As part of our coverage of the U.S.-Uruguay World Cup qualifying series we're bringing you an article on the Eagles everyday. This coverage is brought to you by Grubber, who are now offering their"50 States" shirt. You can get $5 off through this Saturday with the code: 50STATES
We were lucky enough to catch up with Eagles head coach Mike Tolkin as he gets his team ready to take on Uruguay in the second-leg of the World Cup qualifying series. He touched on the draw last week and the adjustments the team is making going forward:
On the draw with Uruguay: It would have been nice to come out with a big win. First, playing down there is never easy, no matter how much you are favored by. Our last trip down there five years ago we won by five points. It's not as easy as walking on to the field and getting a win. There is a lot going on in terms of environment. Second, Uruguay played to the best of their ability. The used their tools. They kicked a lot, they scrummaged well, and they were fiery on defense.
Take the jump to read more.
On our end we didn't play game management as well as we could have in the white zone. We played too much rugby there rather than playing more of a territory game. We didn't play to our strengths up front. We were a bit too wide and didn't have any forward momentum. When we had shape we did pretty well. We were making great penetration but we lost track of that.
On lack of preparation time: We had a lot of guys come in from overseas and they only came in on Saturday and Sunday. We didn't have a full team practice until Tuesday. Continuity is a big part of it. No matter how much you train and practice it still takes awhile to get everyone on the same page. We started to gather a rhythm as the game progressed. Our first practice this week we had more continuity and guys felt more comfortable. Also, in the first half we didn't show a lot of discipline. We gave up some stupid penalties. You can't do that against Uruguay.
On the breakdown: We needed to push a little more. The bottom line is that we need to police the breakdown better. We need to be harder and establish ourselves physically and we didn't do that last Saturday.
On making adjustments for Saturday: We made adjustments in the shape of our game. Not so much in the plan but in the finer details of getting our set-ups right. So much of that is the repetitions and the film work so the guys know what we want to do. The changes are fine tuning on what we are doing already.
On playing at home: It brings the comfort level you don't get in enemy territory. In enemy territory you never get the breaks and things don't come easy. You feel more comfortable at home. It's the same if you are traveling to another state for a club game or if you are traveling overseas for an international. It's never easy playing on the road.
On their attitude going into the match: We're addressing ourselves. We know we have to play harder and with more urgency. We need to empty the tank. We've been focusing on ourselves rather than who's home and who's away.
On player's response to the loss: Number one, they are disappointed. Number two, they can't wait to get back on the field.