Marlon LeBlanc’s View
What is your immediate focus heading into the next match?
“We’ve got a little bit of time now with the end of the kind of the FIFA window here, couple weeks before we play again. So it’s been a long, hard week. Three games in seven days is not easy. That was a fresh team that we played against. I hadn’t played since last weekend for us. Now it’s just about getting some rest, getting some recovery, and getting ready for the next one.”
How has the team handled the physical demands of a tight schedule?
“Yeah, it’s tough. We’ve got a small roster and three games in seven days. Isn’t easy. It’s not easy on anybody, whether they’re 15 years old or 25 years old. It’s a lot of games and a lot of mileage, a lot of travel, and so physically, they’re all still, for the most part, pretty healthy, which is good. We made it through the week. We didn’t make it through with any points, though, and that’s the part that probably hurts the most.”
How proud are you of this team and what you’re building in Brooklyn?
“It’s I think we want more results to go along with performances. We’re playing well, but we’re not winning games. I think I’m proud of the guys in the fight and proud of the character. I think the fans are proud of them with the way they played today, the way they’ve played every time they step on the field and they’ve seen them. We just want to be able to reward the players as much as we want to reward the fans with points.”
Match Reactions
Vuk Latinovich, Center Back, #6
As one of the leaders of this squad, what did you see from the team tonight?
“I saw a lot of fight. There was a lot of desire from all of us out there, which is why we’re all disappointed. We felt we deserved more this game, and I guess, arguably one of the best teams in the league, I thought we held our own. We had chances to win the game. Unfortunately, it didn’t go our way. But the fight that everyone gave is something that’s should be commended. All the guys gave their all. It’s just unfortunate that it didn’t go our way, and we believe it will start to turn to go our way, so it’s just a matter of time.”
How important is communication when making in-game adjustments against a strong team?
“Yeah, that’s a very good observation, and there was a lot of communication, especially against a good team like this, we needed to talk a lot. And you’re right, we did make adjustments, and I think it was noticeable, especially after the first five or 10 minutes. We made adjustments on the field, and it worked in our favor. So yeah,”
As a leader, how do you maintain belief and support your teammates during the game?
“For me, it’s just trying to throughout the game, positive communication with the guys, and just because I believe that whenever we step on the field that we can win, and I want to share that belief with other guys, even though I’m sure they all believe will win every single game, that’s is my job is just to try to reinforce that positive energy and That belief that we’ll win against anyone, and we showed that we can compete with these guys. So it’s a positive for us. So that’s, that’s my goal as a leader of the team.”
Gabriel Alcides Alves, Full Back, #3
What did you like from the team’s performance and how are you adapting to the coach’s system?
“I think we showed progressively throughout the next couple games that we need to be very intense. We work really hard in practice, and he makes sure that practice is harder than the game sometimes, so we can bring that energy in the game as well and adapt as fast as possible in his style, since we’re a whole new team and new players try to understand each other in the field. So first thing is always bringing the energy and being tense and compact.”
How confident are you that the team will improve and turn results around?
“I think we all as a team and family, we’ve been starting to feel that we’re starting to gel more and more. Obviously, it will take some some time, but since the beginning of preseason, we had a great preseason, so that gave us a good, positive feeling and confidence as well. The league is very tough. We’re going to get teams that will play more with the ball, teams that will play more long. So we’re just got to adjust and adapt, and we’re pretty sure we’re going to be in a great shape soon.”
What do you enjoy most about playing in Brooklyn?
“My favorite thing about playing Brooklyn is that how the community is involved, and how the fans are passionate about it, the team and coming every, every Saturday or or Wednesday, even if it’s cold or not. I we have some teams like that in Brazil that they’re very passionate about, and that’s what I was looking forward to come here, how the people in New York and Brooklyn are very passionate about it, and the city is my favorite city in the country. That’s the first time I stepped in the US. It was in New York. So it’s great for me and my wife, my family, to be able to be here now, living here
What advice would you give young defenders?
“I would say, be very humble and coachable with the coaches. I was a guy that wasn’t even a defender before I was a midfielder, so I was always thinking of being being open minded and coachable with the coaches, and try to be good on both sides of the ball. You can just be a good attacker, but then you can defend. So you got to be able to to defend and attack and make sure you’re composing the ball. I will say.”
