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ATLANTA UNITED MEDIA CONFERENCE

May 19, 2019

Frank de Boer

Harrison, New Jersey

Red Bulls - 1, Atlanta United - 0

Q. How disappointing was the performance and the result, considering everything before?
FRANK DE BOER: Yeah, you know, it was an ideal situation, for us, to get three points out of here; so everybody is very disappointed to get not even a point out of it. Yeah, the time was right for three points.

It's always difficult to win here, but I think we were the better team with 11. We couldn't -- with 11 when they dropped, we couldn't manage to create really good chances and yeah, maybe it's because we had a long stretch. We show a lot of sloppy passes, not, you know -- I don't think it was, you know, lack of concentration. It was maybe tiredness I think. That's why we couldn't pull the trigger, for example. Of course, we had two chances, of course, for Joseph in the first half, and the second half, yeah, we tried everything, but we were not capable to finish it.

Q. Was it more a function of fatigue --
FRANK DE BOER: Yeah, I think 100 percent it's fatigue. That's why I gave them now two days off, because we have to be physically but also mentally ready for Salt Lake on Friday. You know, I saw the spirit was there. They want it, but maybe the body and the mind sometimes will not do what you think you want to do.

Q. Was the red card more of a curse or a blessing?
FRANK DE BOER: Normally they call more out but still, I don't think so. I always prefer to play against ten man, and we have to do it better. I think the next time, we're going to do it better and then hopefully we are much more fresh, and also in the one against one, because at that moment, you're going to be in a lot of times one against one. Somebody has to create at that moment a chance or an assist at that moment. I think Dion did quite well when he entered, when there was threat from that side. Of course, he's the most fresh guy.

Of course, it's a pity we lost really three points today.

Q. A pity you struggled holding on to the ball or making anything happen today. Is he a player that will probably get rotated out just to give him a break?
FRANK DE BOER: We have to look. Everybody comes in on Wednesday, you know, but I don't know, it's also very good for players to play 90 minutes and come stronger out of that. We're going to see him on Friday.

Q. You won five in a row, so I mean, even though you lost today, you've been disappointed with the loss but are you happy with where your team is from the beginning this season?
FRANK DE BOER: Yeah, of course, against 11 man, we know always it's very difficult, and the respect that they showed us; that they didn't go fully forward. And we created our chances. I thought we could create much more chances because a lot of times, the last pass wasn't the right speed or something like that. I think that's a lack of, yeah, mentally exhausted a little bit and also physically. Hopefully we can do that better on Friday, but still, I'm proud of the team that they want it; that they fought for the last second, and yeah, again, you know, it's a pity because when there was a time to get three points out of here, it was today.

Q. I know his form has gotten a little better as of late, but why hasn't he been able to excel consistently during these first couple months of the season?
FRANK DE BOER: Yeah, it's a different league, also. So they tolerate a little bit more, and I like that and he has to adapt that and sometimes he gets -- inaudible -- but sometimes also not. Maybe in Arsenal, you get rewarded for that, but here, a lot of times isn't. It's getting adapted. It's getting better. But he's still not there where we want it to be but he's coming, that I'm confident of.

Q. How many more times it will be before you think you get him where you want him to be?
FRANK DE BOER: I think after we have a period of rest and that he's really okay. Now he can strengthen himself again and first rest and then strengthen himself and I think he's there where we want him to be.

Q. Whose responsibility is that, on the Red Bulls go, was that Robinson?
FRANK DE BOER: I think it's communication both between -- into Guzan, but between Franco and Miles. They were in between. And there was only one man into Mark (ph). Yeah, that's communication. Of course, Miles is young, and maybe, I don't know, the language barrier, but still it has to be solved, and at that moment, we didn't. You always see it happening like that. They were one time in front of a goal, and they scored out of that, and you always get a point -- they always get one chance in a game. It's always like that.

Can you say it's a chance? He made a great goal because he did it -- yeah, he had it with the size of his head. I think if he does it 100 times, 99 times it will not happen again, but we have to be more accurate and more secure at that moment and don't give them a chance. You know, it was long ball and we couldn't anticipate it, and you know, that's maybe the time that we have also in our mind.

Q. What happened after the final --
FRANK DE BOER: I don't know, I couldn't see it. I really don't know. Have to wait. I know exactly what you know, so nothing.

Q. These teams have a developing rivalry and you can see the tension between the teams. Now that you have your first taste of it, could you tell?
FRANK DE BOER: Yeah, but it's nice, you know, to have that kind of rivalry between two teams, you know, because yeah, that makes the sport fun I think to watch. They are eager to win against each other, and they do everything to win it from each other, of course, there will always have to be respect of course on both sides, but yeah, this is what you want. This is what you want to experience every week.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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