Dániel Gazdag: We have the potential for victory

– Life depends on this match – you may know the feeling.
– Yes, I was in similar shoes five years ago – Dániel Gazdag, the 26-year-old midfielder of Philadelphia Union and Hungarian national team player with 17 caps, gave Nemzeti Sport an exclusive interview from Los Angeles, as he is preparing to face host LAFC in the MLS final. – The scenario worked out well then, the decision was left to the last round. Honvéd welcomed Fehérvár when just one point was enough for us to win the gold medal. The days leading up to the match were spent in a special atmosphere, we knew that everything depended on that ninety minutes. We won the game, and I still get chills when I think about the experience. I hope to experience what it's like to celebrate a league title in the United States soon.

– Do the experiences of 2017 help a lot these days?
– Since I already know what it's like to prepare for a final, I'm handling it well. I don't get nervous, and I try to enjoy every moment. The others asked me the other day if I'd ever played in such an important match, and I said “at least three times” while smiling. In addition to the aforementioned match against Vidi, I'll also mention the two Hungarian Cup finals - we won two of those three with Honvéd. Fortunately, I'm not the only one at Philadelphia who has had the chance to play in such a prestigious match. We, older players, can tell the youngsters a lot about it.

– You said, “we, older players?”
– I'm considered old here at the age of twenty-six... But okay, let's say I'm experienced, that sounds better.

– I notice that you are in a good mood.
– Why wouldn't I be? I'm comfortable in my own skin. We've been in Los Angeles since Tuesday, and the club managers have been kind enough to send our family members on the trip, paying for their plane tickets and accommodation. Even the journey here was a joyful one, with not a single seat left empty on our private plane. The players with families were even asked if they wanted one or two rooms. I asked for two because I thought if my younger son, Maxim, doesn't sleep well on Friday night, I would move to the other one, so I wouldn't wake up tired on Saturday morning of the big game. The club really gives us everything, we can't complain.

– Well, the players have done everything they could to receive such special treatment.
– It's a huge achievement in the history of Philadelphia Union to make it to the grand finale. After losing in last year's Eastern Conference final, we made history by winning it this year. The club is rewarding that by giving us a way to prepare for the final and we are hoping that we can return the favor on Saturday. And then we'll get another gesture from the club... Seriously though, we lost to New York City in the conference final last season, and now we had a chance to get revenge - and we succeeded.

– It was hardly a surprise to anyone: you scored a goal in the 3-1 win.
– I scored at the right time because eight minutes after New York took the lead, we equalized, and two minutes later, I scored the goal that changed the game. We were better, and we deserved to win. But it also required Andre Blake to make one of the most important saves of the season while the opponents were still in the lead. He proved that he was the goalkeeper of the year for a reason.

– Was there a solid celebration after winning the conference?
– Yes, there was. In the MLS, winning the conference also earned us a trophy, which we could lift up after the final whistle. After the awards ceremony, we opened a bottle or two of champagne, but everyone was temperate because Saturday's final was in front of our eyes. We've had a good season already, but it would be even better if we could put the icing on the cake by beating Los Angeles FC.

– Did the conference title come with a gold medal?
– No, "just" the trophy. In the U.S., the champion doesn't get a gold medal, but a ring. I want one. I wouldn't wear it on the street, but I'd like one...

– You have previously told us that the city of Philadelphia is a football madhouse. On Tuesday, a large crowd of fans sent off the team. What viaticum did you get?
– All they asked us was to win one more game... I don't know how many people are coming, but I'm sure there will be hundreds of them. The cheapest ticket costs four hundred dollars, and since Los Angeles is not next door, flight is expensive. But they will be there with us, and that's the point. I hope we can celebrate together at the end.

– Footages on Philadelphia's community forums show that there's a lot of hype in Los Angeles.
– We're getting a lot of calls, doing one interview after the other. We even did a photo shoot on Thursday, so it's a lot of buzz. Maybe too much at times. Of course, it's better than being asked why we lost to New York City and what I expect in the final.

– Speaking of the final, what do you expect?
– We're not the favorites at the bookmakers. LAFC with Giorgio Chiellini and Gareth Bale among others might look stronger based on the names, but we have the potential for victory.

– How much of a disadvantage is it that the final will be at your rival's home?
– Obviously, it's an advantage for Los Angeles to play in their own stadium, but that doesn't mean we have to go out with shaky legs. We met LAFC once in the regular season, and we played against them here. The result was 2-2, and we led twice. Going off that game, I'll say it again: we have as much chance as our opponent.

– If I recall correctly, you scored a goal and assisted in the match in question...
– That's right! I played well that day.

– It sounded as if this was not the case in most games.
– This is the best season of my career; if I could, I wish it would never end. I enjoyed every moment of it, I broke several club records, I scored twenty-three goals, and the team also did great.

– Can this be outdone?
– I don't know, but I hope more than anything that I can help my club in the final with a good performance, preferably with a goal or an assist. This will be the last and most important game of the season. It's fantastic to have got this far, and we don't want to lose since we're here.

MLS, PLAYOFFS, FINAL
November 5, Saturday
9pm (Hungary time): Los Angeles FC–Philadelphia Union

Translated by Vanda Orosz