Portland Thorns FC Quotes
Portland Thorns FC head coach Mark Parsons
General thoughts on the match tonight…
“The important part was the result. This place is a fortress. The fans come in and together with the players, the staff and the fans, we managed to get the job done and get a result. Performance-wise, I think that we’re going to want to improve and look there first. We want to improve in different areas, with and without the ball. It was a night of creating a lot of chances. It was exciting that we were creating those chances. It’s exciting different players are creating and different players are getting opportunities to put the ball in the back of the net. I think it gives us good momentum going into the week, wanting to improve and get this important result.”
On if Portland allowed Orlando to stay in the match…
“I think Orlando kept themselves in the game with some really dangerous players. It’s hard to keep that front three quiet. It really is. We seem to be doing an okay job over the last 12, now 18 months. It’s really hard and really tough and at some point they’re going to create. They’re going to cause some mayhem and get an opportunity. The fact that we kept them quiet for the majority of the game is a huge plus. We’ve had a two-week break and we had a lot of excitement and a few nerves that meant that everything wasn’t perfect. We wanted to try and play in their final third as much as possible and create a lot more opportunities than we did in the last game. We’ve gone from Carolina and creating a few to Chicago and creating a lot. Then tonight I thought we exceeded that. It would have been nice to get that third goal. The third goal could have opened it up and really got us rolling. We probably shut the front door on Orlando a bit later than normal because we thought the third goal was there. We went to the 85th minute before we shut it down and wanted to see it out. There’s always that chance. I thought Ana [Crnogorcevic] and Ifeoma [Onumonu] brought really good energy. Mallory [Weber] and Tyler [Lussi] were superb for the 60 minutes and I thought Ana and Ife did exactly what their job description was today, which was to come on and make us better and lift the energy as it started to drop. It’s hard work for two forwards up there. Everyone played an important job of keeping us dangerous and trying to keep Orlando quiet.”
On Portland’s success at attacking from wide positions…
“We didn’t know if Orlando was going to stop us going wide today or if they were going to stop us going central. Of course you want to stop everyone going everywhere. Disappointed we couldn’t take advantage of that earlier because a team playing a new formation against us, they probably have some lessons to learn. We didn’t quite take advantage of it before they got their goal and then I thought we grabbed control and saw out that first half. I think they clogged up the midfield. They really wanted to stop Lindsey [Horan] and Sinc [Christine Sinclair], which gave Midge [Purce] and [Meghan Klingenberg] some fantastic areas to get at them. Midge showed why she’s been one of the most dangerous players so far across the league at beating people. She created a final product and creating chances was really, really good tonight. She put them into right areas. It’s going to be a long night making Midge’s [highlight] clips tonight because she had so many great actions. The team took advantage of that. There was a good matchup on that side and we wanted to feed that matchup while it was there. So they clogged the midfield and despite that we got wide and Sinc and Lindsey were probably the reason they wanted to clog it up. They managed to get in the final third and create some opportunities to score goals. Those two have been big time scoring important goals so far. I thought they were fantastic at Carolina and unfortunately didn’t get what they deserved. Two games in a row now they’re on the score sheet and I think they’re just getting going. We just got back from international break. We’ve been managing their bodies all week. Lindsey didn’t do a full session until yesterday. Sinc has been easing back in. Those two are only going to get better and better.”
On managing the team with key players away…
“We’ve been through it. We try to improve the planning and the execution of how we’re going to manage it. I think the biggest thing we learned from last year is we’re playing soccer that suits the players we’ve got right now. It’s really positive. It’s hard working and it’s trying to break lines and get forward and pin the opposition in their 18-yard box and score some goals. I’m sure there’s going to be some transition here over the next two to three weeks. We get the Australians and Andressinha back after the Washington home game. They’ll be back in building up to Utah. So it’ll be a really fun, but also challenging couple weeks transitioning everyone back in, but the group’s excited. Ana’s slipped in and she’s a favorite in the dressing room already, making fun of people and letting them know they better work hard or she’ll make sure they do. It’s been a great transition for her. We’re excited to see Ellie [Carpenter]. Obviously [Hayley] Raso will be back and welcome Andressinha in.”
On Lindsey Horan and Christine Sinclair showing up in big moments…
“The last two years, when we’re really under pressure, Lindsey has stepped up. Sinc does it every game, but Lindsey has stepped up when we really need her. What she’s doing now, she’s stepping up every single game. Today, she was being very influential before they scored and then she just continued being influential in the game. Seeing more shots from her in and around the 18-yard box is a target. It’s great that she took that. She took one in the second half as well. We want to keep encouraging her shooting from distance. With Sinc, we’re watching one of the very, very best in the world for the last 10, 12, 15 years. We’ve got to enjoy this person and this player every opportunity we can. It’s a privilege to work with her and support her in probably, physically, the best shape of her life. There’s a hunger and positivity and drive in Sinc right now that’s contagious. She scored the penalty against Chicago and the passion that she showed when she put that in to make it 3-1, the group fed off that. We’re not going to see many players like Sinclair guys and we’ve got to take advantage of these games while she’s here in this city leading us to victories.”
On the excitement around the Timbers and Thorns as a single organization…
“The Timbers staff were all up here cheering us on tonight. Gio [Savarese] e-mailed me this morning making sure that we felt good. The same last night, we were here and watching the Timbers. It’s a special city and a special community and around that organization that Merritt [Paulson], Gavin [Wilkinson] and Mike [Golub] have done to build is really unique. Being a part of it and supporting the Timbers, being a part of this and helping the Thorns continue what has been a very successful five years, is a true privilege. With wins like this tonight, we can keep riding this wave and enjoying it.”
On Ana Crnogorcevic’s debut…
“Three of her targets she had was one, work really hard. Come in and put max effort and work off the ball. When we have it, give us movement. Let us know what you’re about. Don’t come here and try to adjust to us too much. Be you when we have the ball. Be simple, be smart, be dangerous, but be you so we can start to learn what you’re about. I know. I’ve watched her for two years, but the players need to know. The third thing is we have some basic attacking ideas. If you can add some of them into you being yourself, then great. Work hard, be yourself and try to show some of the attacking ideas we’ve been working on. It was exciting to see her out there. This is a really cool player and when she gets fired up, you guys are going to fall in love because she’s got heart the size of this crowd. She wants to help us win every single moment, never mind every single game.”
Portland Thorns Quotes
Portland Thorns FC midfielder Lindsey Horan
On getting more involved when the team needs it…
“It is my position to get on the ball as much as I can. I just try to find the game as much as I can as well. I really wanted to get the team and ball moving and I thought we did a very good job of that in the first half. We lost a little bit of it in the second half, but we were moving and knocking it and I was so proud of some of our players that really showed up and did well.”
On the team’s performance…
“I thought the first half was awesome, we’ve played the best we’ve played in a while in that half. In the second half, Orlando came out and were fighting and wanted a goal back, so we lost a little of our possession. We have to be happy with the result and keep moving forward.”
On continuing to be such a good team…
“Honestly, I think it’s our mentality and how together we are. Each game we come out fighting together and it’s not one individual player doing something on their own – everything is for the team and we’re confident in each other, it really showed today. We want to work for each other and trust each other and I think we saw that at the end of last season and it’s coming into this year and all the new players are taking upon themselves – I’m really proud of this team.”
On playing in front of Portland’s home crowd…
“It’s awesome. We’ve been waiting so long for this game and to have us back at home with these fans is an incredible feeling. It’s very special for us and I hope the fans know that and we enjoy them, it’s crazy.”
On challenges coming back from international break and being ready for a game like this…
“It’s something that we have to deal with and anyone that’s with the national team has done a good job and we know that all the players here are working hard and doing what they need to be doing to get ready for our games. They also need to trust that we’re doing the same thing in camp. It’s not that difficult, you play with one team and come back here and you re-focus on what you need to do with the club and what we want with this season.”
Portland Thorns defender Katherine Reynolds
On reaction to the performance and the result…
“I’m super happy about the result, it’s great to get three points in our first game at home and I think there’s a lot of things that we can take away from this game to improve on, but we did a lot of good things too and got the win.”
On adjusting to Orlando’s formation change in the second half…
“I didn’t think we had that hard of time adjusting and we were able to actually keep the ball in play a lot more than we were anticipating. It was great to get our midfielders on the ball and we were able to create so many chances which is one the things we will focus on is finishing those chances.”
On Lindsey Horan and Christine Sinclair stepping up in crucial moments…
“They’re great leaders and players, we need that from everyone but it’s great to have them on the field and leading the way.”
Portland Thorns midfielder Midge Purce
On her first home performance at Providence Park
“Wow, it was sick. It was just really cool to be a part of the atmosphere and the stadium and I feel like a real Portland Thorn, now that I’ve gotten to play at home, it was unreal.”
On her personal performance…
“I think the quality in a lot of my services could be better. Mark [Parsons] and I have been working on that a lot so going through film will be a little frustrating. I’m proud of my effort and I did work hard.”
On having a bigger impact after seeing Orlando’s formation change in the second half…
“I don’t really pay much attention to their formation, more to just the space that I have when I look up. I just happened to have a lot of space on the switch today and we have midfielders who can hit that ball, so it was perfect.”
Notes:
- Midfielder Lindsey Horan has three goals in five career matches against the Pride, while forward Christine Sinclair has scored in each of last two regular-season home matches against Orlando.
- Horan tallied her 11th career goal for Portland, moving into a tie for fifth place on the all-time scoring list with Jessica McDonald.
- With her goal, Sinclair moved into sole possession of first place in career points (75) for Thorns FC in her 90th career match for the club.
- Portland improved to 6-0-0 all-time in home openers, including a mark of 3-0-0 against Orlando in home-opening matches at Providence Park.
- In the fifth regular-season meeting between the two sides, Thorns FC improved to 4-0-1 all-time against the Pride.
- Thorns FC are 19-2-2 at Providence Park over the last three seasons under head coach Mark Parsons.
- Portland has won nine consecutive matches, including playoffs, at home, outscoring opponents 21-5 during that span.
- Thorns FC have scored two or more goals in eight of their last nine home matches, including playoffs.
- Forward Ana Crnogorcevic made her NWSL and Thorns FC debut in the match.
- Portland is 7-0-2 all-time when Horan scores a goal.
