NYCFC vs. TORONTO: Johnson Preview

On playing at Citi Field in 2017…

“I remember it was Decision Day, a lot riding on that game. I think we found ourselves looking up at the big Jumbotron after the game against Columbus to see where we were going to be seeded. I think from an aesthetics standpoint it’s obviously a different stadium, but playing on this field with our fans in the stadium it’s going to feel like home. Obviously we got to train here today and have gotten a good feel for the pitch. I think the pitch is in great condition going into tomorrow so yeah we’ll approach it the same way, it’s not going to be any different.”

On having the bye…

“Obviously that plays into it, you know, the amount of minutes they’ve logged in the last game. It’s hard not to be up for a game like this so I know, regardless of how many minutes they’ve played, they have the players and the experience to come out and really give it their best go. We’ll have to be prepared for that and we can’t take it lightly. We have to start the game fast as well and make sure the pace of the game is where we want it to be. I think controlling the pace of the game will be key tomorrow for us to come out victorious.”

On how single elimination changes things…

“It’s been a bit different, it’s a different mentality as the game goes on. There’s no second-leg, you’ve seen both in regular time and extra time different philosophy from different teams. Different teams pushing harder as the game goes on. It’s like every game is it’s own final, that’s kind of the feel that it has and it’s been great. The action has been exciting, obviously from a fan’s perspective and just watching games, there has been a lot of goals and it’s been exciting. It’s a good format, I think.”

On concerns of the length of the time off affecting the team’s intensity… 

“I think we’re ready, like I said if you can’t get up for the Eastern Conference Semifinal then you shouldn’t be here, you shouldn’t be playing here at this point of the year. I think we’ve done a good job to position ourselves to have a home game at this point. So us taking care of business, nothing else matters. We have a group that has shown up time and time again when questions were asked and we’ve answered them. We’ve got to do that again tomorrow night and we can do that going forward if we want to hoist the trophy.”