Phil Neville lauded his team's intensity following a gripping 3-3 draw against Los Angeles FC. The match featured Felipe Mora scoring twice and Santiago Moreno's first-half goal, giving Portland an early edge. Despite LAFC's comeback, including a 90th-minute equalizer from Denis Bouanga, Neville expressed pride in the match as a showcase for MLS. He highlighted the need for more composure in defense and the typical recklessness of a young side, indicating their performance was both promising and in need of maturity.
"It was a high-level, brilliant game of football. I think both sets of players should be incredibly proud of that performance. That is, from a pure player's point of view, that was an incredible advert for MLS football."
"And we forgot in our defensive unit; we forgot then to play football and get composure on the ball. I felt all night that we just weren't at our absolute best composure-wise."
"It's a big game. It's a high-level game. The intensity was ferocious. Everyone on the pitch was an athlete, and you just needed that little bit of composure on the ball in the moments."
"I just felt in the second half, even in the first half, we were a little bit rushed and excitable. But that's what you get with young players."
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