New England Revolution head coach Jay Heaps

I thought our first half was really good. I thought we dictated the game we dominated possession. And we did a good job and scored the goal I thought Diego (Fagundez( did a nice job and we inserted Chris Tierney into that offensive winger position as a winger left back and it worked out. Unfortunately, our second half we dipped a little bit. It’s kind of been counter to what we’ve done this season where we’ve been better in the second half. So, an area to work on is definitely the way we came out in the second half, a little bit flat, gave up a little bit control of possession and had to grind it out rather us of kept the way we were playing in the second half.

First and foremost, [Juan Agudelo] does everything out there. You watch him, he does everything for the team. He does all the little things, the hard work, gets his toes in, he’s defending on the top of the box. So, right away he jumps up in that the players buy into what he’s doing. His ability around the box he just shows he’s really crafty he’s really got good body control. The two goals he’s scored have been, to me, pretty incredible goals. He’s kind of leaning, just getting his body there and just getting enough on it and those are what goal scorers do they find a way and he’s doing that.

The way we’re playing right now it’s very fluid in the offense but we’re pushing where Diego (Fagundez) is and it’s a little bit wider and he has a little bit more freedom and so, he’s getting good match-ups. I think that he’s an intuitive player as well just like Juan (Agudelo) where they can sense weaknesses in an opponent. We show them film and they read that but once the game starts they sense where they’re going to take over what areas. I think Diego is becoming a complete player. You see him forward and back doing both things and the better he is defensively the more he does offensively.

The game will dictate who steps up and for me we just got to keep playing the way we’re playing, which is aggressive to start, aggressive of where we’re winning the ball, where we’re getting opportunities and Diego (Fagundez) and Juan (Agudelo) and Jerry (Bengtson) and Chad (Barrett) and Saer (Sene) are going to take advantage of those … I think the way our midfield is playing, the way Lee (Nguyen) is finding gaps, he’s really being difficult to defend, and Kelyn (Rowe) did a nice job when he came in. So when they’re playing well, those guys play, it’s almost like a pendulum that swings that way cause they’re on the end where the midfield gets ball pressure to the other team.

If you notice Saer (Sene), I thought it was really good … for me, I’m looking at it like an international signing at this point. We’ve had a little glimpse of him but we know he’s got so much more and I think you’re going to start seeing him start to pick up in training. He’s well ahead of schedule but now we’re getting a confident Saer where he knows his body can do what he wants it to do and tonight showed.

If you look at the guys that didn’t play tonight that we have, we’re going after it. We’re just going through it, going through injuries, but A.J.’s (Soares) ready to go. Darrius Barnes didn’t play tonight and Darrius has played excellent for us. Kalifa (Cisse), (Andy) Dorman, Chad Barrett, Dimitry (Imbongo), the way we feel about Tuesday, with the game on a Tuesday with the following game on a Sunday we’re going … there to win.

I think Matt Reis has been an excellent person for this role. He’s helped Bobby (Shuttleworth) along the way. But make no mistake, Matt Reis is pushing Bobby everyday in training. I’m telling you Matt Reis is, obviously, everything that happened around his family he’s been here every day, he’s been pushing Bobby and for me Matt has been a true professional allowing Bobby to get better every week. It’s a good place to have, it’s a good competition but it’s also good mentorship.         

New England Revolution defender Chris Tierney

I’m just trying to be consistent and do the things that I do well. Make sure I’m trying to keep the ball for us, and when I get the chance to whip in good balls in the box, but also defensively just try and use my experience and organize things and just try and keep the guys going.

I’m happier about three points than 100 starts, but like I’ve always said I’m really proud to be from New England and to have 100 starts for this club is something I never thought would happen and it’s a dream come true.

We talked about it in that this is a classic trap game. One where they are desperate they haven’t won I think in eight or nine (games), but looking at the film they are not a bad team. They’ve got players that are dangerous and can hurt you. They created a few half chances here and there, but we knew if we focused 110 percent there was no way we were going to lose this game at home

I think with the players that we’ve brought in and the depth of our squad we expect to win games whether it’s home or away. We’re confident if we are firing on all cylinders and are playing smart and come to play that there are not that many teams in the league that can hang with us especially here on the turf.

I didn’t have much of a reaction to be honest with you, and I think it’s one of those where I look at it from the soccer side, the whole (Robbie Rogers) being gay thing, it’s great that he stepped up to the plate and doesn’t feel like it’s an issue, which I don’t think it will be. It’s something that I really haven’t thought about; I think about it from the soccer side. I’m honestly surprised that LA’s willing to throw Mike Magee in that deal who’s been a clutch player for them. From all the conversations I’ve had with guys in the locker room, we just talk about the soccer side of it, which shows the feelings about an openly-gay player. We’ll look at the soccer and that is pretty much all that matters.

Yeah, I honestly don’t think it’s an issue (if a teammate is gay). Soccer is a game where there’re guys from all the world, different cultures, ethnicities, and sexual orientation is just another characteristic that you check off the box. So it’s not something that I think guys would even talk about. We look at it from the soccer side.

New England Revolution midfielder Diego Fagundez

I think it all comes out as a team play right there: just Chris (Tierney) with his good balls crossing, and me just on the back post.

I do look at (games) again, and I’ll want to see how the play is and how we created it, and what are the movements that I’m doing if I do miss a chance or if I do score I can do it again in the other games.

I think it all starts because both (Juan Agudelo and I) speak Spanish. The other thing is when we work together we try to communicate with each other, so I think that’s why we are going positive now. We just have to keep talking and communicating and then move forward.

I actually like (switching) a lot because you don’t have one side to stay on the whole game you can move around and test the defenders you’re playing against. If you play 90 against just one defender he going to know what you’re doing so you just switch it up and they get confused.

I think we wanted to start on our winning streak now and we had a good game against Houston and now we’re having a good game against Toronto. Every time you win a game everyone gets more confidence.

Chris (Tierney) just gives a perfect ball right to the foot. Chris, you can see him do that even at practices. Ten out of 10 times he won’t mess one up.

It was one of those where you say it’s going out of bounds or it going to curve right in. Once (Chris Tierney) played it, I kept staring at the ball, and once the defender took his eyes off me I just had to go straight at the ball.

New England Revolution forward Juan Agudelo

I feel very happy to come into the team – to feel part of the team, by helping us win. Most importantly, as a team, we’ve achieved six points since I’ve been here, and I’m really happy because every single win, I feel a lot closer to the guys.

I’m just trying to get comfortable with the guys, trying to build chemistry with them, understanding where they like to be played, and where they will play the ball to me.

It’s awesome (to play with Diego Fagundez in a free style of play). I feel like that’s me and Diego’s style of play. Since I’ve been here, he’s been right next to my locker. We get along. We have a great partnership so far, and I’m excited to keep working with him.

Simply, the hard work: starting from the back. If you see our defense, it’s probably one of the top defenses in the league, and now that we’ve been able to get goals, we’ve been getting a lot of points lately. Most importantly, there are a lot of players that work hard for us to create those chances.

I just feel like I have to crash into the six (when Saer Sene got free). That’s where a lot of the goals - that a guy playing in that point position - are scored. So that’s what I try to do: be in the six. Great play by Saer (Sene), and he was able to get me the ball. It was all him.

I think it’s awesome, because we get along with each other really well. We compete. Even if we’re doing shooting drills, we say, ‘Oh, I bet I can score more goals than you,’ stuff like that. It just makes every player in their position better.

(Diego Fagundez is) really crafty. He’s been in this league for a long time, and he’s learned a lot. It’s awesome to have that type of player that almost goes under defenders’ legs.

I’m still getting accustomed to the players. It’s not just the goal-scoring. Kelyn (Rowe), one time, had a ball to cross in the near-post. Now I know next time to make that run in the near-post. Every single day I’m learning.

It’s definitely a lot more defending (playing in the midfield), but whatever it takes for us to get three points. Most important is getting the win. We’re in a good run right now, and we want to keep it going.

Toronto FC head coach Ryan Nelsen

We didn’t start well. I think the first 20 minutes was not what we wanted. When you come away from home especially against a team that is pretty confident and you give them that start, that wasn’t good. But as the game progressed, we got better and better. Second half of the first half we got better and better and you could see it coming. The second half was 66% possession and some really good chances …

It is very frustrating, when you put in a performance like that, out possess the team, out shoot the team on their home field and you go away empty handed. As I said, we started slow which was not what we wanted but for 60 minutes of that game we were what we can be but that’s the frustrating position, it’s just a tease.

Of course it takes time. This is seven years of mistakes that have been made that you kind of have to deal with. As I said, what is frustrating about this team is, as I said, we out possess the team we out shot New England and I don’t think we truly believe in ourselves that we can be a good team. It is frustrating. If you think it is frustrating for the fans, think of the players and the coaching staff. But it will take time and we’ll bring in players of quality that mentally and physically will be very good players in this league, we’ll slowly change it, change the mentality. Once they start believing in themselves, we’ll be a very good team.

Well yeah, we brought in players because we had to. There was absolutely nothing here when we first came into Toronto. Absolutely nothing. We had nine players out with injury today and that was big for us. We missed nine players which could have helped. But when we come back, Danny Koevemans, Bobby Convey and a few guys back for next Saturday. We are always looking to make the squad better and improve it. It will take time, but again what is frustrating, apart from last year and the years before is as you can see the performances are good. Again we out shot them and out possessed them and we come away with nothing. We are very close and we just have to keep working hard.

Obviously it is going to be very tough (with Darren O’Dea on international duty). But he is playing for his country and if players want to play with their country - the Canadian guys will go away as well - you can’t deny that from a player. But yes it will be very tough.

Very important, this is an extremely important game. As I said it is seven years of coaching that we’ve been trying to break. We will, we will break this and we will become a very good team. As I said, we just need guys that start to believe in themselves and a bit more time and a few more players and this will turn. I will be more worried … what is frustrating that we are not getting beaten three or four, we’re not getting opened up, we are not getting smashed. That is the frustrating part.

(Jonathan Osorio) was fantastic when he came on, changed the game for us. Personality, from the start he has been brilliant. John in 45 minutes did more than the majority of guys do in 90 minutes.

Toronto FC midfielder Jeremy Hall

We just didn’t come out in the first half. Second half was a lot better. We created chances but couldn’t finish and it’s very frustrating.

I think in the second half, our stepping was a lot better, with more authority. We have a good backline and we tried to get on the ball and try and play things but it’s just frustrating because we haven’t played a complete game yet and that’s what’s hurting us right now.

We have the talent in here to do it and we still believe in each other. It’s just about playing complete games right now and hopefully we’ll get this first win soon.

Toronto FC forward Jeremy Brockie

It was a disappointing game. The first half compared to the second half was completely different. It took halftime to make us come out and play. By then it was too late because we were already one-nil down. Like I said, we created a couple of opportunities in each half and we got to take them. Otherwise, we make it difficult for ourselves and we have to go and try to change the game with a goal late in the game.

In the second half we started getting Matias (Laba) and Jeremy (Hall) on the ball a lot more. We’re looking to be a passing team and when we go through those channels, we need to keep the ball on the ground a bit more at times, pass through the thirds and get the ball wide to get an opportunity in the box.

I’m here to try and help the team. I don’t think my standards in the first half were not up to scratch. In the second half as a team we were much better. We’ve got to go back to the training pitch this week and work hard to try and turn it around, because soon or a later it is going to be too late and a playoff spot will be out of reach.