What was said following Atlanta United’s 4-1 win against Houston on Saturday at Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium:
GERARDO MARTINO
On getting ejected from the game
“I don’t necessarily believe I deserved to get kicked out. The ball got kicked into the technical area right to where I was and I kicked it. The play was stopped and there was a player down on the ground. It was a dead play and I kicked it. That is what happened.”
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On Miguel Almirón
“Today, he was fortunate to score but I think it was coming because that was something that we asked of him. Today, he had chances and we wanted him to shoot more from medium distance and we wanted him to get into the box to take shots from there as well. Today, he was able to do that.”
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On winning at home
“It makes me feel better for the fans because they are the ones that come here every game and they fill the stadium. It is great for us to get the win but it makes it even better to do it in front of a fan base who deserves it.”
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MIGUEL ALMIRON
On taking more shots
“The coaching staff asked that of me this week. I know I have to shoot when I have the opportunity and today – thanks to God – I was able to score.”
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On having more opportunities to score
“I think you saw that in Portland that we also had a lot of chances (to score), but unfortunately, we weren’t able to convert. Today, the team is leaving happy, me especially, I’m happier with the team’s performance. I think the team deserved a victory for all of the effort we have given.”
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On the differences in the last two home matches
“Against D.C. (United), we had 20 really good minutes. They were able to score in that game and then we lost the ball and we lost patience. In Portland you saw us play with that same possession of the ball and that patience and tonight, we showed it again. Thanks to God, we were able to get the win.”
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On if he is the designated penalty kick taker
“We don’t have a designated taker on the team. We are all capable of taking it. So, I asked Tito (Héctor Villalba) if I could take it and he let me. Whether it is myself, Tito, Yamil (Asad), or Joseph (Martinez) when he is playing, we are all able to take penalties.”
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YAMIL ASAD
On how the defense led to the first two goals
“That’s what the coach wants. He wants his midfielders to come back and help out when we’re needed. Luckily, we were able to turn it into goals.”
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On if the defensive play is something that is an overlooked part since everyone expects goals:
“You can look at European football like Bayern Munich’s players (Franck) Ribéry and (Arjen) Robben – they’re two players who attack but they’re also two of the first guys to be defending so if they can do it, why can’t we?”
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On if this was the best that the team has played all season
“I think we played well tonight. I think we’re also coming off of a good game in Portland but I think every week we are gaining a little more confidence in what the coaching staff is asking for and we showed that tonight.”
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On the next match NYCFC
“We play once a week so there’s always a chance to get revenge on teams but the game against New York, we didn’t play our best and we know that we are going to correct the mistakes that we made and look to have a good resolve next weekend.”
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MICHAEL PARKHURST
On what the 4-1 win does for the team’s confidence
“It was a great performance from the team. Everybody stepped up. We talked about it being a big game for us coming back home playing in front of our fans for the first time in a while. We talked about really having – or wanting – to take advantage of our home games. We were able to do that tonight. We put them on the backfoot from the beginning. That was a great performance from the team. Hopefully, we can build on that next week.”
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On if the team knew that they would dominate possession
“We knew that we would dominate the possession game. It’s not really Houston’s thing to hold onto the ball. They like to sit back and counter attack so we knew that we would have the ball. We wanted to dangerous with it and we wanted to make sure we didn’t let them counter attack us and I think we did an excellent job of that tonight.”
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On Miguel Almirón
“He’s special. That second goal was – not many guys can pull that off. The quick touches in the box like that and to get the shot off so quick and so powerful. He’s so important for us, obviously. He’s really talented and on top of that, a great guy, so we’re all happy for him.”
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JULIAN GRESSEL
On what today’s performance meant:
“As a player, you always try to bring the best every day. I have dipped a little a few weeks before probably and now with the goal I get little more confidence so I am just happy to still be playing and starting, even if it is a different role. I don’t care about adapting to different roles. I am just happy to be on the field and obviously try to play the best every time I step on it.”
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On his goal
“I really can’t tell you anything about it. All of a sudden, the ball just bounced in front of me again and I just tapped it in. I knew I could run off on to the ball if it was laid off well. Then, the ball got caught under my feet and then it was just behind me and I really have no idea what happened behind me until I saw the ball again.”
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On the team’s confidence since the Portland game
“I think the result didn’t give us much confidence but it was the way we played in Portland. We had a feeling they (Houston) would sit in today and give us a lot more space on the ball in our own half so we knew how that was going to be. Just like Portland, we were playing pretty well out the back again, creating chances and we put those chances away when we had them.”
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On Miguel Almirón
“He is a special player. He hits that top corner twice after a full sprint/run. Not a lot of people can do that. I am glad he is on our team and he did that tonight.”
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HOUSTON DYNAMO COACH WILMER CABRERA
“We got punished by one of the best players in this league. (Miguel) Almirón had unbelievable opportunities, (an) unbelievable night and he was very clinical. He punished every mistake that we made. In the back, we didn’t tackle. He was clinical and he was good. He showed why he is one of the best players in this league right now. It’s a hard lesson to swallow but it’s an important lesson for all of us, for the team to regroup and to start working harder defensively.”
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“As hard as it looks, we were creating some chances. We were in a good position, but every ball they had on target went in. Even though we had one good chance to put the game 2-1. That would (have made the game) a little bit even but they were more clinical and we still aren’t finishing our opportunities. And, then, defensively, we were making too many silly mistakes that they punished us very hard.”
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“We had some fresh legs – some fresh players – to try and give us a few more possibilities because no doubt with Wednesday-Saturday games you need fresh legs but overall, they were better than us. (Miguel) Almirón showed why he is such a good player and for me that was the reason. He made the difference during the game and we weren’t able to hold him.
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“We haven’t defended well. We haven’t defended the way we should defend. Also, when we attack we lost that quality attacking. We created options but we didn’t score. When you have one or two chances, you have to put those away, especially with teams like this. They are coming after you and today, they had a wonderful night and they were much better than us in all areas.”
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ERICK TORRES
“We are saddened because of the outcome. We did a good first half and on the second half we dropped the intensity. It hurts because we are the ones who made the mistakes, the team was playing well. It wasn’t as if they dominated us or that they pressed us. At the end, they are the ones who were able to finish the plays and we made mistakes that cost us. We leave with tough loss.”
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“We have to keep improving. We have to improve in the defense and in the offense, we have to prepare well this week. We are going to have a long week. We have an important game against FC Dallas, we know that for Texas fans this is a derby game. We have to prepare well. We have to work hard, there is no other way but to work and improve in the areas we have been lacking. Hopefully against FC Dallas we can have a good game on the road.”
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A.J. DELAGARZA
On Miguel Almirón
“You saw him on that counter attack with myself and (DaMarcus) Beasley, he took off. He’s very fast and technical. He’s got all of the tools to be a great player in this league, but if we make our tackles he doesn’t score two goals and doesn’t get a PK. It’s on us, but yes, he’s a very good player.”
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