D.C. United 2, Atlanta United 1: What was said

On if the team overextended itself in the first half: “No, I don’t think we overextended ourselves at all. I think you have to be able to play that pace for 90 minutes if you want to be a professional footballer, and an Atlanta United player. They probably changed slightly tactically in the second half to cause us a few more problems than in the first. We weren’t as creative as in the first half. I don’t thin by any means that we overextended ourselves in the first half. That’s the expectation that we have to that group of players that are playing.”

On the last minutes of the match: “They were better second half than first half, giving us a little more of a threat. But, I still felt that we were in control. We made positive changes to inject some more life into the team. It went a little flat for periods, so we tried to put pace in and we achieved that. We lost a goal off a free kick, that was just a set play where we lose a runner and they score a goal. So, from there the roller coaster is that we throw everything at it. There is a huge urgency level that goes up and you can see what it meant to the players and we managed to get on level terms. From there, we are still slightly open going for a winner. I don’t consider that we were too open, we were in position to defend but we didn’t do it properly. There’s a huge roller coaster of emotion in those final minutes. We are down, we manage to get back on we think we are getting ainner, but then you get the wind knocked out of your sails at the end. It’s up to us to get back up for Wednesday night now.”

On what he wanted to see from Marcelino Moreno tonight: “We were expecting him to play at the top end of the field. He’s almost in between a second striker and a classic No. 10. An advanced midfield player picking the ball up in dangerous areas, which he did quite a lot tonight. In the first half, it looked like he was more in a free role, or that’s how the game panned out. We needed a bit more defensive work from him, which he gave us at times. In the second half, he was more of a creative influence on the game which is what we wanted. He’s doing what we are asking from him. Like we’ve said before, it’s not going to be easy and having an expectation or a burden pushed right on him. But, he’s capable of coping with it and will be a great player for the club long term.”

On the offense tonight, particular the interchange and creating of chances: “I think the positions that the team got into, there should have probably been more production. More shots, more quality on crosses, better final passes. When you only score goal with that group of players, and the goalkeeper hasn’t been hugely tested, I don’t think you can be satisfied with your night’s work. That’s the whole group. Likewise, you can’t be satisfied with letting in two cheap goals, that goes for the whole group as well. It’s not to single out individuals, things should be better at both ends of the pitch collectively tonight.”

Atlanta United defender Brooks Lennon

On how this loss impacts the team’s playoff chances: “It’s a very frustrating loss; heartbreaking loss. Got back into it 1-1, and just a heartbreaking loss. We still have a couple games left and we’re going to fight until the end. So, we can’t give up and we’re going to do everything we can to try and slip into the playoffs. But just devastating loss.”

On the energy of the game: “I thought we were energetic. I don’t think that was the problem. I thought we had a lot of possession, we looked dangerous at times in the first and second half, we had a couple goal scoring opportunities. Just two cheap goals that we gave them. I thought we were dominant for 90 minutes. I think they thought they were going to lose this game and I think all 11 players on the field for us believed that we were going to win the game the entire time. Even coming out of halftime we had high spirits and we were feeling good. Came out in the second half and we were possessing very well and creating some chances. Then we conceded an unfortunate goal and then equalized. It was great to equalize, and we were on the front-foot and then we got caught. As I said, it is frustrating, but we are not going to give up. We still have games left and we are going to push until the end.”

On the feeling after Jon Gallagher scored: “After we had equalized, after Jon scored, everyone on the pitch was ready to go after the second goal and try and win the game. I thought we had all of the momentum. We had them on the back foot. We were possessing, we were playing in their half, getting crosses in, regaining the ball when the ball would pop-out; we were just all over them. Then we just conceded one of their fluke counter-attacks. Just very disappointing because I thought all of the boys, and even the atmosphere, we were pushing to get that second goal to win the game.”

On if the team over-extended itself in the second half: “We were coming into this game with a very attacking lineup. We have so many attack-minded players in this group, especially tonight in the starting 11 we had the likes of Barco coming back into the side, which is great to see, Marcelino, Jurgen Damm was flying up the wing. It was a very attacking-minded group. Coming into the game we knew we were going to have a lot of the ball, but we needed to take care of their chances offensively. In the first half, I don’t think they had any clear-cut chances. They made changes going into the second half and they caught us on the break a couple of times because, as I said, we have a very attacking-minded group. We were trying to push for those goals to try and win the game. You have to look on the other side of that and be aware of their counterattack and those guys going forward for them. They definitely changed their mindset and their tactics.”

Atlanta United midfielder Jon Gallagher

On the result’s implications on the playoff race; team morale: “It’s a bitter pill to swallow, obviously with the way the game went, with coming back into it, equalizing late on and then conceding almost immediately after. It’s a tough one to take regardless of where you are in the table. But, look, there’s still 9 points left to play for so that’s the mentality we’re going to need, and we should have, going into the last three games.”

On getting back on track for Wednesday’s match: “I mean we’ve got nearly everyone back fit. Hopefully get Franco [Escobar] back soon, too. So, we’ve got plenty of options. The boys will be raring to go, especially when there’s opportunities like this. Guys will want to take their chance. And we have a really strong squad, so we think we have to look to that for these last three games. The boys are going to have to step up and obviously take those opportunities.”

On why it always seems that allowing a goal is what this team needs to kick on: “I don’t know. I don’t know. It’s very tense at the moment when we play. I feel like, as you said, sometimes we need a kick in the backside before we get going. I really don’t know the answer to it, but it’s definitely something that has carried through this whole season. If you look at the games that we’ve won, we’ve been on the front foot from the start and we’ve scored the first goal. I don’t know how we get that every game, but it’s more of a mentality thing if I’m being honest.”

If it’s fair to say that whatever the team is lacking is why the team is not above the playoff line: “As I said the games that we have won, if you look at our best performances, we’ve been on the front foot from the start and we’ve dictated the tempo – and not let teams get into games. Even if you look at the last time we played D.C., we had an early goal and we completely suffocate them. Whereas today, I don’t know what it was, but we just let them back in the game. It was poor management from the players in those last few minutes. We should have pushed for another goal or seen it out and get the draw.”

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Atlanta United coming games

Wednesday at Orlando (6-2-4), 7:30 p.m., FS1

Nov. 1 vs. Cincinnati (3-6-3), 7 p.m., FSSE

Nov. 8 at Columbus (8-1-3), 3:30 p.m., FSSE

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