MLS IS BACK TOURNAMENT MEDIA DAY

July 7, 2020

Oscar Pareja

Q. Playing against your fellow Florida team, tell us about the kind of emotions that you and your team have headed into such an important match?

ÓSCAR PAREJA: Well, first of all, we are very happy to be back in the competition. It's a great opportunity to help these difficult moments, the communities, the country, a tired society, just listening to difficult news. It's just giving an opportunity to see MLS. We are pleased, and we are happy and getting ready for that.

Q. Wondering on this shortened timeline, how do you feel the team's fitness is going into this first game, and how do you feel the overall preparation is heading into inter-Miami?

ÓSCAR PAREJA: Yeah, Julia, good to see you -- hear you.

The fitness is very unknown right now for all. We are trying to accommodate and adjust the team the to the periods that we had with the protocols, and trying to get going and trying to take the best out of every single section and the different faces that we had.

At this point I see our team in a good situation. I see them fit and now obviously we have the challenges of not having too many games, so we are not having games to prepare, and we are putting that aside and trying to focus on what was coming.

Fitness-wise, I think we'll be fine.

Q. For any of the coaches, but ÓSCAR, you in particular, since you're from Florida now. How concerned are you about the players testing positive after Nashville has had five players? What are your thoughts? What are your concerns?

ÓSCAR PAREJA: Well, the concerns and worries, it started obviously months ago when this pandemic started just getting in every corner of the world.

But at this point when we commit with this project of just getting here and trying to get the MLS back, put our team into protocols, we feel fine. We feel safe. It's normal that there is risk.

Around what is happening to other teams, obviously are not good news, but we are totally focused on the competition, trying to follow the restrictions, the protocols, just trying to be safe, and be in our rooms going to the field, train, getting back to our rooms, the restaurant and then trying to be under those protocols. It's what we can control.

The other thing is I think the whole planet is worried.

Q. My question is about your tactical approach to this event. Given the unique circumstances, do you expect to adjust your tactics or philosophies? What can we expect stylistically from Orlando?

ÓSCAR PAREJA: Well, we are trying from the beginning to instill in the team and the club a philosophy, a culture within the team, trying to give them a game model that we can follow and a structure where the players can grow.

It hasn't been a steady semester with the training and the competition as we all know, but we expect them to show part of what we have worked. And obviously the most games we play, that is going to be seen more often.

But we are pretty clear in the idea, and I'm expecting to have a team with an identity; that we show that this is the idea of the game that we want to play.

Q. Nani mentioned yesterday, all the players, all the clubs have an issue with the physical side, coming into what is pretty much a preseason. He also mentioned the most difficult challenge, and for a player with such experience, is actually the mental side. You know, coming into this tournament, being confined to the hotel and going through all the protocol, which is difficult for an experienced player, difficult for a coach, but especially for the younger players, as well. Wondering from your point of view, Orlando as a club, what have you done to work with the players, kind of the mental side of the game to ensure that they are healthy and okay on that side of life, basically?

ÓSCAR PAREJA: Right, it's a great question, because that gives me the opportunity to congratulate all the players that are here, the coaches that are committed with this project here.

It's not easy. The Major League Soccer have put this together in order to give to the entire society, communities, the game back to them, because they need it.

The mental part Nani mentioned, or many other players mentioned, it could be the most difficult one and I know everyone is trying to overcome that, and that's great. My respect for the ones that are here, including the ones who have been challenged like FC Dallas, they have the courage to be here and if that happens, I hope the boys are healthy, and I hope we can, as I say, overcome that.

But we are proud of Major League Soccer and we want to show our game to the world, and we are committed to do that.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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