Portland Thorns FC Quotes
Portland Thorns FC Head Coach Mark Parsons
On the importance of the team pulling out the win…
“I think the work ethic and the grind and some of the battles that we won, I think those things mean a lot. When we reflect tomorrow, we’ll come in and recover, we’ll talk about how we go a goal down and nothing changed, the mindset, the mentality. With regards to starting off, slowing down, it just sped up, and we talked about how we think that’s going to be a strength of ours, it’s how we train, how we prepare. We learn from things that happen and we keep moving forward and I think we showed that tonight. I think we learned some more lessons tonight than we did in the whole of preseason. It’s a shame that you can’t really recreate some of that and get it in preseason, it’s cool that you get it in the first night and grind out a win. I think three points is very important for our whole run. For the time off the pitch that we put in preseason to be rewarded like this I think is very important and special.”
On how the team looked tonight compared to his goals for the team…
“The way we played tonight, the neutral is always going to be happy with an exciting end-to-end game. We won’t be happy. You saw periods and you saw ideas and you saw bits of momentum, and then you saw a lot of chaos. You saw us be a little bit naïve in situations. I think the key swing in the game in the second half was, we kept trying to play up from the back, we kept trying to play short. They kept stealing it and getting opportunity after opportunity. Finally we got the message, ‘just kick the ball. Just kick the ball and win the first and seconds, gain some territory, then let’s play the soccer we want to play.’ It just took us 60-70 minutes to kind of learn that, and when that changed, we were back in the game. We were getting momentum. We got a couple of opportunities. So I think, what does it look like in a few months? We’re going to be a team that I think you won’t want to play, because of our work ethic and the miles that we cover on the pitch. You won’t want to play us because we don’t want to give them time on the ball and we want to get after it. Also we move the ball.”
“Tonight we didn’t ever break Orlando down. They did a very good job in pressing us from high areas, and also did a great job in their block and cutting off passes that we like. We never really broke lines when we built, so we have to solve that, because that’s the team that we’re going to be. We also have to solve it by knowing there are times where we can’t break, and we try to play higher up the pitch. So just better understanding of managing games and momentum, I think is something we can clean up, and you’ll see the style come out a bit truer than it did tonight. It was a crazy, crazy game, and to see the work ethic and then three points after a crazy, hectic game is cool.”
On how the team wanted to break down the Pride and where the team came short in that plan…
“We really wanted to get onto their weak side. We had some footage of them in preseason where we felt that their high press or their high block wanted to try to lock you in once you got to one side. We wanted to overload those areas, keeping people on the backside of their press, and break it with overload and get to that side. I think that the reason that didn’t happen – we tried to fix it at halftime and we still didn’t, they adjusted as well – we didn’t overload. We kept those back four kind of isolated. We love to have not just one but two holding mids, we’ve got two very special holding mids, to get in there and get us going, get us rolling, get us on the attack. And so we wanted to get to that backside a little more. I don’t think we ever did, unless it was in transition, or we had the ball higher up. Once we had it higher up, some of our best opportunities came from that backside. So we knew that was a weakness of theirs. We didn’t really exploit it. For us, moving the ball comfortably, breaking pressure, that’s always going to be a part of what we do. Whether the teams stop us or allow us to move in certain areas, we’ve got to manage that, but we’ve still got to be better on the ball. And I think getting through a game tonight, there was some glimpses of that, will give us momentum to be better and cleaner.”
On the play of Tobin Heath against Orlando and what she adds to the team…
“I think Tobin is an example of incredible work ethic and doing what it takes to be a better player. She’s a special, special player. She came in in great shape, mindset was fantastic, and you just wanted to give her the ball. At halftime, the third or fourth thing I said was, ‘we’ve got Tobin freaking Heath.’ We’ve got Tobin Heath on our team and you wouldn’t know it because we’re not giving her the ball. And in the second half, we got her the ball two, three, four times, and special things happened. We’ve got freaking Tobin Heath, and she was everywhere and I think she played with the freedom that we would allow her. But I know she’s going to want to produce and want to get that goal, and we want the team to get her in those positions. It was special when we got her the ball and we got movement off that. At the same time, we do need a bit more from other players as well because we don’t want to be a team where someone can shut down one player and our attacking game plan is dissolved. And we won’t be. You saw tonight, others stepped up. Dagny [Brynjarsdottir] and Lindsay [Horan] got the goals. Nadia [Nadim] put a lot of work in off the ball. I wish we got her a few opportunities, which didn’t happen. So while I think that’s the feeling of tonight, we got a very important three points, but there’s a lot of work. And a lot of good work that we’ve got coming up.”
On what it means to him as a new head coach of the Thorns to get the win…
“Honestly, tomorrow when I look at the Seattle loss, the Chicago loss and the Kansas loss, it will mean a lot more. Right now, I’m so focused on, were our players working hard?’ And when things went wrong, what did we do? Were we blaming people, pointing fingers, or were we stepping up, and grabbing each other and pushing people forward. There were a few tired legs in there, but you wouldn’t have seen it because there were people who were fresh and sharp who kept them going. Those are the most important things. The result is a massive bonus and tomorrow it will mean more. Tonight, the fact that we were hard to break down and hard to beat, and the energy was everywhere, I mean I’m scared to look at the GPS data tomorrow evening. We covered a lot of distance on that grass. I think it just showed on that last goal we scored how someone has 25 yards in the six-yard box to tap it in. We never got caught like that tonight. We covered those yards and we covered those distances, and preseason we weren’t. We talked after Seattle, we talked after Houston, and I said it to you guys, ‘there’s gaps everywhere.’ That touches on something, I thought the backline, which was a work-in-progress throughout our preseason, I thought the backline was very good tonight. All four of them, including [goalkeeper Michelle [Betos] won the ball. We can be better a bit defensively. Emily Sonnett, who had the main job of keeping Alex Morgan quiet, I thought was exceptional. Emily is one that I’ve said, ‘we’ve got to give her time.’ I grabbed her after the game and said, ‘you looked 28 years old. The way you played, not your looks. You looked 28 years old and you’ve been doing this 4-5 years.’ She looked very composed tonight and I’m pleased for her.”
Portland Thorns midfielder Lindsey Horan
On her goal…
“Honestly I kind of checked my shoulder, right before Tobin [Heath] took a touch and played me, and I felt that I was more open so I brought it down and I thought it would give me a better chance to place it and not be so panicked and hit it one time. Thankfully I was wide open, brought it down and found the left side, so I’m really happy.”
On her role on the team…
“With me and Allie [Long], I think we can both contribute to the attack and one can be holding and one can go and we like to be fluid in that and not just have one sitting at all times. I think it helps getting someone into the box and I love making those runs and even Allie can be playing me those balls. I try to get into the attack as possible but make sure we always have one holding back and I know that’s what [head coach] Mark [Parsons] wants as well because we’re taking a little more risk bringing someone in there but it’s a risk for a goal. I think it happened a few times that we got in behind them but it works for us.”
On if her and Allie Long have defined roles...
“No, I don’t think necessarily. If Allie is closer to the goal and has a better chance to score, I let her go and I’ll sit, and I think she does the same with me. I think that’s really cool that me and Allie have that camaraderie and we’re comfortable if one goes and one holds. I think we understand each other really well in that.”
On the importance of getting the win on opening day...
“It’s awesome. I think it was a hard battle today and we came out maybe a little shaky because we weren’t really used to that kind of pressure. Getting the win in the end and pushing through that I think that is really cool for us. Moving forward we can build off of that and each game get better and better. I think we can be so much better with this team and how we play and now looking forward, I think that’s awesome that we can come off of this game and see what we need to do differently. That’s really cool for us.”
On playing in front of the crowd at Providence Park...
“We never got that in PSG, I think maybe for some of our big championships league games we’d get that kind of fans. It was awesome. I was so impressed and it kind of brought us up, the fans cheering, keeping us going, it keeps us up and strong in the game. I love that. I love having that. It’s like having another player on the field. I love it. I’m so impressed.”
On if she ever got caught up in the crowd...
“I mean it’s different for me coming off of France where a lot of the games are so slow and a lot of the lower level teams that we pay against, it’s us with the ball so much of the time and it’s slow and we have to keep the ball moving. Here, you’re flying all the time, you have so much pressure and the fans are into it. It’s just an intense environment. I think that was a little new for me and a little bit of a shock but I knew it was going to be different coming into it. I’m really glad I got the first game out of it and saw what it’s like, especially with this fan base, it’s good to see it, come off it with a win and move forward.”
Portland Thorns forward Tobin Heath
On starting the season with a win...
“It feels great. It’s not really the way I saw it going when I dreamt about it but three points is obviously fantastic. I felt like our response to that first goal was great and I think it kind of sets us off on a good pace because it wasn’t easy at times. Obviously, I don’t think our quality is what it can be so I think it’s really positive moving forward because we have so much more in us and to get three points is huge.”
On her role on the team…
“I feel great here. I think it’s really cool being here for a whole season, getting a preseason. I really like the group, I like [head coach] Mark [Parsons], I think we have a great idea of how we want to play. I think we’re growing in that and there’s still a long way for us to go and in that I like taking on more responsibility. We’ve got really fantastic players so now we just have to figure out and I just try to play in that and help the team win some games.”
On wearing the Captain’s armband...
“Well the armband belongs to [Christine Sinclair], she’s our captain. Obviously, she’s struggling with an injury right now but hopefully she’ll be back soon. It was actually kind of interesting when Mark told me because I didn’t really ever think about it really. There’s so many great leaders on the team and I think that’s what’s so special about it. I guess he thought that I brought a lot of experience and a calming force on the field which is great. I was kind of like, ‘are you sure? I think there’s a bunch of other people that should get it.’ But I took it and I’m going to do the best I can with it.”
On transitioning from a younger player to a veteran...
“I think it’s changed. I guess everybody experiences that as they get older. They kind of have to grow up and become an adult and I feel like I’m kind of going through that maturity process with my game as well. I think I’ve always been younger and now I’m old. So, I feel like it’s about time I step up and take that responsibility and it’s something I’m really enjoying. I really like it. Hopefully it kind of enlarges the group and I get to encourage them and also I hope it brings out more of my game because taking on more responsibility you have to step up and kind of play with that as well. In that way I’m just trying to take it on and do the best I can.”
On how the team can best manage the upcoming four game road stretch...
“This road stretch is tough. Playing in Portland is tough. That’s a whole lot of miles. I think recovery, recovery, recovery. We just have to be complete professionals off the field and get our legs back because we want to be in a great position in the beginning of the season. Obviously our schedule is tough but I think as much as we can recover and get our legs back so we can go again, and again, and again, and again. I think it’s four games on the road. So, I think that we’ve got a great group, a professional group. I think we’re still kind of getting to our full fitness as well. In that way I think it’s going to be a tough stretch but a stretch that’s going to really show what we’re made of in the beginning part of the year.”
Notes
- Sunday’s attendance of 16,073 was the largest crowd for a Thorns FC home opener in team history and the seventh crowd of better than 16,000 for a match at Providence Park.
- A total of five players earned their first career start for Thorns FC: Emily Sonnett, Meghan Klingenberg, Lindsey Horan, Dagny Brynjarsdottir and Nadia Nadim.
- Four players made their NWSL debuts in the match: Brynjarsdottir, Horan, Sonnett and Mallory Weber.
- Brynjarsdottir and Horan are the second and third players to score on their Thorns FC debuts. Christine Sinclair scored in her first match for Portland in the team’s inaugural match of the 2013 season.
- Sonnett became the fourth rookie to start in a home opener for Thorns FC, joining Kat Williamson (2013), Emily Menges (2014) and Courtney Niemiec (2014).
- Thorns FC improved to 4-0-0 in home openers, dating back to the 2013 season and have opponents 11-4 in those matches.
- Sunday marked the second time in four seasons Portland has played its season-opening match against an expansion side. Thorns FC recorded a 1-0 win against then-expansion side Houston Dash on April 12, 2014.
- Portland improved to 7-0-3 during the month of April, dating back to the 2013 season, including a record of 5-0-0 in matches at Providence Park.
- Midfielder Tobin Heath wore the captain’s armband in the match.
- Heath registered the second multi-assist game of her Thorns FC career in the match. The first of her career came on July 28, 2013 against Chicago.
