LOS ANGELES FOOTBALL CLUB MEDIA CONFERENCE

July 24, 2021

Tomas Romero

Press Conference

Los Angeles FC 2, Vancouver 2

Q. Thomas, why don't you give us your thoughts on the match and things that you have to work on yourself and both the club level?

TOMAS ROMERO: Yeah, there was a bad start to the game obviously. Going down 2-0 the first half, we didn't really have -- seemed like we didn't have energy. It's hard to just tell the guys, come on, let's put more energy in the game after playing two games already this week, you know.

Obviously I think the guys may have helped it a little bit in their legs to start out. We started out slow and obviously like the first goal, it's like, all right, what can you do. Moon needed to try to make a play, and I was out of the goal in case he missed it. It's kind of an unlucky first goal but I'm glad we were able to come back from it and at least get some point out of. It.

Obviously it sucks that we are at home. Kind of feels like a loss but at the same time it's good that we got at least a point.

Q. What do you guys feel like needs to get better?

TOMAS ROMERO: Honestly I don't even know how to respond to that because Bob just wants us to put more energy into the game, but it's hard to just do that. It's not like as easy as it sounds.

So I think we just focus on some of the good from this game and just focus on the next one and just come with a little bit more heart. Obviously it feels great that we just came back, obviously like I said, it's unfortunate that it wasn't a win, but it's good that we came back.

So I think that momentum in the second half, we can just carry that on to the next game.

Q. Do you think you guys feel more comfortable with a 4-3-3 formation after you switched in the second half and the team looked a little bit better?

TOMAS ROMERO: Yeah, I mean, I think it depends on the way the matchups work against the other teams. I wouldn't say if we play 4-3-3 we all play better because there have been games we played 4-3-3 and it wasn't working and we switched and played a lot better.

Other teams, they have a lot of energy and they were just blocking a lot of passes into the midfield, and we couldn't really find the guys in the middle as much as we wanted to. When we switched it, it still made it a pretty good impact because more energy, and we were able to run up and down the field more and get that second goal.

I don't know about the formation, it's not my decision and I'm fine either way with how we do it. It's just I don't really focus on how we attack. I just focus on how we defend.

Q. How have you felt on a personal level with the games that you've had, your seventh start tonight and just getting that experience under you and feeling more comfortable?

TOMAS ROMERO: Yeah, I don't feel as nervous going into the games right now. Obviously there's a little bit of nerves but I feel like there's less pressure and I just feel more comfortable, like you said going into these games. It feels good. I don't want to feel too comfortable but I feel good going into the games. I'm not as worried about what will happen or anything like that.

Q. Can you walk through the safe in the first half, you reacted really quickly to it. Can you talk about that?

TOMAS ROMERO: Yeah, they cut it back, and I think there was -- it was Latif who hit it initially and I think it hit off March could he maybe. I just saw the cut back, just looking at the ball and then it came towards me and I was like, oh, shoot, I reacted really quick. I didn't think about it that much. It was just one of those things that just happens. It's the reaction from training everything and.

But yeah, I mean, it wasn't anything -- for me it's not anything crazy. I think it was just a good reaction.

Q. Obviously you talked about getting a little more comfortable on the pitch. Across your career, what is something like the 3252 as far as getting all the gays going, talk about that.

TOMAS ROMERO: Yeah, we definitely can't take that for granted because they are obviously amazing. When I first came, I wasn't playing but just the atmosphere, the bench, just amazing. Keeps you in the game.

Honestly I've never -- these are the only fans I've met that sing the entire game. I've said that before, but obviously it's great energy and it's better -- it's more fun I'd say being on that side of the field, or at least in the first half, it's fun when they are there and they are yelling. The only problem with it is it's hard to talk to the guys, but I think it's more important that they keep that energy high and everything.

And then obviously, the second half, just keeping us going. I think that's very important, when it gets late in the game and you still hear them singing, you're like, if they are singing, we can keep pushing, try and make them happy. It's definitely amazing to have them.