SEATTLE REIGN FC at PORTLAND THORNS FC POSTGAME QUOTES
Wednesday, July 31, 2024 • Providence Park • Portland, OR
Head Coach Laura Harvey
On her thoughts from the match:
“I feel like a bit of a broken record again – quality in the moments that we need them. I’m just looking here – we’ve had 12 shots inside their box. We’ve had 19 shots in total. We didn’t make the keeper work enough. We limited them to eight shots total, four of which were off target and I think that says a lot about where we’re at. I think I spoke to the players at the end of the game of quality and moments. Even on their goal, the quality of our defending, our decision-making to make it as difficult as possible for the opponents. We dominated in every aspect of the game tonight – possession, duels won, tackles won, corners, shots – apart from one thing. This has to be a moment for us where we’ve obviously rotated a ton throughout the Summer Cup, giving people minutes. We’ve tried to really show what our roster is and where it’s at and now we’ve got to turn the page. We’ve got a couple of weeks now to regroup and get ready to go for it in the back end of the season.”
On how the team will use this time now to prepare for a run to qualify for the playoffs:
“I think we’ve got to keep pushing every day to be better and better and better. I think there’s been some really good, positive sparks, obviously with poor results in the last two games. I thought Jordyn Bugg, again, was good tonight. It’s very difficult to come here and play and another 90 minutes after a really quick turnaround, the only one who did that. I thought Ainsley McCammon did some really good stuff, played a fantastic pass in the first half to Veronica to create an opportunity. So, we’ve had some little positives along the way and we’ve got to lean in on them, I think, moving forward and continue the way that we’ve been doing. I think that every day we turn up with a mentality to try and be better and I’ve said this before, if we weren’t creating chances, if we were giving the opponent loads and loads of opportunities to score, then I think we have to really address who we are and what we want to be. But when we’re creating more chances than the opponents, we’re limiting their chances on the other side of the ball, we have to look at what’s happening on the field and address the quality issue and we can’t shy away from that because it’s just fact.”
On how much the quick turnaround factored into tonight’s loss:
“I think the biggest thing that it factored in was that we really rotated again. Do I think it factored into the loss? No, I think what factored into the loss was our quality. Do I think that that was fatigue? Not really. I don’t think it was fatigue.”
On the talk before the game and if it was about quality or trying to advance in the tournament:
“We knew that [advancing out of the group stage] was really out of our hands. We wanted to come here and win. We really wanted to do that. There was no doubt in that. I think the quick turnaround meant it was difficult to – we didn’t really train because we didn’t have any time. So, to strategize on what we wanted to look like on the field was difficult. I thought in the first half defensively, you could see that we were a bit discombobulated at times, but I thought in the second half we solved that and dominated in a lot of areas and even with their players away, Portland have got some quality players on the field. So, I felt like we really nullified that. We kept them in areas that we wanted. We were a threat going forward. So no, I honestly don’t think the turnaround was the reason for the loss. I think our quality was the reason for the loss.”
On Nerilia Mondesir and what she can bring to the team:
“I mean, I’m hoping she brings some quality, that would be amazing. I think she’s shown that in the past in her club career and her international career. It’s always challenging coming to this league for anyone that’s new, but we’ve seen this year a lot of players have come in and seamlessly settled in another team, so we hope that can be that for her. She actually lands tomorrow, so we’re excited to welcome her into the group and get to work real quick. We’ve got a couple of days off over the weekend and then we’ll really get after it on Monday.”
On if the team plans to make additional signings during the transfer window:
“Stay tuned.”
Forward Bethany Balcer and Defender Shae Holmes
On their thoughts on the team’s performance:
Bethany Balcer: “I mean, I feel like we dominated, that’s what we talked about at the end of the game, that we’re creating chances and minimizing the opponent’s chances. We just lack quality. I think that’s what it comes down to at the end of the day. So, it’s unfortunate. It’s kind of been our Achilles heel all season is our quality. So, once we get that right, I think we’ll be really hard to beat.”
Shae Holmes: “Yeah, same thoughts. I think we put a lot of work in. I think, second half, we came out after we discussed some points in the locker room about what we need to change and I think we implemented that, we just couldn’t get the final end piece. I think we’re ready to turn the new page for our regular season now on August 25.”
On what the team needs to work on during this period to prepare for the return of the regular season:
Bethany Balcer: “Yeah, I think it’s the quality we just mentioned – figuring out how to just be technically better, I think, whether it’s the final ball, whether it’s building out, just having quality and calmness on the ball is something that we’re just lacking right now. So, however we can incorporate that into training. Our work rate is great, that’s never been in question. So yeah, just quality.
Shae Holmes: “Yeah, we have a month to do it, so that’s what’s great.”
On what they discussed at halftime and if it was focused on attacking:
Shae Holmes: “It was kind of both. It was about pressure on the ball. It was kind of just structure. It was our shape, just a lot of little details that we didn’t feel like we were hitting, especially towards the end of the half. So yeah, kind of everything that Bethany just mentioned earlier was just like quality, shape behind the ball. Yeah, little details in order to make us actually create our chances and finish them.”
On how they felt about the tournament:
Shae Holmes: “I mean, I think it was a great little mini tournament to have in the summer period. I think it got a lot of opportunity to a lot of people that normally either don’t get minutes or a lot of like non-starters but still get a good chunk of minutes. I think it was fun to play with a bunch of different styles and personalities that we’ve been training with all throughout the year so far and you got to see a lot of that creativity and a lot of different personalities throughout this tournament. Overall, it’s another milestone for us to pivot and move forward for that August 25 game for regular season again.”
On Jordyn Bugg’s performance:
Shae Holmes: “I actually told her after the game I was like, ‘You’re awesome, love playing next to you. You’re doing great.’ Yeah, she is such a young star. I feel like it’s been really cool to see her kind of come out of her shell from training with us to then being on the team fully and all that. I think we’ve only seen like a glimpse of what she can do and it’s crazy, unreal. I think also, along with that, she’s just learning from us and absorbing all she can. She’s like a sponge, kind of like how I was last year for rookie season. So, it’s just fun to get to see her out there and kind of like be herself and be creative and make the mistakes, get feedback, all those ins and outs of the game of soccer, so it’s been really cool to watch her and Ainsley and a lot of those other young players get their chance.”