FC Dallas head coach Oscar Pareja
On the first half of the game…
Pachuca is one of the best teams in Mexico. The game had a lot of intensity. We had some surprises in the first five minutes. It took us seven minutes to adjust to the game. After that, the reaction was great. I saw a team, for 38 minutes, that had a lot of heart, a lot of ideas. Tactically, we shaped ourselves well. We believed we could win the game. We were able to equalize. We probably could have scored one more goal. We controlled Pachuca much, much better after those five minutes of the first half.
What were your thoughts after you went ahead, 2-1?
After we got the second goal, we wanted to go for another one. The attacking mentality of this team was never absent. I would like to say that this team is a great representation of Major League Soccer. People can see what MLS is doing. We wanted to score more. I saw the guys were in the zone. I wasn’t going to stop them.
On competing in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions’ League…
It means a lot, having the opportunity to play at this stage of the competition, in the semifinal. We’re not playing a friendly game. This is something meaningful. It is that competition that makes you feel we can do things here in soccer in America. It makes you feel that we are doing the right things in the league. The league is on the right path. Our players and coaches need to feel it and we’re not saying that we already beat Pachuca, this is a series that is open. But we should all be able to believe in the things that we do. That is the only way that I can feel that we can achieve things.
On Kellyn Acosta…
Kellyn is not only scoring goals, he has been very consistent in his performance. I can see him continuing on this path. I think he is a phenomenal player. I think America has a fantastic midfielder there. I know him enough to say that he will keep his feet on the ground throughout his journey. I hope he can continue to help this team and help himself with these types of performances.
FC Dallas midfielder Kellyn Acosta
On his set piece game winner…
I thought I struck it well, hit it right and put it right there in the goal.
On the play of this team tonight…
We showed a lot of resilience. We were down an early goal, but we had strong belief that we were going to win the game, so the guys kept pushing. We were rewarded at the end. It was a great fight by the boys and we’re glad we came up with a 2-1 win. Hopefully that can translate into our next game and we can go on a high note, motivated and hopefully close it out over there.
On playing against Pachuca in Mexico…
It’s going to be tough, but we have an advantage being up 2-1. We just need to finish the job. The job is not over yet, but I mean that win really helps.
On Saturday’s match against the New England Revolution…
We’re happy about tonight’s result but we have to change gears. We have a big home opener against New England and hopefully we continue on a high note and win the first game here at home.
What was the team’s reaction to going down a goal early?
Stick to our plan. Even though we were down a goal, keep working hard, keep battling and keep fighting. The goals will come. We were rewarded. We battled the whole game. That’s how the game goes. We showed the resilience that we weren’t going to leave here without a win. That’s exactly what we did.