By Gerardo Romero
Aug 10, 2024, 2:04 PM EDT
Cruz Azul’s Machine coach, Martín Anselmi, was quite happy despite the difficult victory the team achieved this Friday in the penalty round of the round of 32 against Orlando City to qualify for the round of 16 and thus keep alive their aspirations of fighting for the title of champion of the Leagues Cup.
In statements offered during the press conference after the match, the coach of the cement team assured that he is not at all worried about the lack of victories that the team is having in regulation time and stated that the most important thing of all is to qualify for the next rounds to be able to demonstrate that they can fight for a championship title.
“I would be worried or busy if I saw that Cruz Azul was not competing, yes. I insist, obviously we want to win in the 90 minutes, but we also have to highlight that Cruz Azul has kept a clean sheet, if I saw a decrease in competitiveness or a lack of attention I would be dealing with the issue,” he said.
“We didn’t have a set list, we do have certain players who we know want to take the shots, so I put them in order as I think they feel,” added Anselmi about each of the players who were in charge of taking the penalties for the victory.
Martín Anselmi also spoke about the rivals in Major League Soccer (MLS) and stated that they should not underestimate any opponent because they only know those they have faced in the Leagues Cup; in light of this fact, he stressed that his team will do everything possible to maintain a good rhythm and thus be able to continue adding victories on the field.
“Without a doubt, since I’ve been Cruz Azul’s coach, I think this has been one of the rivals that has pushed us to the limits. It would be unwise to talk about a league when I’ve only faced three teams, I can talk about those three rivals,” he said.
“My impression is that it is a league or a competition that should not be underestimated. We know what we set out to do before coming to the United States and where we want to go. We know that it will not be easy. Each game will have its own story and its own obstacles. We must not make excuses and try to overcome them,” concluded the coach.
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