FC Dallas coach, players speak before DC United match

Well, hey, I know it's maybe start with the, the big picture question. I've just been a few weeks since your team last was uh in action on the field. Uh And in that time, you've had two new additions to the team, begin to train as well as probably some guys like Jesus and Allen get healthy. Uh Just what's the state of the squad right now? And how have the last few weeks? What are, you know, what are some of the things that you've tried to do to get this team uh ready for the rest of the season? So, yeah, so as you say, I think that uh so to have all those prayer back um and that uh crucial moments. So, um it's, it's very important for us and talking about the new additional players so very good. We have been working hard to get those two players. The club did like amazing job. Um So now we all know Juan, OK, from the past, he had been one of the best right back wing back in the league for the past maybe decade I will say. And, and at the same time, we know that in that position, we can, we have Emma uh Paul sometimes can play in that position. So now he's gonna play in the, in the, in his natural position. We're gonna say or maybe not. Let's see, we're gonna see, we're gonna see that on, on Saturday, but at the same time to create a little bit more competition. Um and that uh practice environment is good because everybody is pushing more, everybody wants to play. They can see that uh we have new players knocking the door. So, so all that uh new environment for us is um is, is, is beautiful. It's, it's very good and, and as you say before, with the players like Jesus, with Alan uh Velasco coming back. So all the, we, we have almost like a full quad of co of course that we have like uh Giovanni uh out, we have uh Liam out. But uh to be honest, the the team and the roster like is looking pretty good. We need to be very careful or be with the player who are coming back from injury. Uh I know that we had a crucial moment as a uh uh as I said before, but at the same time, we need to be uh we, we can be so innocent. So we need to not panicking because of the situation uh and the ranking. But uh just with those players, we need to be uh very uh very careful because um even if they are not playing the game, that coming game, but we know that I don't want to lose them playing that game and to lose them for under the eight games. So that's why we need to be smart with that. We are working all together with the medical staff and uh we'll try to make the best decision, uh uh about those, uh those players coming back. Thanks for that coach, I, I do want to ask you about Alan Velasco. I know there was a lot of, there are a lot of rumors as there should be about a player of his caliber on social media about returning to Argentina. One of the reports said that it was uh se Dallas head coach. It was you who, who put the end to some of that speculation. I'm, I'm curious if you could comment on that. Uh and, and really what does it mean to have, have Allen back on the field in practice uh down the stretch? So Nathan, I'm gonna tell you something. It's not like um I think that the statement even from the club, from Dan, from Clark, from uh from Andre is like who won the best team because this is who we are and this is what we want to do and uh we want the best team and then uh all the talk with uh with a Boca with the River Plate and all the players, as you say before are very good. That of course, we always gonna receive offer for players like him. He's a, he's a real talented player. So it's good for us at the same time because the world can see what we are doing a little bit with our players, what the club is, is doing with uh with those players. But it's not just, I'm not telling Nathan, it's not me putting my foot in that. Uh It's, I think it was more like a club decision. We are all in the same boat. We are all on the same page. We are going the same direction. We are the crucial moment moment right now and we want the best player, we want the best player and then in the end of the season and all these things. So we have like the more talk, but right now we want the best. We want the best players. Thanks coach. Thank you so much, Nathan. And let's go over to Drew, please. Hey, coach could see yesterday. Uh How are you doing, Drew? Good, good. Yeah. Uh You touched a little bit on how, you know, you're expecting a little bit out of Alan, a little bit out of Jesus, you know, kind of some patience. Uh Are you kind of preaching that for the fans to like, hey, be patient with these guys? You know, they're still not 100% game fit or is it more like you're just trying to, you know, ease them back in. Like what, what's the mentality there with a fan in the end? We know we, we know we all know all the respect that we have with the family. They are, they are part of the club. So it just be patient with the fan. I'm not going to tell them that because and they want to see wins. Uh they want to see uh wins, wins and wins. So, so for me, we are ready, you know, like, uh for the fans to, to fire back and saying that they need to play in order to play. But we understand that it's part of the game. We don't have any problem with, with that, but it just us here, even with the technical staff and the, and the, and the medical staff that we need all that pressure that can be on us about putting them back and we want to see them right the way. So just no panic, we still come and we make, we're gonna make the best decision for uh not just for the team at that moment because maybe the best decision is to put them in. It's a just for them, their health. That's uh that's the key, that's uh that's the key. This is, this is why we're gonna do that. Like uh it's gonna be a prog progression. We have to, we have to trust the, the process, we have to trust the process of that player because in the end, Alan Velasco is a nine month out, nine months and one week, maybe so. So we, we need to uh to be careful with, uh with him with Jesus. The same thing is a muscle injury, you know, that all was he had like that injury in the past. So we don't want to see uh Jesus set back and that's uh so it's a just, it's a just like uh, managing our emotion too and, uh, we want to see him back, even me, you know, that everybody wants the same bag, but we need, we need to be careful. Yeah, I guess you guys talked a lot about nine game playoff, you know, from here on out. Um, what are you guys really hoping to get out of these next nine games other than just points and wins? But what's it really also gonna take to get a win away from home, especially starting this weekend in a place that I think you haven't played in since 2018. So it's a little kind of unfamiliar territory. Yeah. So just, um, ff for us, it was good to have like those, uh, moment all together because it gave time to the players who are out to come back. Uh, we have like a two weeks working well and, um, progression with, uh, with all those pairs with like Jesus Salah and Patrick. So Asi, so, um, our talk right now, the fact that this, this year, we didn't do so well. Uh on the road doesn't mean that we need to panic right now. Um What I've been saying in the past, even in that week is just, we need to be a, we need to be us, we need to be uh that protagonist team that we can be at home. Um I it is the same thing on the road. Um uh We can be so different from the team home and the team on the road, we need to have the same identity and of course, um if the game is going on our way, the adjustment that we can do that is a bit uh different, but we just need to be us, we just need to be us and, and all like just thinking about like, hey, we didn't win away and no, no, no, no, we don't panic. Um We, we want, we, we have a plan. Uh I want them to enjoy, I want them to enjoy suffering. I want them to enjoy scoring goals. I want them to enjoy like defending a goal because defending a goal is like scoring goals. I it's just like being us. We don't need to be so worried about, about the others about this year, about the other team that we're gonna, we're gonna be faced, but it's just about us. We need to control ourselves. That's it. That's, it was the main focus in those weeks. It was just being us do not be worried so much about them if we can be us. So trust me that we're gonna have like a lot of chance to win the game. And with, with DC this weekend, um, again, like I said, haven't really gone there since 2018. I only really see them kind of once a year, but you did play them in preseason. Is there anything to lean on from that game? And that experience in this one? II, I, yeah, it's a, it's a totally different because maybe they, they change, they change the format, they change, they change the shape, um, in the past two or three games. I don't know if they're gonna keep, uh, playing with that shape. And to be honest, uh, the, the shape in the last three games that they have been playing, uh, with, he was very good. It was very good for them. They have a result. So, so that's why it's a totally different at the preseason game. You know, the intensity is not the same, everybody is coming and playing with the heavy legs. So with no fans. So it's gonna be totally different. We know that. So that's why we didn't, uh, we didn't talk about that game. It's a just now like, um, they have been, they did like a pretty good in the least cup and that shape that I've been talking about. So, just talking about what they did in the past 345 games. And, uh, and, and, but more worry about us, to be honest, of course, we analyzed a little bit the, the, the opponent, but it's just, it was more about us. Yeah, you mentioned heavy legs in preseason. Are you worried about heavy legs from a three week layoff coming back this weekend? So, so he's a, he's a too think I can see so, or he's a, I would say overworks, uh, the fact that you are playing in the DC and you play every 33 days and we play, you play. So here we can have a legs or yes, all the ocean that not playing at all. And, um, and not being ready for that. But I think that we, with all the game that we have been playing in the past, remember like in July and August, it was like, it was crazy like, uh, playing every three days. So I think that for us, I'm not telling you that I'm happy about the disco what we did, but at the same time, some of the person who needed to raise the rest and, um, all the players that didn't play in the past in the last three months they came back. So I think that for us it was, um, it was good to, uh, to have that little break. Yeah, last one for me is just, how's the locker room mentality been the last couple of weeks? Especially as we're building towards the restart here this weekend. Uh Very good. Uh Drew very good because we have to understand that uh Leagues Cup is a one competition. ML A won the, another competition and the last three games. So the boys, the, the players, they won like um two games and they t the last one against New England. So I say is the fact that we lost to the two games in the least C but in the MLS, to be honest. So they are, they are doing very good. It was like a nine point, it was seven point of nine. So in the MLS doing good. So we, we cannot throw that in the garbage. This cup is one thing, we are just, we were mad about that uh that situation but now his, his pass is done and we need to be focused uh of MLS because the only thing that is important for us is to make the playoff and the fans, they deserve that. And we want, we want to do that for the fan and for the club, Sebastian first came back after a long break. Yeah, this is, this is the, these are the last nine finals for us. You know, we know how important they are, we know how much um we wanna get off to the right start and you know, even getting the first away win, you know, this is, this would be huge for that. Uh for this group uh in particular. And, you know, we're, we're focused, we, we, we, we've taken in the last couple of weeks, we worked really, really hard on certain things that we know we need, we need to get better at. And um yeah, now it's just about playing Sebastian Que as premier mue nue finales ums Croque Cinco in Casa de Visitante, Imo Queta um de Port uh Nogas uh Deviant to via in consist um lo TMO Marco first game back after a long break. How important is this first one? Uh It's very important, obviously, it's gonna be a stretch of nine games and very important games to, you know, make a push into the playoffs and, and, and try to, uh, get something out of the season. Um, obviously, all we could do right now is let go of the past whatever happened happened. Now, the focus is on this first game against DC and, uh start off on a good note. You guys had almost three weeks off. Uh What, what did you work on primarily over that time? Yeah, obviously we're working on, you know, solidifying the, the details that, you know, we, we were maybe missing, um whether it was defensively the low block and, and whatnot and, you know, it's more so just collectively everything together of how we could, you know, close out games, how we could maintain a win and, and, and whatnot. So, I mean, I feel like there's a connection there. We've been working hard these last uh couple weeks. Uh we working with different formations and, and, and stuff. So I think the guys are ready and you know, we're looking forward to Saturday, Spanish port as the premier partido. So some parts Importantes para plays.