first day he wanted to to be clear on that in this team everybody has to work everybody has to work everybody has to run to be responsible defensively and we are doing very well we are conceding some chances but we have the the best goalkeeper in in the league and it's just um so important for us. We were just saying how how is the record? No way. We need three, four more games. This this champion uh this uh this league is so crazy. There's always a lot of goals. We're watching now the results. So, we we knew we we were close. So, we were try we will try to to beat the record on on Portland. >> Go over here to the right. >> Uh congratulations on the win. >> Thank you. Uh how do how can a performance like this get you guys ready for Cruz Azul on t on on Tuesday in terms of momentum and confidence? I mean >> that's that that we today is huge for us. Uh we want to to take every game very seriously. our like our what what we have in our in our heads is always respect, be humble, work hard and no matter what's the score, no matter what's the the rival, no matter what where we play. So I think today we show we we show that and we we are always with ambition. We want more. We want more goals. We want to respect the opponent. We don't do crazy things or trying to to make fun of the opponent. We just want to do our job and everybody is is doing this with no selfishness. So, it's great great to see today. You see Den and Sunny being sapped off and then other guys playing at great level. Shaft making his debut today. Jeremy also it's it's great to have the squad that we have and and yeah, it's huge for us to prepare for for Kudas that we were talking about that I think is going to be the the best team that we're going to face maybe in this season. >> Go to Josh Gross right here on the right. >> So, a couple from me. Um you guys are up five nothing at half. How do you maintain the intensity in the second half? Uh are you focused on the shutout streak? You don't. Is that really what it was? >> 100%. Normally when you are 5-0, you always try to get motivated like, okay, let's try to score more goals or let's try let's try to to make people get involved. People that is having not having a lot of minutes, give minutes to them and they they can they can uh they can go. But now it's very easy our our goal. It was it was very easy for us to have a goal in the second half like just win the second half, clean sheet. That that was that was the thing and and we did it. So another mini goal achieve that is giving us a lot of confidence. And just on the entire group, the roster that you have right now, um there's always been deep teams at LAFC, sometimes deeper than others, but but this one seems now with Shaffleber coming back, Jeremy coming back, Aaron Long's going to be coming back soon. Just like position after position, you can go two, even three deep. So, what's that like for you guys to know that you can rely on each other that way? And how has it made you better? No, >> it's crazy. It's crazy when when we see when we see for example the other day know the team that um we are facing the team that was starting today against the other team normally the other team is is better than than a lot of of of uh teams that we face on the league. So we have an incredible roster. The front office did an amazing job to to put us together and we we have to take advantage of that. And we don't we are not going to win by having a big names and having big big roster. We are going to win by putting the effort, putting the the respect in every in every game, doing the little things right and and having and we need everybody. We we we're watching the schedule. We have nine games in or eight games we hope in like 20 days. It's crazy. And we will need everybody. And I think everybody's ready to to to step when when it's necessary and and and to perform at high level. So we're looking forward to it. I don't know. for Theos You know, it was fantastic. Porto, That was fantast. Tenny, congratulations. Uh, nine minutes for a hat-tick tonight. It's like the tied for the third fastest in history. This looked like the first match that felt like parts of last season with you and Sunny on the same page for everything. What was different about tonight than maybe the the previous few matches this season? >> Um is is different because uh I play uh in the left now. I don't play forward with with Sony and now uh I can I can play with Sony close but uh but sometimes uh the the game is different but today you see so many space and me and Sony you we we we exploit the the the space behind but we'll see uh some some goal. We'll go Josh Gross right here in the front. >> Thank you, Denny. Usually you're on the international break and you're traveling long distances. Not this time. How did that break help you? Mark really wanted you to get some rest and heal up. You said the last four games maybe you weren't 100%. So, how do you feel coming out of the break and how primed are you now ready for this stretch until uh the next break of the World Cup? I don't want to go to national team because I I waiting my third baby and I have some injury in the legs. Uh you see uh the previous game I'm so limited. I don't run too much. But now the the the five day off uh after the five day off my feeling is all the best top and uh and now uh I we waiting to to play again >> just the next game is Cruz Azul. How how much do you guys look forward to this match this test against a very good team? >> It's a very good team in in New Mexico. Big fight. Uh I hope so you you come in the stadium for for like uh like today and we will see. >> Michael on the right. >> Denny, two quick ones. When you have the ball in space so much, is it just feel almost does the does the goal feel big for you to be able to set it in? And then the second part, the celebration with the race car video game. What was behind that? Tell us all about that. First question is uh when I have the ball and I I saw so many so many space I go I do directly I don't taking about uh about defender about uh about everyone I go for for for decisive assist goal and if I have opportunity now I can shoot like today who I can try to to cross and today. I do I do well. I did well. And uh the second part yes for the celebration because uh we we play Mario Kart now. We play Mario Kart when uh when we travel and the celebration is is for that. All right, we'll go down here. Kim uh you displayed explosive movement from the opening minutes. So what feel that performance and besides score. What did you focus on the game today? >> Um we we keep to to score. We keep to don't considerate the the goal because we have the rocker but you don't talking about the rocker you you go in the field for win and don't uh take the the goal and this is the the good feeling when you finish the game like that and you score and you don't considerate the goal and we keep going we keep doing.