PHILADELPHIA UNION (1) – TORONTO FC (1)
Toronto FC on Saturday, August 9, at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania draw vs Philadelphia Union, Djordje Mihailovic made his Toronto FC debut as a starter, becoming the ninth player to debut for the Reds this season.
Malik Henry and Djordje Mihailovic registered their first assists for Toronto FC.
ROBIN FRASER, Head Coach Toronto FC
Q: In a lot of ways, a gutsy performance against one of the best teams in MLS. How did you feel about how your team played on the night?
I think you’re absolutely right. Another really gutsy performance. That’s the thing I really admire about this team is that they just don’t really quit. To give up a goal here in the first three minutes – how many times have we seen that over the years turn into six? So, the fact that we gave up I thought a pretty poor goal early on could have been a little bit of a back breaker. That’s right. So really huge credit to the team. They just dug in and they fought, and this has to be one of the hardest places to play in the league. The way they play, you can’t take a mental break. If you do, they punish you and they’re very direct and literally if your weight’s on the wrong leg, you can’t recover. I mean they attack that quickly. So really proud of the effort to keep ourselves in it and then really to create some chances down the stretch, I can’t really say enough about the performance.
Q: Did you sense that the goal was coming? Because it seemed like those last 25 minutes you were really pressing the issue on them.
It felt like we were knocking on the door for sure. But again, with them, they’re such a good defending team and they can turn nothing into goals very quickly. So, while it felt like there was a chance that we may score, we certainly didn’t want to get complacent and feel like, oh, it’s coming, it’s coming. This is a group that if you give them half a chance, they score. So, I thought our team was resolute in defending, but also quite competent and comfortable with the ball and the attack in certain areas. And as a result, we created a number of pretty good chances. Some corner kicks late. A great save by [Andre] Blake, unbelievable clearance by [Nathan] Harriel. That would’ve a hundred percent been a goal. But like I said, they’re a very good team and they don’t have any quit in them either. So, this was a really hard-fought game. I’m really proud of the performance our guys put up.
Q: The goal from two substitutes, I mean Malik [Henry] plays a nice ball into the box and Deandre [Kerr] shows a lot of composure and sort of headed down. What did you think of the play?
Fantastic goal. There was some really good work to win the ball on the left side and came into Djordje [Mihailovic]. He was able to find Malik [Henry]. I think it was Oso [Jonathan Osorio] that made a great run to really free up Malik [Henry] a bit. And this is something we’ve seen Malik [Henry] do kind of all year for the second team and real credit to the second team, the second team staff, how they’ve put him into this position, really groomed him to take care of the ball and provide service out of really good situations. And like I said, we’ve been seeing Malik [Henry] do this for the second team kind of all year. I’m just glad that when he got the opportunity, he had the composure to do it here. Puts a great ball in. And DK [Deandre Kerr] has scored, I think three very, very good headers this year. And it’s just showing every time he’s out that he’s becoming more and more reliable and dealing with crosses. So overall really, really happy with the goal. I thought it was a very good move and a really good execution by a couple of guys.
Q: Djordje [Mihailovic] started, and he pretty much goes the full distance. What did you make of his debut?
I thought he was really good. I thought early on he provided some through passes that really could have turned into things. He’s very quick to recognize where there’s a window to play something in and it’s one thing to be able to recognize it. Maybe not be able to quite execute it, but it seems that he’s very capable of finding windows very quickly and executing balls at the right passes, at the right weight and that sort of thing. So, I thought he was really good for us. And then the other side of it, we had to dig in and fight today and we see that Djordje’s [Mihailovic] also a fighter and he ran and defended and really worked hard. Yeah, it was a good performance by a number of guys today. And certainly, in speaking of Djordje [Mihailovic] and Malik [Henry] as relatively new guys on the team, it was great to see because this is what a team is, you have to have a number of guys who are ready to step up at any time. And I thought today there were a number of guys who did.
Q: The team’s best performances this year have come against some of the best teams in the league. I got to think that’s got to give you a good feeling for the future.
Absolutely. I didn’t know how you were going to finish that and what the question is exactly going to be, but 100% we’ve shown that we’ve played really well against certainly the top teams. I don’t know how many times we’ve played teams this year that are first, second or third in either conference and really feel like we’ve stepped up and battled and fought. And I felt like tonight it wasn’t just battling and fighting, but we found some quality with the ball, created a number of good chances and obviously created a very good goal.
Q: Your thoughts on how Luka Gavran stepped into that role tonight?
I thought Luka was really good. Thought he was really good. Most of the night I can remember maybe one misstep, but other than that he was quick to read things, quick to get off his line. We’ve seen Luka [Gavran] make big saves all year in training. Certainly, the one that got called back that the midfielder had a pretty wide-open shot from top of the box. Great save. And we’ve seen him do this all year in training, so no one’s really surprised by how well Luka [Gavran] played. But still, once you get into a proper First Team game, you never know exactly how someone’s going to react if they haven’t had a lot of minutes underneath them. But I thought Luka looked very confident, composed and was very solid.
Q: It’s been a pretty long time for the guys away from BMO Field. Are you looking forward to showing this team back home?
Well, I am always excited to go to games with this team because what I believe now is that we’re going to show up and fight every day. And as a coach, that’s the first thing you asked because nothing else really matters if you don’t fight. And they’ve shown that they can fight, and they can compete. It’s another really, really good team next week, which is going to be a huge challenge for us. But given the character of the group, I know that we’re going to fight and we’re starting to see more and more quality with the ball. So, I’m certainly excited for it and hoping that we can give the fans something at home that they can be really excited about.
MALIK HENRY Midfielder, Toronto FC
Q: Congratulations! A big point against one of the best teams in MLS. What did you make of the team’s performance and effort tonight?
Yeah, we knew it was going to be a tough game. Obviously, Philly’s top of the table in the East, so we knew, we know that they were a hard team to play against when we all put in the same effort and have a good collective mindset. So that was really just the goal going into the game, make it a difficult game, physical game, be tough to play against. And yeah, I thought the group did just that and we were able to pull out a point in the end.
Q: What makes Philadelphia so tough to play against? Because I mean, they came out just storming.
They’re a team that plays on the front foot, a physical big team, and they just look to go at you and put pressure on you. So, we had to match and try to better that pressure and intensity. And yeah, that’s probably what makes them a difficult team play against most.
Q: What, if anything, did Robin [Fraser] or the staff say to you when you were going into the game?
They always just tell me, to do what I do, not to stray away from what makes me, me as a player. So just to be dangerous on the ball, work hard, and just to continue to be myself. And it gives me the confidence to go out there and do what I know how to do.
Q: And your first MLS assist, can you talk about the play? How did it unfold in your eyes?
Yeah, I saw Djordje [Mihailovic] turn, made a nice turn and then the space opened up for me. I saw him play it to me, and then I looked up, saw the space in behind, and I knew DK [Deandre Kerr] was over there, so I just put it into the space where I knew DK [Deandre Kerr] would be running to and made a good play for us. So yeah, it was a nice goal.
Q: Maybe just your reaction to signing for the First Team? This is the first time we’ve spoken to you since that became official.
Yeah, it’s honestly an unreal moment. I still haven’t fully processed it all yet. It’s all been just like happened, just like that. But yeah, it’s been a dream of mine since I was a little kid and I obviously played in the [TFC] Academy, so I’ve seen TFC through all the ups and downs, at the highs and at the lows. So, I’m just grateful, blessed, and excited to keep working, be able to work with this group. I think we have a pretty special group and we’re just going to keep on pushing for the rest of this season.
Q: Maybe just give us a sense of how the guys are feeling. It’s been a long road trip and now you guys get to come home under the CNE Midway Lights next week against Columbus. What’s the mood like?
Yeah. We’re pushing every day trying to keep up the good vibes, trying to keep our heads so that we’re able to go into each game in a good mind space, ready to attack the game, to be on the front foot. And yeah, that’s what I’ve been feeling from the guys. The guys have been working hard all season and I’ve been able to see it firsthand now. So yeah, we’re just looking to go hard for the rest of this season.
Q: I wonder if you had a chance to check your phone yet as it’s probably blowing up.
Yeah. Actually, today I decided to put it on Do Not Disturb until after the game. So now I’m doing all the reposts and getting back to everybody now that the game’s done. But yeah, it’s been a pretty crazy day.
