Pre-Match Press Conference (at SD) • Friday, June 23, 2023
OL Reign Pre-Match Press Conference • Friday, June 23, 2023
Head Coach Laura Harvey and Defender Emily Sonnett
Head Coach Laura Harvey
On her thoughts going into the game against San Diego Wave FC:
“Obviously, tough opponent, tough place to come. It was a tough start to the week for us after our game in Houston, we had a lot of players that were struggling after the amount of heat that we had to deal with. The back end of the week has been really good. We obviously have got a few people with little niggles and knocks, so we’ve got ourselves in a good position to be prepared for what we need to take on tomorrow.”
On injury updates for midfielder Jess Fishlock, midfielder Rose Lavelle and forward Megan Rapinoe:
“(Midfielder) Jess (Fishlock) is the closest, I would say, to having a chance for tomorrow. I think the other two, obviously with what they’ve got coming up, we’re being very mindful and cautious to not push them into anything that we don’t need to right now – just want them to go into the camp and into the World Cup in the best possible place. They’re both doing pretty well, but the game is probably a little bit too earlier to push them into with what’s on the horizon.”
On what she thinks the dynamic of the USWNT is going to be like during the World Cup:
“I’m excited for the group. I think that the veterans that are going, I think bring experience and mentality and all those things that have already been said that’s invaluable in these major tournaments. I think there’s this middle group that have got sort of some exposure to World Cup or major tournaments that know what it takes, either have had really good experiences in 2019 or not so great experience in 2021 when we fell slightly short, but they can lean on those experiences to go forward this year. And then the excitement of so many new faces going to a major tournament for the first time, I think is super exciting. The pre-story about this World Cup’s injuries, not just for the U.S. but for major nations and no other country in the world can do what this country can do and have an injury to someone and to be able to replace them with who we can replace them with in this country. So, I’m really excited. I think it’s a different World Cup this year because of how late it is. So, to see the league performances and what it’s taking for people to go out every week and perform to really be taken into account going into a World Cup, I think is really exciting, not just for the U.S. Women’s National Team but also for professional soccer in this country that it’s truly impacted some, and I’m sure many, performances and potentially selections.”
On midfielder Rose Lavelle:
“It’s been a tough road. I think she’s close. She’s been out on the field; she’s doing everything possible to get herself in the best possible position to obviously perform at the levels that we all know she can. Everyone thinks I’m quite allusive with what I say, it’s just one of these injuries that it’s just going to be this one day where suddenly she’s like, ‘I’m ready to go,’ and I believe she’s close to that. So, I’m excited for her. Obviously, I wish we would have been able to get her on the field earlier, but I think Rose Lavelle is Rose Lavelle – we’re going to do everything we possibly can to give her the best possible chance to play in a World Cup and I think she’s very close to that.”
On defender Emily Sonnett’s versatility:
“My experience of working with her at the U.S. was the biggest factor on me wanting her to come here when the opportunity arose, for multiple reasons. But honestly, the biggest reason is that she’s a winner and that mentality, that everyday wanting to win at everything and compete for everything in a major tournament, they’re the people that you need and (defender Emily) Sonnett knows her role with the national team, I think she knows what that’s going to look like for her and I’m hoping we’ve added versatility to that with where we’ve been playing her this year, but we’ve also made sure that we played her in a defensive position, especially in Challenge Cup games where we need to rotate just to expose her a little bit, obviously played her there last week, too. But for me, and I’ve never asked (USWNT head coach) Vlatko (Andonovski) this question, this is just my personal opinion, there’s no way she wasn’t going [to the World Cup]. I think she’s such an important part of that roster, just seeing it myself, just how she functions as a person, just her competitive spirit, her willingness to do whatever it takes every single day and yeah, obviously there are players that go out there and start and will play major minutes and then there are these players that you have to rely on to be able to do what’s needed for the time to be right for them and you know Sonnett’s going to do that. Like I said, I never knew that, I didn’t really see that of her because you don’t see it out on the field in games, I didn’t see that from her until I was lucky enough to be around the environment. But seeing her around the environment, you can just see that she’s invaluable to it for multiple different reasons, but I think the biggest one is because she’s a winner.”
On what it means to her to see five players from OL Reign get called up for the World Cup with the USWNT:
“Honestly, just really proud of them. They’ve all had really different journeys to get there. I could talk about all of them individually, but I think that, there was obviously (forward Megan Rapinoe) Pinoe and Rose are sitting in a different booklet because in my opinion, I don’t think there was ever doubt that they were going, it’s obviously just the injuries that puts any doubt in anyone’s mind about that. So, that to me, I was like, ‘Well, they’re going.’ Sonnett, I always believed was going and (defender) Alana (Cook), I think has proven herself and then (defender Sofia Huerta) Sof has been one of those players that, I said this publicly multiple times, her journey is so inspirational – she’s gone from not playing in the position that she now plays in, getting the opportunity to play at the professional level, pretty quickly getting a call back up into the national team, playing a really big role in a lot of games and then certain players coming back into the environment and then her role changing within the national team, a little bit. I just think that, for her especially, and Alana, it being their first, it was just really heartwarming to witness them – I wasn’t in the room when they were actually told, but we were away together when they all found out and just to know that they get this opportunity is, yeah, just really proud of them and really happy for them and just hope that they can go out there and take it all in and smash it.”
On what she takes from the last game against San Diego to this one:
“For us, it’s always about what we need to do to sort of stamp our authority on a game and that can change tactically, game to game. I think, honestly, every game we’ve played against San Diego has been a little bit different, all six of them – all of them that we’ve played up until this date have been a little bit different, for different reasons – we played them last year in the Challenge Cup, we were 3-nil up after 11 minutes with a really rotated team and then we played them down here recently, again, rotated team, probably put one of our best performances of the season as a collective together that night. But you know with San Diego that they have threats going forward that, you can feel like you have control of the game and they can just suddenly get an opportunity to score. So, we’ve spoken a lot as a group about being hard to beat and about picking up points on the road because that’s a difficult thing to do in this league and we need to make sure that we execute on the things that we believe we need to do tomorrow to have success and if we do that, we stand ourselves a great chance of coming away here with points.”
Defender Emily Sonnett
On what she makes of the center back group for the USWNT ahead of the World Cup:
“I think I’ve always been a player that has been versatile for Vlatko, so I guess now, here with Reign playing the six, playing center back for most of my career and outside back obviously with the national team, I think whatever role for me that is needed, I think I can be ready for it. But I think the versatility part is something that Vlatko has always been pretty on about me.”
On players thinking versatility is a curse and if she’s pleased that she can play multiple positions for the national team:
“So, I think my whole time with the national team has had to be versatile. I think, even with the last staff, having played center back and then kind of moving to the outside back positioning and then Vlatko obviously coming in and kind of continuing at outside back but also, I was playing the last previous club at center back and now obviously six, I don’t think it’s, from my perspective, a curse. I think that’s something that he’s made known to me, that that’s something that the team needs and if that’s the role that he needs from me, I’m pretty willing to do it.”
On the development of her partnerships with the Reign’s rotation of players over the course of the season:
“Yeah, even now, me stepping into midfield, it’s obviously a learning process. I think what I like here and the way that (head coach) Laura (Harvey) teaches and coaches the tactics and how we kind of really get a group together for every game and we understand a game plan, so I think how that evolves over the season – you’re going to have injuries, you’re going to have new players having to step in, people leave for international and come back, but I think at the end of the day, in terms of game plan, whoever Laura picks for that game is understanding that and then understanding relationships around it.”
On how the team is doing after coming off a draw against the Houston Dash:
“I think Houston was a hot one. I think everyone kind of knew that, it was pretty apparent with us playing, so I think, first and foremost, having the recovery, obviously not having a midweek game obviously helps. In terms of game on the weekend, with people leaving soon and it being the last time this group will kind of be together for a while, it’s obviously important to get points and yeah, I’m looking forward to the game tomorrow.”
On the dynamic of playing with your teammates to playing against them in the World Cup:
“I think it’s obviously playing against friends but players in the NWSL, they’re about to be competing for the World Cup, it’s always a challenge, but I think everyone takes it pretty seriously in the NWSL. But you always wish each other the best, maybe – I don’t want you guys to win, but I want everyone to play well and then obviously looking forward to being with the group, together, going to Australia.”
On playing well against the Wave:
“Everyone wants to stay atop the table before leaving or near the top of the table before leaving for the international break or World Cup. I think the Wave, it’s always a good game, so I think tactics, how willing the players are to work, sticking to our game plan and being able to achieve that is going to make a great game for the weekend.”
On if she developed certain skills with the Reign that have set her up well to have success with the USWNT:
“I think the first thing that, my whole entire career, I would have to say, you have to stay coachable, I think that’s something – moving from a center back position to an outside back position first, you have to take in information. I think obviously having Laura and knowing her from national team prior and then coming into the Reign, I think continuing the coachability part and you have to because stepping into a midfield at a high level, that I haven’t done before so constantly having conversations, doing film, is obviously what really, really helps.”
On being a veteran on the USWNT:
“I know, I think that’s something that this team’s really excited for – obviously a lot of new faces and really excited for them to be there and they’re obviously going to be a huge part of our success. What I like about the group, I think they’re obviously so willing to learn and looking up, I guess now saying that I’m a veteran is kind of weird but being able to help in any way I can, whether that’s off-field talks, on-field talks, but it’s great that they’re receptive and that’s part of building a team.”
On if she has met Tina Fey:
“No, I have not met Tina Fey before, but I have been joking that I would love a one-day internship with her. So, if you could write about that, that’d be perfect.”
Download here: Pre-Match Press Conference (at SD) • Friday, June 23, 2023