Seattle Reign FC Pre-Match Press Conference • Saturday, March 16, 2024
Head Coach Laura Harvey and Forward Bethany Balcer
Head Coach Laura Harvey
On the start of the season:
“Excited. Seems like the league kicked off with a bang. Yeah, just excited for 2024, excited that the queen is back, all the things.”
On what Ji So-Yun can bring to the team:
“I think, obviously, she’s a talented player – she’s got a lot of experience at playing at the highest level. I think for anyone coming into this league, I always say it, it may take her a minute to get used to how crazy it is. We’ve had some international players where it’s taken them a minute, some where they’ve kicked off with a bang and hopefully tomorrow she can kick it off with a bang.”
On facing Washington Spirit to start the season for a third year in a row and if it’s challenging to prepare for an opponent that the team doesn’t know a lot about with it being Week 1:
“The first game of the season is always challenging, I think, for everybody. You try and do everything you can in preseason to find out as much information as you can about them and I’m sure they’ve done the same about us, but you are going into a little bit of the unknown and as coaches, we don’t really love that. So yeah, I think it will be interesting. I think we’ve got a lot of different faces in the team, they’ve got a lot of young, new faces in their team, obviously different coaching staff and stuff like that. I think we’re just going to have to see what we’ve seen a little bit of them but not a ton, is what we’ve seen what they are or is it a little bit different? I think first games of the season, as we’re already seeing, can often be a little bit of that – someone comes out very differently than you thought or they go on the front foot really quickly and you have to respond. I think first games of the season always have that initial challenge and this one is no different, even though, I don’t even know how many times we’ve played Washington first, it seems like a lot.”
On the fitness of the team going into this game:
“We’re pretty close to health. Alana (Cook), touch and go, she’s close, tomorrow may be a bit too soon for her. We’ve got a couple of other niggles again, nothing really long term, but we may have to make some choices tonight on whether we risk some people or not.”
On her vision of getting players minutes to develop this year without the Challenge Cup:
“I think it’s going to be interesting. I think we’ve got that period in the summer during the Olympic break where we can find some opportunities for people. But, I think we’ve got a really deep roster again, where everybody from one to 26, there’s not a huge gap. So, can somebody not be in the roster tomorrow of the 20 and start next week? Yeah, quite easily. So, I think that we’ve got a lot of young talent, we’ve got a lot of young players who may take them a minute to get used to things, got a few old legs in there that may need a couple of rests occasionally. So yeah, we’ll just have to find the time to develop and I think, obviously, one of the things that we do throughout the year, if needed, is we try and get games against boys teams and other opportunities when and where we can, if we feel that we need to get some players some minutes.”
On if too much is being made of the changed roster with how many players have returned this year:
“I don’t know if you can take away the change, to be honest. Megan Rapinoe is a pretty big thing to lose. I think that is an area – she’s been such a consistent force in this team for so long, I think obviously with the other changes that we got, do I think that they will be impactful? Yeah, but I think we actually did a good job of solving that pretty quickly. But, I don’t want to diminish what Pinoe brought to this team, but I also think it’s not fair to think that someone is just going to walk into her shoes either. So, yes, do we have the core back? Yes, I do think that. Do we have some really bright, young talent? Yeah, we do and I think that’s quite a cool thing for us that, we have these veterans that are the legacy of this club, but we’ve got some really young, talented players who are now going to be able to get an opportunity to really take this club where we believe it should be and where it can be. I think one of the things that this club has been built on is consistency and performing at a consistent level every year. I don’t think since year one we’ve finished lower than fifth. To finish in the top-5 in every season in this league withe everything that this club has gone through is a testament to who we are. I thin, yes, change is necessary, change is exciting, but I think we have core values here that don’t change and I think every new face that comes in to it, knows what’s expected and what the expectation is of playing for this club. I don’t want to diminish what losing Pinoe means, I don’t want to diminish who Rose (Lavelle) and (Emily) Sonnett are, but I also want people to understand that Megan Rapinoe not being here anymore is a big deal and I’m not going to take that away from her, but I do think it’s professional sport and I think the good thing about us is we’ve known that, obviously for a while that she wasn’t coming back and we’ve been working really diligently behind the scenes to make sure we can try and make that transition as seamless as possible.”
On U-18 forward Emeri Adames and what the coaching staff is looking for from her this season:
“Emeri (Adames) is a special talent, she is. She’s a special talent. I agree with you, I don’t think expectation isn’t the right word for her because of her age. I think our job is to give her a development environment and we’ve seen with these young players that have come into this league, that could look really different for each one of them. All we know for Emeri is that she deserves to be here on her ability on the field, her maturity off the field as well, I think has lent in to her seamlessly fitting in, really. But yeah, she’s an exciting talent, that’s for sure.”
Forward Bethany Balcer
On preseason:
“I think it’s been great to have time to integrate new players, obviously we’ve signed a couple. So, it just makes our team look a little bit different this year, which is exciting, so I think having that time to continue to mesh as a team is really important. We’ve been able to do that, we’ve been able to get games in and really just see the flow of the team this year because just within this league, teams change a lot from year to year, so I think having that time to figure each other out and know each other’s tendencies is really important to the success of a team throughout the year.”
On what fans can start to look for from her this season:
“I’m always working on how to find the ball in the back of the net, so hopefully there’s more goals and [celebrations] to come this year. I think just the flow of our team looks different and I’m excited to show that to everybody tomorrow. It’ll just be different, but it’s a good different and I think it really plays to the strengths of our team.”
On the growth of the league since her rookie year in 2019:
“It’s definitely been exciting and I just think women’s sports in general is on the move in a really good way. So, it’s exciting to be a part of something so groundbreaking. It’s funny, the other day I was just thinking about how some of our OGs had like a starting salary of $6,000 dollars, so I think it’s just really cool to see where we’re going, where we’ve come from and I think it’s just the beginning, honestly. I think we’re finally getting what we deserve and I’m hopeful that will continue from club to club and we just keep raising the standards and making it better than when we found it.”
On midfielder Ji So-Yun:
“She’s just fine. She’s an incredible player, it’s already been so fun playing with her – just so calm and composed on the ball and as someone who maybe isn’t always at times, it’s just really nice to have, you can always trust her when she’s on the ball and very forward-thinking player, which is exciting and just adds to the threat of our attack.”
On if she has built chemistry with Ji on the field:
“I think it’s still pretty early on and we’ve only had like a week or two to really figure each other out, but I think throughout the course of this season we’ll continue to be a great relationship on the field. I’m already figuring out just kind of how she operates, what she does, because she’s very, very talented. So, I think it will complement the team really well.”
On if it feels weird not having Megan Rapinoe on the team this season:
“I mean, obviously, it’s Pinoe, she’s such a presence, so we definitely miss her, but we’re definitely continuing to carry the torch for her and the legacy that she’s left. You kind of just have to keep going – players retire every year, so just to have her always in the back of our minds because she made this club what it is today.”
On being one of the veterans on the team and being able to give advice to the younger players:
“It’s still weird hearing people say I’m a vet, I feel like it was just yesterday it was my rookie season. So, I think it’s been cool to kind of take on that role this year and it’s been fun to just step into leadership a little more and take the young ones under my wing and just try to be to them who people like (Lauren Barnes) Lu and Jess (Fishlock) were to me. I’ve really tried to model after them because they were so great and so welcoming and answered all my questions. So, I think just getting people on board with what we’re doing here right away is really important, so I’ve just been trying to speak into them and help them keep up.”
On choosing to support Hidden Opponent as her nonprofit for the Reign’s new Players with Purpose ticketing program:
“I’m super excited that the club has linked up with these organizations. I think it’s incredible. The Hidden Opponent is just an organization that works to bridge the gap between mental health and athletes. I think it’s something that’s still not talked about enough, even though it has gotten a lot of attention in the last couple of years, but there’s athletes that are struggling every single day, whether they’re on the field or not. So, it’s just an organization that highlights that and tells real life stories from athletes – college athletes, club athletes, whatever it is. I’m just really grateful for the work that they’re doing and how they’re amplifying such a taboo space. The girl at the forefront of it is a former athlete, so just to have someone like her leading the charge, I think, is really great and I’m super excited to be working alongside them.”