INTER MIAMI CF 1 – TORONTO FC 1
INTER MIAMI CF (1) – TORONTO FC (1) POSTGAME SUMMARY
SCORING SUMMARY
TOR – Federico Bernardeschi 45+2’ (Lorenzo Insigne)
MIA – Lionel Messi 45+5’ (Telasco Segovia)
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
TOR – Kosi Thompson 18’ (caution)
MIA – Telasco Segovia 45+1’ (caution)
RECORDS (W-L-T)
Inter Miami CF 4-0-2 14 points
Toronto FC 0-4-3 3 points
LINEUPS
INTER MIAMI CF – Drake Callender; Ian Fray (Marcelo Weigandt 46’), Tomás Avilés, Gonzalo Luján, Jordi Alba; Robert Taylor (Fafa Picault 46’), Federico Redondo (Yannick Bright 78’), Sergio Busquets, Telasco Segovia (Santiago Morales 78’); Lionel Messi (C), Luis Suárez (Allen Obando 69’)
Substitutes Not Used: Rocco Ríos Novo, Noah Allen, Maximiliano Falcón, Benjamin Cremaschi
TORONTO FC – Sean Johnson; Kosi Thompson (Kobe Franklin 79’), Sigurd Rosted, Nicksoen Gomis, Raoul Petretta; Deybi Flores (Alonso Coello 73’), Jonathan Osorio (C), Federico Bernardeschi, Lorenzo Insigne, Theo Corbeanu (Maxime Dominguez 73’); Ola Brynhildsen (Derrick Etienne Jr. 73’)
Substitutes Not Used: Luka Gavran, Kevin Long, Lazar Stefanovic, Matty Longstaff, Markus Cimermancic
ROBIN FRASER – HEAD COACH, TORONTO FC
Q: I don’t know what that was like watching as a coach, but it was pretty entertaining from where we were. Was that more like it? Your team showed offense and on defense there were a lot of your players putting their bodies on the line to stop Miami. What did you think of the performance?
Really a ton of credit for the commitment that we showed tonight. We’ve talked about being engaged. We’ve talked about the fact that moments have hurt us, and I felt like tonight again, the engagement was really, really good. We certainly made it difficult, as you said, throwing our bodies in front of things, just it felt like a group that was really committed to winning. So really proud of the effort. Certainly we’re pleased with the way the game went. A little bit disappointed. We thought maybe we could have done more with some of the chances, but then again, they could have as well. So overall, really a lot of credit to the group for how much they worked, how hard they worked. And again, even the guys who came in, it was a really, really good team effort.
Q: Federico Bernardeschi, aside from the goal, actively and involved in the attack all night, but he made a couple key sort of blocks as well. Can you speak to what you thought of his performance tonight?
Yeah, again, a really, really committed performance. Unfortunate not to score more given some of the, really it was determination on the attacking end, just pure determination. Got him into some good spots and unfortunate not to score, but that same level of commitment we saw, or I’ve been talking about is evidenced by some of the saving headers he made, some of the tackles he made. And certainly when your biggest players put out that sort of effort, it’s good for the team.
Q: Just when it looked like you guys we’re going to take that lead into halftime, Miami scores. Can you walk us through both goals and the quick swing of emotions right there?
Yeah, it was such a, we were really sharp in getting the ball into Fede [Federico Bernardeschi]. He had a lot of people around him. It looked like he’d lost it for a second and then just stayed with it. And again, keep talking about determination. That was an effort for me that was typified by the determination showed by the team and by Federico [Bernardeschi] tonight. So yes, there was a thought that we were going to go in to halftime up a goal, which would’ve been great, allow the game to settle down a bit. And [Lionel] Messi the best player who’s ever played the game. It’s hard to contain him. It’s hard to stop him, I should say. And he found a good spot. And his finish was that of a very, very good player. So we were disappointed not to take that lead into halftime, but I thought that the group really held together and came out in the second half and put out a very strong defensive performance and still was able to create quite a few chances going the other way.
Q: Federico Bernardeschi and Lorenzo Insigne showed some tremendous chemistry and Insigne really got stuck in tonight. A performance that TFC fans will rave about. Can you speak to how they played together and what you thought of [Lorenzo] Insigne tonight.
Yeah, I think they have, as you mentioned, good chemistry and a pretty good understanding. And oftentimes you see Lorenzo [Insigne] playing balls out to Federico [Bernardeschi] when it doesn’t even look like he’s looked, but he just has a good sense of where he is. And that’s really, I think Lorenzo’s [Insigne] thing for us right now is that he’s able to hit passes that really get guys going in the attack. So I thought his ability to find some of those passes was really good. But once again, and I spoke about this last week, his defending effort has been tremendous. And you talked about getting stuck in being responsible in his positioning, cutting off passes with passing lanes, and then when he had to get into some things he did as well. So I thought it was a really committed performance by Lorenzo [Insigne] and really by the whole group, but I thought it was a really strong performance.
Q: It’s early days in your tenure as head coach here, but with these performances against the last two weeks against top teams, obviously converting into a win as the next step, but are you seeing the signs of the team getting to where you want it to be?
I think we’re definitely moving in the right direction. And we’ve talked, I think we spoke in the press conference this week about progress. And Joe Public is not concerned about progress until they see results. But as I said, I know it’s going to be a process and I’m really pleased with the commitment we’ve shown over the last couple of weeks. We really talked about engagement a lot for the last two weeks and playing against the best team in the west and then the best team in the east. And being able to come out of that with some points, I think really speaks to the level of engagement that the team is now playing with. And to be clear, I feel like that has to be the starting point. Doesn’t matter how good the tactics are, it doesn’t matter how good the players are, if the level of commitment isn’t there, level of engagement isn’t there, you’re never going to get results. And I think the starting point is this sort of effort and this sort of commitment and now it’s continuing to put the pieces together as we build into the attack and to get sharper there, but to not lose any of this engagement that we’re seeing defensively.
Q: Was the plan always to bring in Maxime [Dominguez] around that 70th minute mark? And I know it was a short little period of time, but what did you make of his cameo appearance?
Yes, the plan was to bring him in around that time, certainly in our advice from the sports science department that it made sense to integrate him this way as opposed to throwing him in from the very beginning. What he showed was, again, good determination. He’s quick, he’s agile defensively, he’s quick to get to things offensively. He’s got a really nice first touch and good ideas for him to be thrown into a hectic game like that. And really the brunt of it was about working and defending. I think you already see the character that he has and over time people will see the quality that he has on the belt as well.
Q: What was the halftime team talks sort of like for you? What do you say to them to keep them from sagging as you go into the second half and keep the confidence level high?
To be fair, when I came in, they were already, I think I had to do an interview I guess before I came in. So the players were already in and they were already at each other to keep it up and keep going. So in terms of having to keep them motivated, I didn’t have to do that. They are well aware of what they need to do and it was a good feeling to come in and hear them encouraging and pushing each other. And then we talked about a few tactical things offensively and defensively. But again, the engagement is I think the main theme for us right now. Because as we continue to work on things and get better and sharper with the ball and get better and sharper in the attack, what comes before all of that is this level of commitment and engagement. And I think from top to bottom, you could see it throughout the team tonight.
Q: I just wanted to ask you about Sean Johnson. He was there when you needed him and as a former defender, I’m sure you appreciate having a keeper like that at the back.
I think we’ve talked about this before. As a defender, I hated when we had to talk about the goalkeeper because that meant that felt like we didn’t do enough. But that is why he’s there. And the two saves he made in succession early in the game were huge. And then certainly throughout the night, his ability to get down to some things, make some saves, snuff some balls out with people around. I thought it was a tremendous performance. I would love to not talk about Sean [Johnson] as much, meaning we don’t give up the chances that we do, but that’s why you have goalkeepers and that’s why you have a good experience goalkeeper. I thought tonight he really showed his mettle, his experience, and was really kind of unflappable throughout the night in the face of a lot of pressure, a lot of heat.
SEAN JOHNSON – GOALKEEPER, TORONTO FC
Q: Can just talk about the performance of your team tonight. I mean, this is a very good Miami side. They were full of marquee players. What did you think of the way that your team went pretty much toe-to-toe for over the course of the 90 minutes?
Yeah, I think it was a performance where I think we took a lot of pride in what we were doing tonight, especially on the defensive end. I was proud, like everybody really committed to tracking back and putting in an effort and it showed, we get our chances going forward and ultimately a result in a tough place to play. I think on the night both teams had pretty good opportunities and so I think we’ll look to build off of this performance and we just have to continue with the humility, with the need for hard work on a daily basis.
Q: I was really impressed by your teammates. The way they basically put their body on the line in front of you tonight, as Robin [Fraser] said, showed a lot of commitment. Do you see this and the performance last week too? Again, more of a platform for this team to build on?
Yeah, I think what’s important is we’re starting to see a so much pride in our 18 yard box defensively and as a collective unit, I think we’re taking pride in doing more than what’s asked and really putting ourselves on the line for each other to do whatever’s necessary to keep the ball out of the back of the net and it’s slowly becoming the culture and the feeling and expectation of the group. So all I can say is I’m proud of the guys from the back line on forward and how they showed heart and so much pride tonight defensively.
Q: What is it like facing [Lionel] Messi? I mean, anytime he touches the ball, anything could happen basically.
Yeah, I mean [Lionel] Messi’s obviously the best player, a world-class player to, in my opinion, to ever play the game. So yeah, I think they’re a team that has many also world-class players around him. With [ Luis] Suárez and [Jordi] Alba, you go down the list. So I think our mentality today was to come out and just deal with a team. Obviously we were aware of [Lionel] Messi, but their team has a ton of threats, but I think we were locked in on what we set out as our game plan on both sides of the ball and we were more worried about ourselves.
Q: You touched on this a little bit with your answers already, but the word Robin [Fraser] has been using to describe this game was engaged and I just wondered what that meant to you?
Yeah, I think when you say engaged, it’s not taking any plays off. I mean, I think we know every play matters and it’s a game of moments and I think being engaged from the first whistle to the last, I think there’s never a time in which you feel like there’s a lull or there’s a moment where we switch off and we get hurt. And I think that’s a testament to, it’s a mentality. It doesn’t just start in the games, it has to start with us as players every day coming into training and being engaged on a daily basis. So as a group we’ve been growing and yeah, I’m proud of us tonight.
Q: I just wanted to get your thoughts on that last ditch block from Nicksoen Gomis there to keep the game level out. You spoke a little bit about how nice it is to have guys putting their bodies on the line.
Yeah, obviously big play. Everybody stepped up at different moments. I was proud of him. I think the response in the moment, everybody was just locked in on making sure the ball didn’t hit the back of the net. So yeah, we were there for each other tonight and that’s just a really important moment that kind of showed the total mindset that we had as teammates tonight.
