Head Coach Ben Olsen
On earning a point against New York City FC…
“It’s a great point. We had guys playing out of position, and a lot of players did a little bit extra throughout the game to find a way to get something out of this. I thought it was one of those games where we could have stolen all three points, but in the end we’ll take a point."
“We lost our shape at times because their spacing is good and some of our players weren’t well-rehearsed in the new roles they were put in tonight. On days like this can we get something out of the game through grit, work rate and selflessness? That’s what I asked the team and that’s what they gave me. I’m very proud of the group."
On adjusting to missing players…
“I still think there were times where we could have connected the game and secured the ball after we won it back but we just didn’t do a good job of that throughout the night. That resulted in wave after wave of sustained pressure from them. To keep Villa and Moralez off the board and out of the run of play is a tough task for any team… let alone a team that had quite a few guys missing."
"It was good to see [Chris] Durkin get minutes and to also get Ian [Harkes], Ulises [Segura] and Jalen [Robinson] another game… there were a lot of new faces in there. When you add more players like this and can grab something out of a difficult match, it helps everyone feel like they’re a part of this.”
Forward Wayne Rooney
On the result...
“Obviously, it feels like a bit of a loss at the moment, after conceding the late goal. We wanted to win the game, but the way the game went we ended up defending a lot more than we wanted. The defense was brilliant tonight, unfortunately we conceded the goal, but a point overall away from home is a good point.”
"I thought the lads did really well defensively, needed a bit more going forward, but it was a difficult game for us.”
Goalkeeper Bill Hamid
On the performance…
"We left a tough environment with a point. I wish it was three, but it’s a point so we got to be positive and move forward."
On the grit the team displayed in the game…
"Yeah, it’s a tough environment to play in. The pitch is not very good at all and the weather made it a little slick. The pitch size made it difficult to find the right spacing, and made it very difficult for both teams. They tried to play out the back too, but we ended up starting to win balls in their half of the field because you can’t play attractive soccer on this field so we made the most of it and got a point."
On playing the next seven matches at home…
"Let’s hope for seven wins."
