Portland Thorns FC Quotes
Portland Thorns FC head coach Mark Parsons
On forward Christine Sinclair and midfielder Hayley Raso scoring goals tonight…
“Good for Sinc [Christine Sinclair], good for Raso and good for the whole team. We can’t just talk about those two players when they grab a goal. They’ve been doing some really, really important stuff. For us, I look at Amandine [Henry] and Allie [Long] tonight; we probably won’t talk about them, but the work they did to disrupt and break up the counterattack got us into really good areas. The team was great tonight and really stepped up. We played with the energy and intensity that we’re built on and when we do that, it often works out in a great performance and we’re really happy with that performance.”
On playing after a quick turnaround…
“We’ve done a good job on the physical side to prepare for this stretch. We don’t just prepare for it when we finish the game on the East Coast; we did it two or three weeks ago. Our conditioning coach takes care of things. We have a short turnaround and recovery before we head up to Seattle. One thing the conditioning coach will not be happy about is Sinc did not wear her GPS tonight, she scored two goals, so I don’t think she’s going to be wearing it again. If she keeps scoring, we might let her off. We’ll recover and get ready for the big battle up north.”
On the energy of the team coming back from last week’s loss…
“I think the Sky Blue home game, we played really well there and we played really well here. There was just a couple of moments that changed the game, that’s what’s beautiful about this league. You sleep for a second and a team can punish you. The Sky Blue home game, we knew we played really well, but this league is about the tiniest, tiniest details and you get it right like tonight, because we took care of some really important basics. The away game in Washington, we almost had to let go as soon as the whistle went, because it just wasn’t us and if we dwell on that we aren’t ready for tonight and tonight was about doing what we love to do and doing what we know we’re good at. The players before this game, I think everyone is accountable and responsible for a very good performance tonight and everyone stepped up. Sinc was one that spoke to the team just before we went out, and as ever she comes at the right time, with the right words. I think that’s why she is one of the best leaders in the women’s game, she wasn’t going to let any of us not be at our best tonight and she goes out and grabs two goals and leads by example, and looks world class doing it.
On midfielder Mana Shim’s performance…
“Everyone brought the energy and it’s nice to have Mana back and what she brings is a calmness and ability to play really good soccer. She has a brain, where when we can braid lines and look forward, the ball she played in for Sinc in the first half, where she spun Sauerbrunn. That range of pass as well as intelligence, she stepped into a new position there, thought it worked for us. Really happy for her.”
On playing midfielder Dagny Brynjarsdottir at right back…
“[She’d played there] with the U-17 Iceland National Team, which my assistant pointed out was eight or nine years ago. So it’s a new one for her and she had one training session and a lot of video. She did well, she stepped up. She performed very well at Washington and we had to find room for her on the field tonight, and the only way to do that was to play her at right back. She continued her progress, she came on at Washington and dictated the play, she switched the ball and played the passes we needed. Tonight, she came on and got quality minutes at a new position, she’s got a lot to learn if she’s going to play there again, like others have done, but it’s so good to have her back on the field.”
Portland Thorns FC forward Christine Sinclair
On her two goals in the match…
“The first one, just a rebound. Allie [Long] had a great shot. Their keeper made a good save off the post and it just happened to find me. The second one, I was a little mad and [Hayley] Raso played me the ball. It was nice to see that one hit the back of the net and a huge three points for us. I was obviously a little upset the other [disallowed goal] got called back, but it had nothing to do with the call. It’s been a frustrating couple games for us and just knowing we’d get the three points made us take a deep breath.”
On how important the win was and what Sinclair said to the team ahead of tonight’s match…
“First of all, it was a massive three points for us here at home. It was a quick turnaround from our game in D.C. and we weren’t happy with the past two games we played. I spoke to the team before, just saying ‘It’s easy to point fingers why things aren’t going right for us these past couple games, but we have to start with ourselves. If individually we take care of business, there aren’t too many teams in this league that can touch us.’ I thought you saw some of that quality tonight.”
On how tonight’s result fits with the rest of the season so far…
“It’s been an up and down season for us. The focus these last couple days in training was to play forward. We felt that at times in the past two games we’ve been too safe, taking risks in the back instead of playing forward. Today we did that and we created a lot of chances. Against [Washington] we had three shots and tonight, I’m not sure how many we had, but it was a focus for us to create chances.”
On how tonight’s performance sets the team up moving forward…
“I think we’re moving in the right direction after a game like tonight. You saw the quality going forward, the quality on the ball. But then, the thing we brought tonight that’s been missing is just the fight. Defensively, body on the line, getting stuck in. That was missing for sure against [Washington].”
Portland Thorns FC midfielder Hayley Raso
On scoring her first NWSL goal…
“It’s amazing, so exciting to go out there and do it at home, in-front of all those fans. It was unbelievable, I loved it.”
On what was going through her mind when she scored…
“I think after I hit it, I realized that the keeper was off her line and just watched it float it. It’s just such an exciting thing for me to get my first goal and to do it here at home, it was unbelievable.”
On applauding the fans after a goal celebration…
“They’re there for us every week, they’re the ones pushing us, they’re the ones behind us every time we score. I was so excited for myself, but I wanted to thank them, I wanted to hug my teammates, it was just overwhelming.”
On playing with Christine Sinclair and their on-field relationship…
“It’s obviously really important for myself and the team that the striker and winger have a good relationship, but to play alongside someone like Christine Sinclair, she has all the experience in the world. I feel like I learn so much just playing next to her and having her there next to me.”
Notes:
- Forward Christine Sinclair recorded her third career brace and the fourth multi-goal game of her Thorns FC career.
- Forward Hayley Raso scored her first NWSL goal in the 32nd minute.
- Midfielder Lindsey Horan tallied the first assist of her NWSL career in the match.
- Portland recorded its NWSL-leading sixth shutout of the season. Additionally, Thorns FC have recorded shutouts in both of their matches against FC Kansas City this season.
- Thorns FC posted their fourth home shutout in six matches at Providence Park in 2017.
- Portland has now scored in 13 consecutive home matches, recording two or more goals in four of its six home matches this season.
- Dagny Brynjarsdottir and Mana Shim both earned their first starts of the 2017 season.
- Thorns FC improved to 4-2-1 all-time at home against FC Kansas City, scoring 21 goals in seven total meetings.
