TH: Conditions are what they are we don’t get much of a choice in that matter. Most of our guys will have played in similar games somewhere along the way. It’s never ideal but it’s not really that much of an issue. We prepare the right way. Today was fine. We had a good training so whatever may come tomorrow, we will be prepared.
AH: These things are out of our control. I think players, staff - nothing’s changed. Nothing’s changed in the preparation in the game plan. Until we’re told otherwise about anything, we just prepare as normal and we’re ready for the game.
AH: For me I’m incredibly excited to play a game at home. For me naturally, it’s such a big occasion- first game, home, in front of the fans. That’s something I’m really looking forward to. It’s kind of a strange situation in the sense that your sort of halfway through the preseason. We’ve got ten plus guys that are new in the team, new coach, new staff so it’s kind of a funny situation. We want a little bit more time, but also this is a great game for us at this stage of preseason. I think if we didn’t have this game now we would want a game like this now. This is a good situation for us. Preseason has gone really well. We’re getting better every day. Every game we’re improving, and I fully expect tomorrow night to be the same again. I really expect the players and the Starting XI to take a big step forward in what we’re trying to do. I’m excited.
AH: I think it’s an opportunity for ourselves really. The objective of this period is for us to be ready for the start of the season. This is another tester for us. At no point am I sitting here going ‘I want to show MLS what we can do.’ That is not even in my thinking. I’m really, really interested and focused on us as a team delivering on where we’re at today. Delivering on a performance in relation to how we’re going to play. I want the mentality to be good, strong, for us to be together in terms of how we we play. I’ll come away from this game really pleased if we have made a progression from our last game. What outside people and MLS think is not my business. That’s exactly where we’re at right now.
TH: They’re the best team in League history - there’s your scouting report. They proved that last year. Incredibly quality up front, they rely on that a lot. They’re solid. Toronto is a finished product. They won the treble last year, so they’re coming in as a finished product. We’re growing by leaps and bounds every day. We’re trying to get better, and we will. We have our sights set on some great things this year, but that’s what you get when they come into town. Again, formidable because this team has been together for three years. This has been their plan all along. They’ll be a tough opponent and we know that. We’ve obviously prepared over the last week or so dealing with what we think they’re going to throw at us, then it’s on our shoulders. It’s out of the managers hands and onto our shoulders to perform and implement that.
AH: When a new coach comes in not many people want to hear that we are a work and progress and I understand that. We are pushing forward every day, almost forcing our way to make sure we speed things up as quickly as possible. We have players that have only just arrived, key players. Some of our other key players that were with us at our last camp have only been with us for 10 days, a couple of weeks. With that said it is early days, but for sure our target is the first game of the regular season. We have our sights set on that day. We’re incredibly focused on that. I personally don’t see any reason why we will not be 100% ready for that game. Again, similar to what Tim [Howard] said, Toronto is a finished product. This is three years into a team that has been together for a long time. This is not just a trial season for us, an experimental season. We want to be there in the playoffs at the end of the season challenging. There’s not questions about that. How we get there along the way, we’re not going to get carried away either way. We’re a young team, but for sure at the end of the season we will be there about.
TH: It’s been a fun challenge this preseason. The onus is on the senior players to take onboard what the manager wants from his players, from his team. As a player who’s been here for a few years now, I try to help those guys along and get settled. The club does a great job in terms of getting the families settled, all we have to do is focus on playing football. Then it’s just about digging in, working hard and trying to spend as much time together off the field as we can. Learn about guys. I’ve been in the game for 21 years. You build trust off the field. You never really build trust on the field. You have to put the work in, and that is what we’ve been trying to do. The manager is coming in, he has a really strong voice and a strong idea of how he wants his team to play, act and look. For me it’s just giving that to the other players. We’ve also brought in, it has to be said in our recruitment plan, some very very strong characters - some very big leaders who have played all over the world and I’ve seen it, so that’s a huge help to me and to this club. It takes time you build that along the way.
TH: We’re a family. We’re a young family. Weather that’s us playing cards in the hotel, joking around with each other on the bus, every bit of it plays a part. We’re going to fight like cats and dogs, the way you do in a family but when we win we’ll enjoy it even more.
AH: There have been reports about Joe Mason. We’re really pleased that we’ve come to an agreement with the club and the player. It’s a great signing for us. He’s a top player. Played at a really high level. He’s going to suit how we play, going to suit the League so now all we’re waiting for is the formalities - visas and these types of things. Hopefully he’s here as quickly as possible, he’s a great signing for us. We’ve also signed a new player Enzo Martinez who is coming from Charlotte [Independence]. We’re really pleased that he’s joining us and has signed. He’s coming in preseason and has had a really good preseason. He sort of surprised us really. He’s shown incredible quality, and also a huge amount of character and tenacity. We’re still looking so we’re in a really good place right now.
AH: The thing biggest thing for us has been we’re trying to make things as simple as possible in terms of how we want to play. Simple and clear. I think preseason for us has just been about just completely overloading the players with that, and as a staff making sure we help the players through it and keep the players accountable. As much as we can every day just keep demanding higher standards. The biggest thing for me that I want is that for our standards and how we operate as a team, how we train, the mentality, how we play on a Saturday and play tomorrow night - the biggest thing for me is the standards- we just want to continue driving them every week. I hope myself, and I need the Captain’s help here, and the senior players that we never take off the better when it comes to that area. That’s probably the biggest thing right now.
AH: This is such a good game for us. It’s an incredible competition. We’re playing against a top top team. We have a lot of respect for this team, but we’re not afraid of them. We’re in a situation where we’re halfway through preseason we have to make sure we don’t compromise the regular season by forcing the squad and playing time where we lose some much needed preseason loading work that you do in this time in the second phase of preseason. There is a lot of considerations that go into this game and the next game. The bottom line will be firstly getting a result, and secondly making sure we manage this group of players that we are able to perform in these next two games but also that we are ready for the first game of the regular season.
TH: Obviously those three are very dangerous [Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore, Sebastian Giovinco]. [Victor] Vazquez and [Justin] Morrow on the left hand size who I had the chance to play with on the National Team - they advance quickly with numbers. Justin had a great season last year particularly with his goal scoring from the left back position. We’re well aware of all of their keys. They’re a dangerous team, they’ve shown that over the course of a couple of years now so it’s not just one or two of them. Clearly the big names make them go, but they are a very well rounded team.
