Swope Park Rangers head coach Paulo Nagamura
On the team’s performance…
I think we did okay. I think we gave up however too many chances. I think we’re a little complacent with the ball in possession. They were able to counter and counter and counter. We gave them too many of those opportunities in the game. I think we can do a much better job in that aspect. Overall, I think it was positive considering that we gave Busio his first start and played Lindsey — young guys that are new to the professional game.
On Busio’s performance…
I thought he did very well. Not many people know that the kid is 15 years old and he has tremendous qualities. It is not easy to put a 15 year old in a professional match and do well. He handled himself really well during the game. He gave a great pass to Tyler on the first goal. I was really pleased with his performance.
On Lindsey’s performance…
I think he also did really well. He was solid in the back. He was working up and down when we had the ball. I was really pleased with how the young guys came on, stepped up and performed really well today.
On the team’s youth learning how to close out the game…
It is what it is. We’re going to see a lot of Academy players and young guys play with us this year. It’s a learning process. They are 17 or 18 years old. They still have to learn how to manage a game and deal with situations. We have to keep working with those kids so they can be effective with the first team.
On the double game week…
We have to manage the minutes the best way we can. Of course, it’s three games in a week and we have to give guys rest and give some other guys playing time. We have guys coming down from the first team and guys coming up from the Academy so a lot of guys will have chances to play this week.
On preparation for Saturday in San Antonio…
It’s just about resting. I think the guys know pretty much the way that we play. That’s the most important part. They all know our style of play and what we’re going to do on a day-to-day basis. Of course, we’re going to have a little tweak here and there playing against San Antonio but it’s now more about getting the recovery done, getting rest and getting ready for Saturday.
Swope Park Rangers captain Rodrigo Saravia
On the pressure applied by the Switchbacks…
We’re a team that wants to play from the back. We have good centerbacks and a good goalkeeper. That’s a key part of it. All 90 minutes we tried to play from the back. That’s a good thing. We got the three points and we keep moving.
On integrating players from Sporting KC…
The tactical idea is the same from the first team. We play the same way. It’s easy for them to adjust to the style we play. They did awesome. You can see how good they played.
On welcoming two teenagers into the squad…
It’s fun to play with them. You learn from them. And they need to hear you. They did pretty well. Busio gave an amazing assist. Kuzain has been playing well since the beginning. Felipe, everyone has been playing well. It’s fun to play with them.
On starting the season well…
It’s really important to start strong. We just need to keep moving forward. We have a good run of form right now. We need to recover and go out and play in San Antonio and try to get some points and try to keep playing our style.
On a third game in a week…
It’s more than physically, it’s mentally as well. We need to do whatever you need to recover. There are a lot of things you can use today in order to recover. We’re going to use it and eat well so that we can be ready for the next one.
Swope Park Rangers midfielder Gianluca Busio
On his pro debut…
I just wanted to come in and do my best. It’s my first game so I was a little nervous at first. I wanted to work hard and play my game to the best of my ability. It was good to be out there with the boys for my first professional game.
On being the youngest player on the field…
My young age gives me another reason to work harder. Some people might think because I’m 15 they’ll walk over me so it gives me a little more extra work to push harder and to prove to them I deserve to be on the field as them. It just gives me another reason to work harder and harder.
On missing a chance to score in the first half…
I wanted to get a goal, but I got the assist. When the ball was rolling back, my eyes lit up. I was so excited. I thought it was going in. I’ve hit those in practice before. I was thinking it was going in. Unfortunately, it didn’t - hopefully next time.
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC head coach Steve Trittschuh
Thoughts on the match…
It’s the second game in a row we’ve given up an early goal — just a little bit of miscommunication and not tracking a runner. Other than that, we sat in and stayed compact. For the most part, they gave us the ball a lot. They had some possession but it was away from our goal. The only thing that is concerning me is we’re creating enough chances to score goals and we didn’t. That’s the third game in a row without a goal. It’s concerning but it’s not because we are creating those chances. Sooner or later, hopefuly we can score those goals. Defensively, we’re playing pretty well. The guys gave a great effort. We’ve got to go home on Saturday and win our home game. The Rangers are a good team, especially bringing some of the guys down. It’s hard to play since we only travel with 16 and our depth is not that good right now. We’ve got to keep the positives and look forward to the game on Saturday.
On what’s missing from the team at the moment…
We’re looking for that one person that can step up and score goals. Defensively, we’re playing pretty well. It’s not a good goal to give up. Other than that, they had some chances when we were pushing forward at the end. We’ve got to find that aggressive person in the attacking half and find someone that can score goals.
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC captain Josh Suggs
Thoughts on the match…
We’re disappointed but we created chances. We’ve just got to finish them. We’re ready to move on to the next game.
On the opportunity to bounce back this weekend…
We’re just happy we’re going home. Honestly, we have a huge home field advantage. We’re ready to take advantage of it.
On the team’s third straight loss…
It’s the beginning of the season. We’re not worried. There’s a lot of games.
