Pre-Match Press Conference (at POR) • Thursday, September 14, 2023
OL Reign Pre-Match Press Conference • Thursday, September 14, 2023
Head Coach Laura Harvey and Midfielder Jess Fishlock
Head Coach Laura Harvey
On how training has been this week:
“It’s been good. Obviously, we wanted to get to the Challenge Cup final, but I think with the turnaround being as quick as it was and having to fly across the country and back, it’s arguably been a blessing that we didn’t have to do that so we could really focus on what we need to do, not just it being against Portland, but just generally things that we need to continue to get better at. We’re very processed driven here on who we are and what we want to be and this week has been really about that.”
On what the team learned from the 2-0 loss to Portland earlier this season:
“I think I’ve said it at the time was that, I think the game was decided by two moments of quality that one team had and the other team didn’t and that’s something that we’ve spoken about as a collective that we have to get better at those things and when we do have those moments of quality consistently throughout games, we tend to get the result that we want. So, that’s been a big focus for us this week and just consistently over the last, probably, month or so of just really honing in on the details that make us great, both with and without the ball. So, Saturday will be no different.”
On if it’s harder to prepare for matches and select players when everyone is healthy because of the quality each of them can bring:
“It’s what we wanted. We’ve built this roster to have that and we haven’t had it a lot this year, unfortunately. So, I think to be able to be close to that is great, but we know that it’s a collective effort. I think that’s been a big part of our year is that a lot of people have had to play different roles throughout the year and when everyone’s available, some people’s roles are dramatically different from what they have been at different times of the year. So, I think that that’s just a real thing that people have had to deal with, which we didn’t have to deal with too much last year because there wasn’t the major tournament, obviously there was Concacaf, but it wasn’t for as long. So, I think that it’s a challenge, for sure, but it’s what I get paid for, that’s ultimately on my job to try and put the best players that I think can go out and win the game on the field, both at the start and then at the end. I think that’s been something that we’ve been really talking to the team about – we’re probably in a position this late in the season where the team that starts isn’t going to be the team that ends, so we have to be able to sort of manage that – what do we need on the field at the start of the game and what do we need on the field at the end of the game? It’s going to look very different, so we need to make sure that our impactors can be ready to come on and really make a change if needed or continue the quality if we’ve set the tone that way. So, I think that’s been a big discussion point for us and obviously since the World Cup, it’s been arguably the time where we’ve had to actually deal with it the most because we’ve had the most players fit.”
On forward Bethany Balcer’s status:
“She’s fine. She’s great. (Forward) Bethany’s (Balcer) great.”
On midfielder Rose Lavelle’s status:
“We’ll make a decision on (midfielder) Rose (Lavelle) tomorrow.”
On if goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce will be available:
“I don’t know.”
On how she’s keeping the team focused with the disruptive nature of the last few weeks of the season:
“I haven’t really felt like it’s been disjointed, really. I think obviously we had the midweek game that wasn’t regular season, but I think outside of that, this tends to be the norm that you get to sort of September and there’s always a FIFA break. So yeah, it’s a pretty regular occurrence for us. I just think that it’s good to have training. For us this week, we really delved into some hard stuff early on in the week and then it gets closer to the game and we start to solve that hard stuff and start to feel better about ourselves leading into the games. So, I think when you don’t have that time to do that stuff, you just focus on the good all the time because it’s what you need to feel good to go into the game, but when you have time to train, you actually have time to focus on things that you need to arguably get better at or things you need to continue to be good at. I love having more training. I think it’s great for us. I think it’s where we get rhythm from. It’s where we get confidence from so that we can go and execute at the weekend. I think when we don’t have those opportunities, it becomes harder for us.”
On the message she’s giving the players now and if that message has changed from the start of the season:
“Well, we’re in a decent position in the league. I think the Orlando three points was huge, we can’t get away from that. I don’t think our message is different, I think it’s just more honed in now – Challenge Cup is done, that’s over. World Cup’s done, that’s over. Now, you’re in to one singular goal, so it’s just probably more focused-driven, I would say, on what the goal is. But I think when you live in a world of trying to live through a process, which we do, and the way that you analyze yourselves and the way you look at your performances and the way that you drive what you want to do next, if it comes from a place of process, then the messaging doesn’t really change throughout. So no, it has just become singular focused now, I would say.”
On defender Shae Holmes being named to the Challenge Cup Best XI and what her journey has looked like:
“(Defender) Shae (Holmes) had one goal this year and it was to stay healthy. For those that know Shae, she’s had a tough history with injury, so it was to get her body to be able to sustain a professional season – so far, so good – and everything else was a bonus for her. So, to get the amount of minutes she got in the Challenge Cup, to get some regular season minutes of late and actually to be able to be doing it late in the season, all is a bonus, from my perspective and I think from hers. I actually asked her just randomly the other day, ‘Have you played more or less than you thought?’ She was like, ‘Oh my God, way more,’ but that’s great to her, I think she’s been great. I do believe that she has a lot of potential; I think she has a lot of talent. But I think the only thing that was ever going to stop Shae from developing into the player that we believe she can be is if her body could handle it and I think when you’re a rookie, especially when you’ve come out of college, the way that the college season is and the way that you train for college, it’s very different than this season. So, I think getting her used to that has been the biggest driver and she’s done a great job of that.”
Midfielder Jess Fishlock
On the club exercising her option to keep her through the 2024 season:
“I saw that from a tweet from the BBC obviously saying that I’m coming back for a 12th season and I was like, ‘Damn, that’s a long time,’ but yeah, super excited. Thankful that I can stay here for another year and just excited. We still have stuff to do this year, but it’s nice to kind of have the stability for another year and kind of see what that looks like. So, super happy and super thankful.”
On how it feels to know how big the rivalry is and the attention it’s getting:
“I think this is probably a derby that has a lot of meaning for both sides and at this point in the season, given how the league is right now, I think it’s maybe five points between (No.) 1 and (No.) 8, which is wild. It has a lot of kind of standing with both teams, with which way this result goes, it’s a big game – who better to kind of have that with right now than Portland in Portland? It’s going to be a huge game – take the rivalry out of it, it’s going to be a big game anyway, add the rivalry into it, I mean, yeah, it’s going to be crazy down there and I can’t wait.”
On what the team learned from the 2-0 loss to Portland earlier this season:
“I think they definitely are kind of playing a different style, I would say, than what you would usually expect from a Portland team. So, I agree with you, I didn’t think it was a 2-nil game in Portland’s favor, but that is actually a very strong side of Portland and what they’ve shown this year is they can win and they can grind out results. So, I think for us, it’s important to kind of understand that and not get too caught up in the game itself or the performance itself and really kind of understand that we need to win this game or they need to win this game or winning this game is going to put us in a great spot. So, I think we just have to learn from Portland, really, more than anything. Like you said, last time they won 2-nil and it really wasn’t that type of game, so we need to understand that that’s something that they’ve added to their game this year, for sure.”
On how training has been this week:
“It’s normal for our group to be a little frustrated right now with how things have panned out. Obviously, the win against Orlando was huge. The Louisville game, sometimes it’s really hard to, as far as I’m concerned, we really kind of were in control of that game and we just couldn’t find the back of the net, which is a frustrating thing for us, obviously. But, the only way we kind of get around that is by training and training well and communicating and working hard to understand what we need from each other and when we need that and we’ve been doing that this week on the field, really kind of talking through perhaps what we need to do as a team collectively more so than maybe what we want to do as an individual and it’s been great, it’s been really good training out there this week, it’s been fun – today’s session was great and I think we’re really all on the same page with trying to push through this little blimp, you could say.”
On being subbed on with forward Megan Rapinoe in the last game and what it’s like knowing that these are the last matches she gets to play with her:
“Look, it is devastating that (forward) Megan (Rapinoe) is retiring, like I am devastated. Every time you think of those moments, when you think about it after, it can be emotional. But in it, I’m not thinking anything other than, Pinoe, score – I’m going to need you to just keep scoring a lot or create something, just constantly holding her to an exceedingly high level that I’ve held her to and that she’s held herself to her entire career. So, in the moment, it’s just like we’ve got a job to do, but yeah, every time afterwards, you think about those things and of course it gets emotional because it is going to be her last time that anything kind of happens from here on out with her.”
On having a potential record away section for a league game on Saturday in Portland and her experience seeing the team grow over the years:
“I think actually more than anything, other than the league itself, it’s a testament to our fans to really kind of buying in to us, even though I had this conversation with somebody earlier this week that it’s not been so easy and so simple for our fans over the last 11 years – we’ve been in Memorial (Stadium), we’ve been in Cheney (Stadium), now we’re in Lumen (Field) – so for them to kind of stay there and not only stay there, but each year be more active in coming down to Portland and understanding how big and important that is for us, especially in these games right now with how the league situation is, it just speaks volumes for who they are as fans, who they are as people and what connection we have and we’re growing still to have with our fanbase here in Seattle.”
On what she has enjoyed most about playing with Rapinoe over the years:
“Honestly, I think just the day-to-day with Megan and just seeing her growth as a human and as a footballer over this last decade and seeing it firsthand, seeing how she gracefully deals with the situations that she deals with in the media or off the field, whether it be good, whether it be bad and ugly and everything else in between. I just think that everyday she’s just so true to herself and comes in and carries herself with such grace, honestly. So that’s kind of, for me, probably what I’m going to miss the most. She sits next to us in the locker room and everything on the field and all that can speak for itself, she’s sensational. But the day-to-day just Pinoe, that’s what I’ll miss the most.”
Download here: Pre-Match Press Conference (at POR) • Thursday, September 14, 2023