BJ Callaghan & Jacob Shaffelburg | Pre-match Media | ORLvNSH | 29-August-2024

yeah uh training's been going great um again opportunity to just kind of get back together analyze from last week uh look at a few things that we can improve and then how we can also apply some things that Orlando is going to uh challenge us with um you know getting keeping the group together going on the road we know it's a challenge in the MLS but it's a challenge that we're looking to embrace as we know it's sort of our path to achieving the the goal of making the playoffs uh we I mean it's no Oscar is a great coach at Orlando um you know and his team is going to be organized his team's going to be prepared uh you know I spoke to the team today and I said the the the result that they had on the weekend versus Kansas City is a complete outlier of the form that they've been in uh so we are expecting a team that's going to be hungry together uh ready to compete on their home field uh so you know we need to we need to be prepared to match the intensity uh from the start great thank you we'll start with Jacob yeah um BJ you know you you have two week two week break immediately after this and that means you know you'll have played about two games and about five weeks by time you go play Atlanta I guess is there a point where that becomes a hindrance after so much time off or is it still a benefit most of you is you're s new coach with new systems you're trying to put in place I mean we look at it right now as every time every day that we get together is an opportunity for us to uh improve uh improve on what we want to do improve on how we prepare improve our processes inside here is even working together so um I don't you know I think for us it's just we look at all these situations as uh you know opportunities to commity to get better uh and move move the group forward just kind of looking at Orlando obviously you talked about oscar but they have kind of a a lot of players who can kind of pop in a bunch of different roles in their attack I have three guys who can start up front kind of at any point how do you kind of balance what do you expect them to do just kind of from a philosophical standpoint while also kind of knowing that there's some things that can change from a personel standpoint how do you plan for that yeah I think for us it's just about being really clear on what we want to do um they are they are a team that has tremendous individual Talent they they have attacking uh you know I would say really good attacking talent that moves all over the field um and and their their shapes are adaptable so I think for us it's just about being very clear on on the structure that that we want to have um not getting caught in to who's playing where but just about the spaces that we think are important to to defend um and we want to do it as a collective unit and that's what we're all about is doing it collectively and so we we we know the types of challenges that a really good attacking team like they're going to present uh but for us it's staying true to sort of our our structure and our principles uh and and not getting caught into sort of all the uh interchangeability that they that they present on us yeah and then kind of just MLS as a whole feels like maybe one of the the hardest leagues to play on the road um I know you've talked about kind of what you want to do from a from an approach perspective does that change at all when you go on the road and if so how do you balance still wanting to be proactive um and create chances and all that while also kind of just realizing the realities just difficulties playing away from home yeah I mean it's yeah it statistically tells you across the world that it's it's hard to win games in this league in general and it's even more difficult to win games on the road um and so for us it's about being pragmatic in our approach not changing who we are not changing our identity but at the same time understanding that you know we need to find the moments and and the opportunities to exploit uh the opponent and what they give us uh and take advantage of those moments sometimes the moments on the road are a little bit less uh but they still are there there's still opportunities to win games and we just have to look to we have to uh recognize them and seize them is the best way is the best way that we talk about it um but not you know not changing away from who we are philosophically and from an identity uhj looking back at the game against um Austin um there was you were setting up the team on a on a three front three and the middle four back whenever you have no ball uh it looked like that way uh and then um I well the first part of the question is this this is part of your culture is that what could we're going to see or it would change depending on on the Rival and where you play and the second part is with that formation really uh the fact of the first goal the way it happened I was thinking is is that was it a problem with the with the approach of that particular play was it or is it an issue with the system whenever the team is still not used to play games yeah so so I'll take the first part I don't think we don't look at uh our identity and based of a system based we do it in a principle based so I think that gives us the flexibility that if we need to be adaptable in different sort of shapes we can we can do that we can present it because our principles of the way we want to play and the way our players uh see the game uh remain very very similar so our identity wants to remain the same even if the players get put into different sort of positions and I think that can adapt throughout a game and it can adapt as a as an opponent adjust so I think in the Austin match you saw a team that was adjusting between building in four building in three dropping Pera down between the center back so as they continue to adjust we have to continue to adjust in our starting positions but not not necessarily our principles that that always remains constant uh the first goal that you bring up um for us is you know we talked about it as a team after we analyzed it it's a little bit of it's I would say twofold right um we're able to find Shaq into a really good attacking position and he's able to create a penalty box entry and the goalkeeper saves the ball so now that moment we've changed from a finishing Attack Phase into basic basically like there's a moment of transition to get our shape and then we have to change into more of our midblock and so it's about that recognition and now understanding that if we find ourselves if players find themselves in a position that might not be theirs they have to assume that role uh and so you know we talked about being quicker to recover as a team uh knowing that we want to have still have our back line intact so maybe somebody else has to fill that position until Shaq has the opportunity to recover and then also just the feeling of the group is now the goalkeeper has the ball he runs up to the top of the box and for us is that a time to like engage or is it a time to just slowly you know recover and Retreat because we had just gone on a fast attack so it's part of that team jelling um but at the same time just kind of again these moments uh but I mean again it comes off of a a promising a promising attack that I think we just have to be a little bit quicker in the way that we uh transition our minds from the the different phases the different phases that we're in we'll go to valer on the zoom hey BJ obviously the weekend that was the situation in the first half um I'm just curious this week has that come up in your team meetings and how have you on the guys handled that uh I mean in the sense of in the sense as it come up in the team meetings yeah we we have you know we talk about being able to be a team that responds to different challenges that are thrown at us throughout the match um and you know so in that first 30 minutes we had a a few different challenges and so it's learning about how we can stay together stay true to our identity and our anchors uh that drives our that drive our behaviors um and being a team that gets really good at responding to some things that maybe aren't always in you know in your control and so we we definitely talk about that because those are team those are moments in game that are great learning lessons for all of us in the sense that uh you know whether it can be referee bad calls or it can be Miss penalties or you know other incidents that occur um you know we have to be able to quickly respond quickly adjust uh and and continue to you know continue to to remain true to ourselves so yeah of course we you know that was a great learning opportunity for all of us so we want to we want to uh address it uh talk about it and and and you know at the end of the day the ultimate goal is to get better from it go ahead another yeah and I'm just curious I'm looking at the table in the Eastern Conference I mean it's it's especially where where where you guys are it's just kind of all over the place with a point or two separating those spots I'm just curious how much of that is going into your thinking and how much of that is something you and the players are looking at um um when it comes to that because it's really anything can change within a game or two yeah I mean we're we're clear with our short-term objectives here is to make the playoffs so we we certainly know where we are in the table we know how many points separate us from Ninth Place and eighth place we know the opponent's schedules upcoming we you know our schedule's upcoming and everything all of that is context on how we want to approach each and every match uh because that's ultimately the Stepping Stones you know we have eight more Stepping Stones here to get us to our to get us to our our you know short-term objective that we started here as we resumed MLS play so uh we are all very aware uh very focused and working every day to to achieve that goal yeah it's been a lot of fun um I guess on a personal level it's I've been playing a bit more on the right side so um and playing more in the pockets so it's not my game but it's it's nice to to try to add that to my game I guess and he's been giving me a lot of confidence to play in that spot and and kind of try it out so it's been a lot of fun honestly personally um and as a team I think he's made it super clear for every single one of us what our job is and what we have to do in certain situations and uh yeah I mean he's just made every practice really competitive as well so it's been a lot of fun for us yeah and then kind of just I mean you mentioned the game against the US um obviously a lot of your your Club teammates have have played for the US before um I'm I'm just curious from your perspective does that kind of obviously it's a big game either way but is is there some a little bit more enjoyment maybe knowing that you can have a little bit of trash talk with them about the game it's a it's a weird one for me honestly I thought about it a few times like I love Campo the US is given me a lot too I came here when I was like 14 to the US so I got a lot of respect for the US and all that but of course it'd be you know a lot of fun to trash talk a few the boys about the us but I got a lot lot of lot of respect for it because the us because it's it's given me a lot so yeah all right you you already mentioned that the fact that he's switching you to the other side of the field and that's siging up to your game was it difficult already to actually adjust to his ideas his principles like he were saying to us earlier and then is that a second ingredient on the plate for you to be able to actually perform on a different position that you used to yeah um I think it's it's been like I it's weird I kind of said this right before Copa to learn a lot about soccer stuff I guess but it's been like a crazy amount of stuff that I've just uh learned about cuz I had Jesse Marsh it was like a whole new system and I came back and I have BJ it's a whole new system so it's like seeing the the similarities between the two has been really cool and the differences and more stuff to learn it's been a lot of fun um and then for the right side it's it's it's funny like we'll do drills and I'm like I feel like my my break is just like oriented to left side like I'll just automatically go to left side every time but it's just like figuring out getting on the right side um but it's funny I mean I've loved it I've loved it it's just adding to my game which is much needed I think um I have a lot to to work on and learn so it's been a lot of fun now how do you feel that's going to work when you go back now to the national team and actually switch your brain to the other side again yeah I mean it's a bit easier switching it back to the left side I think but uh it's nice to um to know that I can play on the right side if it's needed at the national team as well so yeah I mean it's easier going to the left side than the right side well go to on Zoom hey Jacob obviously you were on the pitch last weekend where a rather strange incident occurred um I'm just curious were you aware of what happened when we were playing and afterwards was it hard to get back into the game after something like that happened that's not usual yeah I wasn't really aware of what happened um I think a few of us were just confused and of course it's going to throw you for a loop if someone gets uh subbed off like that with with not knowing a lot of information so it was it was a tough one but I think we responded well on the field to um play through whatever happened God I don't know yeah and and one more uh Jonathan Perez has been has been uh one player of the match actually last match and it's kind of been a new addition on the wing playing the opposite Wing than you can you have you been working with him in the training ground and like when are your first thoughts of him yeah he's a great guy um he always just calls me Canada so I call him Mexico um those are our nicknames right now for each other um I got nothing but good things to say about him I mean he's been amazing out there I've been learning a lot from him too because uh he plays on the right side um being left footed so I I'm taking a lot of stuff that he does um and trying to put it into my game as well so he's been he's been a great addition to to the for us on the field and also in the locker room oh [Music]