Veljko Paunovic, Chicago Fire Head Coach
On the match as a whole:
“First of all congratulations to our player on a great effort … especially in the second half, I think we had opportunities, we played well and I thought we could tie the game. I happy for them and I’m happy about having the identity of playing hard until the end trying the tie the game. So I am proud of our players. I also want to congratulate Toronto for winning the game, I think they deserved it. On our team I think we have to move on and work for the next game, consistency, faith and hard work is what we have to put together.”
On Sean Johnson:
“I think he had a decent game, I think it’s always better when we win the game, the overall performance of each player is better. I think all our players were trying hard to play the game plan that we had prepared; in the second half I think it was much better.”
On Michael de Leeuw:
“I think Michael came fresh in the game, first game, he adjusted very well to the pace and demands for this league. I think he’s building the trust now with the teammates and connections. We could see his was very dynamic in the box, very dangerous. We expect him to overall improve our performance in the attack and score goals; there is no pressure of him of course.”
Jonathan Campbell, Chicago Fire Defender
On the match:
“I thought in the first half we just didn’t adjust to what they were doing. Cheryou was getting the ball and we weren't getting a man to him. So then were less spread out and we just didn’t adjust to that. In the second half I thought we did a better job adjusting. It was a pretty wide open game and we were also getting a few chances as well.”
On containing Giovinco:
“Watching his film, he checks off the back line pretty hard to get the ball. So we tried to prevent that as much as possible. You don’t want him coming at you already turned. So if we could get to him while his back is to us, which would be the best opportunity for us to stop him. I think we did a decent job.”
Sean Johnson, Chicago Fire Goalkeeper
On the match:
“I thought we came out slow as a team. They came out and carried the tempo a little bit. We were on the back foot early which is difficult to fight back into the game but the fighting spirit was there. We unfortunately did not pull one back in the end, but that is the spirit we are going to need going forward. When you face situations like this when you are down in a match and you are backs are against the wall you have to dig your way out and display enough character like we did today.”
On how he prepared to face Giovinco:
“Giovinco is hungry to score. He’s hungry to pull the trigger from anywhere. He’s always looking to take shots, no matter if it’s the first minute or three minutes into extra time he’s always going to look to get a shot on goal. He’s good player and dangerous player. You have to anticipate early and get your feet set.”
On the slow start and how match preparation factored:
“No I think the past few games we started well. This is a one off for me. The spirit has been high we’ve been doing are part. You can’t really dwell on the fact that we started slow we’ve got to find it within ourselves to see what’s going on in the match and make the change and go forward.”
Michael de Leeuw, Chicago Fire Forward
On how it felt to make his MLS debut:
“It feels good. But at the end of the game you lost 1 nil. That obviously doesn’t feel good.”
On the atmosphere in Toronto:
“I think the atmosphere was great. The fans in Toronto made it nice for the fans so the atmosphere was good. I came here for three points and a win and we didn’t do it.”
On how the level of play tonight compared to his prior experiences:
“It’s a little bit similar. They want to be quicker to the goal. It’s similar but it’s harder. You have to find your way and just play. I think for the first time I had a chance. It would have been a great debut if I had scored but it was okay.”
