LEBLANC’S THOUGHTS ON BROOKLYN FC’S WIN OVER PORTLAND HEARTS OF PINE
Can you speak to a little bit about your players and their personal development through the course of the season? You’ve only played a few games in this very long season, but the confidence seems to be there and the belief in their own abilities coming together as a team. Can you just speak to the individual effort that adds to the collective ideology of the team?
“Yeah, I think that is the idea, right, in a nutshell, that the collective is always going to be stronger than any one individual. So, look, I think confidence is a good word, but resilience is probably a better word. These guys were not operating fully yet as an organization, as a club. It’s gonna take us some time to get there. So, I think, they’re growing, they’re learning, they’re getting better. The results aren’t always there. Today they were. But the commitment has always been there, and the resilience has always been there.”
How has it been from a coaching standpoint? Just building brick by brick, what the Brooklyn men’s soccer team identity is, and how fortunate and proud are you coaching this group of talented players?
“Yeah, look, it’s hard. I won’t lie. It’s very, very hard. It’s a process and it’s one that I sometimes have to remind myself that you can’t have it all right from the get go. Yes, but the guys, if I were to take in, and tell you all the stuff, the guys have gone through and all they pushed around in order to be where they are right now, you’d probably be very, very surprised. All that said, I’m proud of them more for, forget the result, the result aside. I’m proud of the performance. I’m proud of the way that we play, that we stuck to what our identity’s supposed to be. And I think by the end of the year, you’ll see a picture of a team that is not only reflective of who we want to be, but what this city wants for their football team as well.”
MATCH REACTIONS
Markus Anderson, #35, Forward
Can you speak to the mindset that that you had going into this game and just how how did your body feel? And what was your mindset in finding your space and making the most of your chances?
“Today, my mentality was, I knew that today we had to win, without a doubt. Going in, especially in every game, I feel like you gotta have fun and enjoy it and play as a team. At the end of the day, you’re not gonna win solo. You gotta win as a team. Our team played great today. Mentally, overall, was amazing. Everyone fought, everyone defended, everyone attacked, and that’s what’s being asked for every time.”
What is it like to put on the Brooklyn jersey and play in front of this community and get big wins like this for the fans?
“I grew up in Brooklyn, Fort Greene. Just putting on this jersey just means everything to me. Number 35, the same number I had before, just playing for the club is something I can’t really explain in words. It’s a feeling I’ve had since I was a kid, and putting on the jersey just makes me feel happy.”
