Portland Thorns FC Quotes
Portland Thorns FC head coach Mark Parsons
General thoughts on the match…
“Unfortunately, we chose a bad game to come out flat. We just moved away from a couple of important things that we needed to tonight. When you're a bit flat, you hope that you're not playing a team that is absolutely desperate to win. Chicago got a lot of things right. I thought they were hungry, had the desire and played well. We were just a tad off and they were very good. It was disappointing to concede that goal right before halftime. The fact that we clawed back and scored the goals and created the chances that we did to that point, [it shows] our character, mentality and that the fans gave us energy. I don't know if we would of done it if we weren't playing at home in front of this lot.”
On factors contributing to the flat first half...
“In games that we've been out dueled or out battled, it can be tough [to win]. [Chicago] was very good with their defending and aggression. It's sometimes tough because you have to physically compete in this league. We didn't do that in the first half and that's factual. When we don't get pressure on the ball and don't physically compete, it can be a bit harder. Again, we were a tad off but Chicago was really good. I thought they deserved their lead and we deserved to come back. I thought we deserved to win the game the way that we controlled and created attacks.”
On Andressinha's impact on the match...
“I thought Andressinha was very important actually. Celeste [Boureille] has been huge for us and by being two goals down, it was just going to be a different game. We were going to need someone who could split lines, play passes and create in the final third from a deep position. Getting Caitlin [Foord] on at home [was great] - her holdup play, ability and quality was important to us.”
On what makes Sam Kerr so difficult to stop...
“She's world class but we have world-class players [as well]. I thought our world-class players stepped up tonight and scored important goals. When Tobin [Heath] is at her best, no one can touch her. Sam Kerr is a fantastic goal scorer and what makes her difficult is that she has a bit of everything. She has the heart to want to score goals and get at you. Credit to the full Chicago team for playing the way they did and getting her in the game.”
On his approach heading into the final stretch of the season...
“[We're going to take things] one game at a time. Coming back off a long road trip and then coming back to the West Coast, I don't know if that'll have an impact [on us physically]. We've just got to recharge and get everyone at their absolute best [for Wednesday]. Every moment and minute in this league is desperate times because of the quality there is everywhere. So let's recharge and show some quality that we maybe left at home tonight and dominate as early as possible [for Wednesday's game].
On Caitlin Foord's match fitness with three games remaining in the regular season...
“She's now in the conversation to start. I think between 30-45 minutes is what she was at tonight. She's in a great position to now start building up to 45-plus minutes. If she's 90 minutes fit by the last home game of the season and heading into the playoffs, that would be great; before then would be a big bonus.”
Portland Thorns FC goalkeeper Adrianna Franch
Thoughts on the game…
“It’s not what we wanted, but we fought hard to get the one point. So it’s on to the next game and we’ll learn from it and keep moving forward because we have big goals to fulfill.”
On Chicago going up by two goals…
“We didn’t come out the way we should have. We didn’t play the way we know how and the second half was better with the pressure that we put on them. We started playing with the ball, getting into the attack, making forward movements and defending the ball better.”
On the coach's post-game comments...
“It wasn’t good enough, we have important games left and if we don’t take care of the things that we need to take care of, then it’ll be a different story than it was last year. That’s not good enough and we know that and we need to get back to work within our next training and move forward.”
On the first Chicago goal…
“Any time the ball goes into the back of the net I’m not happy. A minute before the half was over and at the same time as frustrating as it is, we have a whole other half to play. Those are the moments that make a difference for a team. We could have come out sulking about that goal and even the second goal that happened within the first 10 minutes of the second half. That shows our character and what we’re capable of to come back from behind and get at least one point out of it.”
Notes:
- Tobin Heath recorded her 20th career assist in the match. She is the first player in club history to reach this mark.
- Heath has tallied an assist in three consecutive matches and has four assists in her last five games.
- Sinclair scored her eighth goal of the season. It marks the third time in her career she has scored eight goals in a season as she recorded eight goals in 2013 and 2017.
- Sinclair has 10 goals in 16 career matches against Chicago, including three goals in three matches this season.
- Portland is unbeaten in 14 straight matches (6-0-8) against the Red Stars.
- With the draw, Thorns FC improved to 8-1-8 all-time against Chicago, with a mark of 4-1-3 at Providence Park.
- Caitlin Foord made her Providence Park debut in the game, entering the match in the 56th minute.
- Thorns FC are unbeaten in their last four home matches (2-0-2), outscoring opponents 10-4 during that span.
