Seattle Reign FC at Racing Louisville FC Pre-Match Press Conference • Friday, August 30, 2024
Head Assistant Coach Scott Parkinson and Forward Jordyn Huitema
Head Assistant Coach Scott Parkinson
On Bev Yanez as a head coach and going against Bethany Balcer for the first time:
“I think with Bev, honestly, it’s the proudest thing ever seeing her on the sideline and Louisville do a good job with their snippets and audio of team talks after games and stuff like that. So, she’s probably the nicest, calmest, softest human being I’ve ever met. But she’s also a winner and she’s got this winner in her that is coming out and shining through with this club and with this team, which is just amazing to see. I love her to bits. She’s honestly one of the most special people in my life. And then how she likes to play the game – she likes to keep the ball, she likes rotations and fun soccer and we’re definitely seeing that out of Louisville. She also, I think playing for Laura and Vlatko, took a lot of pride as a player in defending. So, has her team really organized, really scrappy every time we play them, Louisville, it’s tight with the Reign. And now with Bev at the helm, I think it’ll be just as just as challenging and just as tight. I can’t say enough about Bev. She’s the greatest human I’ve ever met. And then Balcer, yeah, going to be a strange one tomorrow seeing her in that lilac or lavender. She’s a bit of a club legend here, a bit of a cult hero. We miss her and we will miss her every day, but I suppose this is professional sports and people move on from time to time, so we wish her nothing but the best. I saw her and her dog today, Frisco, so it was nice to see them before training. We know what Boats (Bethany Balcer) does – she scores goals, she runs into the right area at the right time, so we’re going to have to be really careful and keep our eye on her at all times and try and stop the service. So yeah, I love them both to bits, but we’re going to do everything we can to give them a hard night.”
On having a lot of chances last week against North Carolina but only coming away with one goal and what the team can do to convert more chances:
“Yeah, honestly, I think the biggest thing as teams and coaches is creating those key and quality opportunities. If we weren’t creating them, I think we’d be going back to the drawing board every week, but I think what it showed against Carolina was some great football, some players in the right spots that they knew that they needed to be and they created amazing chances. I think Casey Murphy stood on her head until the final moments, but maybe we got what we deserved and we got that little bit of luck off Emeri’s head. But Casey was unbelievable and I think on another day, you probably get two or three of them going in and tomorrow will be no difference. We know it will be a tight game and someone’s going to have to step up and finish some of our better football and we think that we’ll put a team out there tomorrow that can do that.”
On the squad’s health going into this match:
“A little banged up, but I think the injury report will come out a little bit later. Lu (Lauren Barnes) has been back in full training now, so that’s great. She is available for tomorrow. I think outside of Ryanne Brown and Olo (Olivia Van der Jagt), we have a full team to pick from tomorrow. Emeri and Jordyn are away with the U-20s. So yeah, it’s a tough, old league and traveling all over the place in different time zones and playing on turf and then getting up the next day and giving it a go, these players are warriors. So yeah, we’ve got a good selection to pick from tomorrow. We’re excited to see them out there.”
On how training has been with all the new players joining the team:
“They’ve settled in great and I think the Reign is famous for having an environment that’s crazy accepting. So, I know just seeing them, seeing their little friendships already and who people have coffee with and breakfast in the morning has been really cute to see. But you know, Jae (Jaelin Howell) is a warrior. She brings that kind of never-say-die 100% commitments and runs herself into the ground every day type of vibe, which is great. What team doesn’t want that? Ana brings that professional been there, done that, two Champions Leagues kind of just calm, collective, understands the game, understands the tactics, helps other people, talks a lot, speaks up in meetings, which is great. Coco (Nerilia Mondesir) – funny, quiet but funny and really unpredictable, which is great. I think you’ve seen that against Carolina – the ball comes into Coco and only Coco knows what Coco is going to do and again, that’s just so great to have around in training, in games, seeing some flair and some different ideas to break teams down. And then all the kids are just absolute angels. I mean, honestly, they’re absolute angels, all of them – Em (Emeri Adames), JB (Jordyn Bugg) and Ainsley, just proper little footballers, so talented. What a move by the club by signing all three of them. I think they have the potential to be National Team players and Reign greats. So yeah, they’re just cute, kind and then they get out on the field and it’s like they’ve been doing it for 40 years and they’re all 18 years old or 17, Ainsley. So yeah, it just brings a different dynamic, fresh blood, new faces, new vibe, new friendship. So, it’s livened it up, which has been great.”
On if the win last week helped boost the team morale this week:
“Yeah, it was massive. You don’t have to be a mathematician or the statistician to figure out that we’ve got some work to do to finish the year how we want to finish it. Carolina is a tricky opponent – they pop it and they have talents all over the field, as well of a coached team, I think, in the NWSL. Sean (Nahas) does a really good job. So not only to win, which was big, but to dominate, was just incredible. So, the vibes have been good all week. Obviously, Laura’s illness probably knocked a little bit of the wind out of everyone, but thankfully, she’s out of the hospital and back home today, so fighting fit or on the road to. So yeah, winning’s infectious, winning makes you believe, winning gives you confidence when you’re committing to a pass or a run or some movement, when you have that little bit of belief, everything just looks a little crisper and a little more clear. So yeah, they’ve earned that right to feel confident going into tomorrow.”
On how satisfied he has been with training considering all the new players involved with the team now:
“I think pleased. I think the environment here is honestly – it’s so tactical and football related, nothing really goes to waste. We don’t just come out and pass balls around and have like kind of off days. There’s always a purpose and the players always want a purpose, they want to feel like they’re getting better at something. I think with all the new players around, it’s kind of going over principles or old things just to get them on board with kind of who we want to be and how we want to be as a team. So again, lots of information, lots of meetings, lots of conversations and chats. But honestly, they’ve been absolutely brilliant and yeah, the sessions are always good.”
Forward Jordyn Huitema
On her thoughts heading into the match:
“I think that the team’s in a good space right now. Obviously coming off of the break, having a few of us away for the Olympics and coming back, it’s kind of like a fresh start. We know it’s kind of not exactly a second half, but it kind of feels like a second half of the season and I think that we started off really well against North Carolina and we just want to keep that momentum flowing. I think we’re feeling confident and in a good space and ready to push for playoffs, which is the position that we’re currently in.”
On the threats that Racing Louisville FC presents
“I mean, I think every team in this league carries their threats to each game. That’s why the NWSL is so fun. So yeah, I think that they definitely do have strengths that we’re looking to kind of nullify, as does most teams in the league. But I think the main focus is more so on us and just making sure that we’re in a good space. I think that when we do us better, then that’s what works for us. So, the main focus has more so been on our team and what we’re going to deliver.”
On how it has been having new players on the team since returning from the Olympics:
“Yes, definitely, some new faces since being back. I think that Quinny (Quinn) and I both kind of incorporated ourselves early back into team trainings just so that we could get trainings with those players. I mean, they’ve added so much to our team already. Obviously, Jaelin coming in as like a later addition, she’s been great, great person, great player, so I think everyone that’s kind of been added to the team has really made the team better. So yeah, I think when you’re playing along such amazing players, it doesn’t take very long for you to mesh and it’s quite easy. So, it’s been great to have them. We’ve really enjoyed our time and now they can kind of get their footing in the NWSL a little bit more and get more minutes under their belt and that will be great.”
On what it has been like having Scott Parkinson lead the team while Laura Harvey is away due to an illness:
“Yeah, the piece on Laura, obviously we miss her dearly. She’s an amazing person, a part of the team, but Scott has been incredible. He’s always been really amazing with the team and taking on kind of the head coach role now, I think it fits him very naturally. I think the players have a lot of respect for him and what he’s done and what he’s continuing to do with the club. So yeah, I think that they’re very similar in the way that they coach and the way that they are as people. So, it’s not too much of a change. Obviously, I’m sure Laura is in his ear a little bit as well right now, but it’s been great. I mean, the team loves him and he really puts everything that he can for the team forward. So yeah, we really respect him. It’s been really smooth actually, no complaints.”
On how important it was to win last week and if it helped boost the team morale this week:
“I mean, it’s huge. Every point is huge. We obviously didn’t start very well to the season and I think doing some math, we don’t really have a lot of room for error in these next nine games and 10 previously. So, I think, those three points were huge. It started us off on a great note and it’s going to be a really tough road and we know kind of what it’s going to take and we just have to do it, that’s what it comes down to. So, those three points were huge and we don’t have much margin for error and we know that, so we’re just going to do everything in our power to make sure that we keep getting more and more points as we continue the season.”