Dean Smith addresses the media on Charlotte FC’s 1-0 win against San Jose Earthquakes in the Coachella Invitational. Smith talks about play on the pitch along with team building activities and believes the team is off to the right start.
Welcome in let's go ahead and get Started here with Dean Smith after Today's 1 nil victory over San Jose Earthquakes um carelli's in here and she Will work around and make sure that you Guys get all of your uh recording Permissions so let's just get started Straight away Steve Goldberg kick it Off Steve you Good go ahead okay uh It always helps to unmute doesn't it it Certainly does how are you Steve I'm Doing good um fun match to watch today Even on the small screen of my phone uh With that what uh what were the best Spots of today's match for You um I thought we had a bit more Control today than we have had in Previous games um certainly without the Ball uh and win the with the ball as Well um yeah I like some of the patterns That we created uh I liked how we worked Together without the ball and we're Patient enough to wait for the Opportunities to press um yeah so having That control was a lot lot better today You're playing everybody um with that uh I'm particularly interested in in your Thoughts on one of the youngest on the Team uh nimasha bamas who uh has Represented you know well at the world Youth World Cup level for the team do You think is ready for the rigers of the Professional
Game um I don't know uh but the only way To find out is to play him in these Games I've really liked what I've seen So far in uh in practice in the training Sessions that we've done um he's a real Fast twitch player he's got fast twitch Muscles which allows him to go and Pressure Defenders really quickly he's Uh good on the ball he's got great Acceleration to get away from people as Well so you you know he's he's got Massive potential but I've had a chat With him the other day and said again Potential is just a word the idea is for You to go and fulfill that potential and You know the only way you can do that is By getting an Opportunity does he defer to the older Players at all or is he got the The Moxy To you know to take them on no he's got The opportunity to go you know take People on that's what his his game is About um but we wanted to make good Decisions and uh you know I thought his Decision making today was was more of Than not better than than it has been in Previous games so he's improving all the Time any other surprises uh pleasant Surprises you're seeing as as you spend More time with the guys um no to be Honest it's not being surprised that They've all shown a really good Application as I've said right from the The off they're all taking on board the
Information that we're giving them but Also you know we're giving them freedom To go go make decisions as well and um I've been pleased with with their Decision- making skills so far and you Have a week until the next game what is The focus of training G to be over the Next six days well we've got boun game On Wednesday against Phoenix as well so We've got a couple of games um so you Know there'll there'll be a few players That will will get a longer amount of Minutes um in that Phoenix game on Wednesday when we can go and try Something else we we decided to go and Press a different way today than what we Did against Galaxy to to give us a Little bit more [Music] Um a different tactical Approach at Times to different games and uh you know We've carried both of them off well so Far and uh speaking of the press Enzo You know stripping the keeper uh was Quite nice he U was sometimes a oneman Press last season and maybe not in Concert with you know press as a team That where other outlets are cut off There but uh it looks like that could be An advantage uh for you because he's He's ready and willing to to make the Runs yeah he is he's he's he's a Selfless Runner um you know we just need To to guide him the right places to go
And run at times and and for me that's Between the the goalposts um that's Really important for for him to realize And you know trust his other teammates To back him up when he does do that well Great thank you very much Thanks Steve thanks Steve um let's go to Nick Finelli and then Carol Walton hi Dean nice to see you hi Nick So I was wondering what I'm doing great Thanks um I was wondering how do you get Continuity with so many players having Competition for positions and getting Kind of that that group to really gel Together and play well together I think The big thing is is that you you have a Style of play that you know the the Players get to know um you know so they Understand not just what they're meant To be doing in their positions but other Players what other players are meant to Be doing in their positions as well Because they can coach each other on the Pitch then so it's really important that You know they they understand what we're Trying to do you know in different Positions on the pitch uh I think once You get that you get that understanding And you get that belief uh from each Other then you you get continuity within The team right then I was wondering also For you as a as a coach are you trying Different tactics with this team to see Like what works well for them and what
Doesn't so you can kind of fine-tune how You want to play with the Personnel you Have yeah you you've got to look at the Personnel that you have and make sure They're going to fit in with what your Style of play is um you know but looking Back over over the the video of them Over the last seven or eight games of The season I could see what mainly they They were good at what they could do um You know we are still looking to bring In some additions obviously uh to to Strengthen the squad um but there's Definite quality in there and uh you Know what we wanted to do was you know Have a style of play that you can fit a Number of different systems too um you Know and as youve probably seen already We we've actually done that in a in a Few games so um you know we're going to Be quite adaptable this season but our Style of play will stay the same right And then one last thing we've seen lots Of pictures on social media with the Players doing different things such as The the volleyball in the pool and of Course the the singing with uh Scotty do You have planned things for them outside Of of you know being on the pitch for Them to kind of get together and kind of Bring that Community is is that Something you you purposely think of Yeah I mean we we had a com competitive Couple of weeks over in Miami when we
Was there um but that wasn't just the Players that was the staff as well uh I Put them in four teams and we had a Competition and The Losers of of that Team will do a medley tonight at dinner Um and the winners I will take out for Dinner on Monday evening as well so We've done some fun things you know There's been orienteering games there's Been uh quizes there's been swimming Competitions so we've had a little bit Of fun with it and got to know each Other and um you know I think that's Part and parcel of C in a good culture And a good Environment all right thanks coach best Of luck this week thanks Nick okay Carol Go ahead and then willly PE after That hey Dane how are you I'm good Thanks Carol yourself I'm good I Apologize if you hear Little People Upstairs Um no Worries the um just to follow on what Nick was asking have you learned Anything fun or interesting about any of The people you work with based on these Competitions you've Had yeah yeah I think they've also Learned about each other as well um There was some people who stuck their Hands up and told me how good of Swimmers they were and when we went into The swimming competition they found out
It was breast stroke they weren't as Good as they thought thought they were Um so we've had a bit of fun in games With with all the competitions and um Big C the goalkeeper we found out that His general knowledge was quite good in The quiz um not so much his geography But yeah it's it's been a real good fun Time and it gave us the opportunity to Get to know each other on a personal Level is it nice to do it after your Last position you had no time for team Building right yeah yeah it's I think It's really important you know uh that They get to know who you are as well as Me getting to know them as well um you Know the staff as well you know we're All one club and you know I I keep Saying this and and I mean it you know The one of the most important people at The football club is the cleaner and Nobody very rarely sees them because They do all the cleaning of a night when Nobody's there to make sure that the Club is in in the right place in the Morning when everybody gets there so you Know whether you're the chef or you're Working on the content team you're You're an important Cog in in the Machine that's putting a team out that's Play um and I don't know if anybody Asked this at the beginning I just Wondered about how brand brono is and Then a couple of your Visa guys or green
Card guys yeah so Brandt's had a thigh Strain um he's had an MRI I'm not sure what the MRI has said but He'll probably be out for a few weeks That's for sure okay and um kwin has Gone to Colombia yeah he he's gone to Colombia Kini Kina has gone to Croatia as well um I believe they're in progress now I'm Hoping to have uh Vargas back for the End of the week um you know Kina will Probably be back for uh the start of the Week leading into the first game of the Season Okay and one more for me just the Defense you know if you look at a clean Sheet that's been good you know is that Are you seeing some progress you like is That some teams Take year you know a little bit of both Yeah I mean we could see did a couple of Away goals um sorry a couple of late Goals in the first two games um you know Which you never like to concede but you Know all in all uh I think we're a tough Team to play against I think without the Ball we look really organized we we're Defending our Penalty Box well and we're Not giving the opposition too many big Chances um so they're all plus points That we need to continue to carry Forward thank you thank you okay we pl It evening Dino how are you I'm good Thanks will yourself fantastic um you
Got through the game okay without any Injuries uh just from a housekeeping Aspect yeah everybody got through okay Which is good um yeah no injuries from Today in terms of the start of the Contest I know you were displeased with The first 30 minutes on Wednesday how do You feel like you guys acclimated to the Match better uh or did or did they not Acclimate as well as you wanted to no I Thought we started the game quite well Um they got down their right hand side a Few times in the first five or six Minutes without really creating anything Um and then we worked our press out a Little bit better and made him come out Down the left hand side where they had a Bit of a blind alley to go down and kept Giving us the ball back which is what we Worked worked on so um yeah I was a lot More pleased with the second uh well Certainly with the the first 10 20 Minutes with had we started the game I Know you only have the benefit to what You saw on film to go off of with Enzo So I'll ask the question this way how Does Enzo up close look different as a Player to you than what you might have Seen on film last Year uh I think what we've what we've Done and spoken to Enzo about is he's Trying to play Within the the width of The 18 Yard Box um you know he's not Going to go and get goals you know
Outside of the 18 Yard Box the majority Of goals are scored inside there and That's where we want him to be because We feel you know he's he can get goals And and probably more goals than he Scored last season but you know uh he's A willing Runner uh probably a little Bit too much at times and you know we're Trying to Cur that enthusiasm but and Direct it more into the areas where we Think it can hurt the Opposition who's a player who has maybe Surprised you over the course of your Time in California or even just the Balance of the preseason that has Flashed for you that you maybe didn't Think would flash as Much um I think the younger players have Have all adapted really quickly you know Um the ones who've stepped up from Playing Legacy in the next Pro last year You know they've all stepped up really Well and adapted to you know a lot more Intensity uh in terms of what we do in Training uh the games against you know U Fellow MLS teams as well and you know The likes of JP and tarez and uh Nord Who started today you know have all Steeps up really well and um you know I Think our younger players now uh have Shown that there is a pathway There I know trialist one played his Second game uh trialist 2 uh Mas Marvel Played his first game as well uh what
Were your impressions of uh of trialist 2 today I thought trialist 2 um played Very well to be honest uh he stepped Into the game I think there's probably Quite a few people who know Charles 2's Name but he's uh he's stepped in and and Done really well today he played Alongside Ashley and we played bre as a 10 and I thought bre was a lot more Effective there today and um you know uh Charli too you you know C and did what What it says he will do on the tin and I Was I was pleased with his Performance appreciate you thank you Thank you okay final one with Caleb Adams hey de appreciate you hopping on Here with us yeah no problem hey just One question on my end here I just Wanted to ask you about sort of the Collective effort and the work ethic of The team here at the end of the game we Saw in the 87th minute I saw maybe four Or five guys running back on defense Trying to get behind the ball to stop a Counterattack how does it make you feel As a coach seeing that sort of effort And work ethic from your team in a Preseason match yeah know I'm pleased to See it it's something that I'm Constantly asking for you know the three Things I asked for at the at the start Of the game was attitude application and Teamwork and I thought we got all three Of them and you know as you say if
You're seeing that in the 87th minute Then you know they're they're showing All three of them attributes which which Are massively important you know if the Team's going to be Successful great appreciate it thank you So much no worries thank you okay I just Saw Bridget's hand pop up there so we'll Squeeze one more In sorry about that hey Dean how are you Doing today I'm good thanks Bridget Yourself I'm doing well so it was a Windy day out there I'm glad you your Hair still looks in shape so that's good Yeah I think somebody had put a dollar In the wi machine and just turned it on For a couple of Hours um I just have one question we saw A lot of movement in the Midfield um but How do you think that Enzo played today What do you think about his performance I thought Enzo was was good um he was a Lot tidier when we had to play off him Into feet um his pressing skills were a Lot better as well uh and he just his General game I thought was better today And he's he's moving in the right Direction to be ready you know for that That New York City game and just to Follow up on that um last year we saw Enzo he had a lot of moments on the Ground some people you know had Something to say about it some of the Way he reacted to some of the calls have
You had any talks with him about that He's doing so much better this Year just in general to all the team Really and and that's emotional control Um I'm a big one for body language um You know if you show poor body language Then you know it only lifts the Opposition so make sure your body Language is good and your emotional Control is good as well and so far so Good thank you thank you very much he Thank You Bridget thanks everyone else For getting on um we'll see you sometime Next week as we work through a couple More preseason games thanks everyone Thank you thanks well thank you