April 6, 2017 at Sylvan Lake Park
Availability: HC Anthony Pulis
HC Anthony Pulis
In a 3-1 win over Toronto FC II, Pulis said he was pleased with the performance.
A lot of good stuff. Was really pleased with the performance. In possession, out of possession, thought there was some really good individual performances. The team shape looked good. It was a real positive for us. But that’s done now. Like, after we go through the video debrief with the players and reflect and go through the things that went and the things that didn’t go well, that’s put to bed, and now we’re straight onto the next game—a little quick turnaround. Tough game on Saturday against Charlotte, for sure.
The win over Toronto was OCB’s first victory of the 2017 United Soccer League Season.
Of course it does. Winning breeds confidence. I don’t care what level of football you play. If you win games, you’re always gonna be a little bit more confident. So, mood within the group is good, but now it’s important that we kick on and we don’t think that we’ve made it now after just one victory. It’s important, now, that we regroup and we make sure that we’re ready. It’s gonna be a stiff test on Saturday for us.
When asked about the challenges the Charlotte Independence pose, Pulis said “a lot.”
A lot. They’re a good side. I like the way they play. They were really impressive last year, and we’ve watched some tape of them in preseason and obviously the first game [with] Charleston last weekend. They got some dangerous players that they press well, they’re really well organized, got good shape, and they’re pretty expansive in attack as well. So, it’s gonna be a really difficult test for us.
The focus after the match with Toronto has been on recovery.
Well, straight after the game, your recovery for two days. It’s kind of making sure that everybody takes care of their bodies—the nutrition, the hydration, the rest. Everything then—the soft-tissue management to make sure that everybody’s replenished and ready to go again. I think I haven’t made any secret to the guys that we’re gonna have to rotate the squad. When you have so many guys in a short space of time, you have to rotate and move players in and out, and everybody gets that. It’s a squad game. IT’s not about 11 players. So, today was a light session with a little bit [of] tactical emphasis at the end, and, then tomorrow, we’ll kinda see what MLS players you’ve got and pick a team and do a tactical session based around the game.
When asked about his relationship with Orlando City SC head coach Jason Kreis, Pulis said the two communicate daily.
The relationship’s great. Jason’s fantastic. We communicate a lot with each other. Our offices are literally 10 feet apart. We communicate daily about players, and he lets us know the players that he wants to play and the players that [will be] with us in our squad. But I can make the decision on whether they play or not. So it’s kinda twofold, and it goes from there. But I understand exactly the role of this team. This team is to develop players, and if the first team gives us players, and they want them to play, then we play them, and we hope that they perform well and they buy into the standards and the values that we set on a daily basis.
