Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter
On the win
“Orlando was throwing some numbers forward and it became difficult. We stayed strong, they had a couple opportunities but we didn’t break. And I think that’s important. Late phases of the game when you are winning are always difficult, but we managed through it pretty well.”
On Ola Kamara
“Ola is just exceptional with his movement. When he gets into position, he’s a very good finisher. We need our strikers to be mobile, we need him to be running behind the opponent's back line. Ola is a very good fit for that type of striker.”
On Zack Steffen’s potential
“He has loads of potential, that’s clear. The poise that he plays with for such a young guy is something to behold. He’s done a great job and I’m excited to see what he is going to be in the next couple of weeks”
On the next match vs. New York
“One objective is to win the game. We know they are a good team, and they have a very similar style to ours. It’s going to be a fun game. That’s what leagues are about. Until the final day of the season, you get to play for something meaningful.”
On Kaká
“I’m glad you asked, because it was special to be able to share the field with him tonight with this last game in Orlando. He’s a class player, on and off the field. When you talk about guys in the history of soccer that have made an impact, he’s way at the top of the list. We’re gonna miss him in Orlando, miss him in the league, and I wish him the best for the remainder of his career.”
Midfielder Federico Higuaín
On tonight’s match
“I think it was a difficult match. We knew beforehand that Orlando was a challenging opponent, especially at home. The weather does not help with the performance but we had to play at this time of day, we did the best we could and we were lucky to be able to take the three points.”
On the first half
“I think our plan was to attack during the first 20-25 minutes, to try to get some chances because we know Orlando is a team that creates a lot of chances early in the games. It was unfortunate not being able to finish the passes. It was a tough match but we were lucky that we scored and were able to win.”
On the playoffs
“The [Eastern] Conference this year is a lot stronger than last year which makes us really happy. I think the playoffs are a different kind of tournament. The team that makes the least amount of mistakes is the one to get the points.”
On Kaká’s last match
“I wish him the best. He played a couple of years with MLS and I hope he keeps playing and being happy wherever he goes.”
Forward Ola Kamara
On Kaká’s last game
"We knew it was going to be a tough game. Of course when a player like Kaká is in there, they have some other quality players of course but we stuck to our plan and executed it well. I think we did the better game this time and we had a lot of chances during this game."
On scoring 17th goal of the season
"I feel very good. Scoring on my birthday so it’s good. It’s always good. And I scored 16 last year so scoring 17 this year is good and there’s still one more game so it feels amazing."
