Portland Thorns FC vs. Chicago Red Stars Quotes
June 1, 2013
Portland Thorns FC Quotes:
Portland Thorns FC head coach Cindy Parlow Cone
On some positives to take away from the game:
“We got some new players experience. There’s not substitution for game time. You can’t duplicate that in practice. For them to get those minutes in and get some experience was huge.”
On players stepping into the starting lineup:
“I’m so proud of my team today. I told them after the game there’s no other team I’d rather coach. They fought, they battled. I thought it was a difficult game to play due to some things outside of our control, but the players that played today, that don’t usually play, stepped up and did a great job. Courtney Wetzel played with the composure of a veteran in center midfield. She really stepped it up. Cris (Lewis) played well in goal and Dani Foxhoven up front, I think she created chances in the first half and made some good runs in behind (the defense). Jazmyne Avant, I thought she was very solid at left back.”
On the lack of space to create offensive opportunities:
“I think it’s a combination of things. Chicago played really well. They moved the ball really well and defended well. We didn’t necessarily do what we needed to do attacking-wise. We had some chances in the first half that we didn’t capitalize on and that ended up hurting us.”
On the game’s physical nature:
“I thought it was a hard-fought game and not dirty by any means – just both teams going after it. I didn’t think the physical play was a difference in the game. We got beat on set pieces today. Both goals came on set pieces. We’ve got to go back to the drawing table and make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
On the performance of amateur goalkeeper Cris Lewis:
“I thought Cris Lewis played an outstanding game, neither goal was her fault by any means. I thought she stepped up and played well and commanded her box very well. She had a good game in terms of distribution.”
Midfielder Becky Edwards
On how the team adjusted to the loss of four starters:
“The four national team players are huge pieces to this team, but I thought we had some good performances from some players who normally don’t play 90 minutes. I thought they did well. We had a good week of training leading in. At times, I thought we were pretty good tonight, but credit to Chicago for pulling out the goal and winning the game.”
On the challenge of playing against Lori Chalupny:
“She’s a great player. She’s sophisticated and physical in a different way. It’s always a battle between us and always fun to play against. It was back-and-forth tonight.”
On the game’s physical nature:
“They (Chicago) hadn’t won a game yet, so they were coming in here and had nothing to lose. They were physical and I thought we fought back. At times, we didn’t get to those second balls first; we didn’t get to the first balls first. If we can improve that and have that mentality then we can be a little bit better. I thought we battled hard. Maybe we got a little caught up in the distraction of the physical play. Especially in the first half, I thought there were times where we knocked the ball around pretty well. We created chances and it’s about having that final pass and finishing those chances.”
Forward Danielle Foxhoven
On starting her first game of the season:
“Coming in, I just knew that I had to bring the same mentality that I always do and that’s to work hard and provide a spark. Work hard on offense, work hard on defense and bring energy – that’s the mentality that I have – and that’s what I wanted to bring today.”
On the lack of space in the second half:
“They had a goal before halftime so they were sitting back a little more and trying to deny the ball into the front-runners, the ball over the top. They did a good job of that. We weren’t able to play like we were in the first half as much. The ball was bouncier coming into our feet. It’s something that we need to exploit and draw them out better next time.”
On rebounding from the loss:
“I think we will respond well. I think this group we have is a blue-collar team, a work-hard team. That’s been our mentality from the beginning. The girls we’re missing right now are key components, but that’s not to say everybody else isn’t behind them and pushing them. We’re going to keep working hard to get the next win.”
Chicago Red Stars Quotes:
Defender Sonja Fuss
On playing her first game with the Red Stars in Portland:
“It was awesome. I have good memories of Portland. I played here in the World Cup in 2003 when we beat the U.S. in the semifinals. Everyone on our team just wanted to get the first win. It was just awesome playing here because of the crowd. It’s one of the best atmospheres.”
On adjusting to joining a new team:
“It’s really exciting. We’ve been a bit nervous because the American way of playing soccer is different than the European style. We’re used to playing in Switzerland and the Swiss League is not as good as the U.S. league. We had a good team in Switzerland, but we’ve been nervous about that (coming into a new team). (Chicago) got the connection right away and they tried to integrate us quickly not only on the field, but also during our free time. We’re happy to be here.”
Forward Inka Grings (translated from German)
On getting Chicago’s first win of the season:
“The whole team was willing to win, that was the most important thing. Portland is one of the strongest teams in the whole league and for us (Grings and Sonja Fuss) it was kind of difficult because we’ve only been with the team for two weeks. We were a little bit nervous to see how it would work out. Still, we think it was good that we won. We had more possession and we scored some nice goals.”
Notes:
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Portland was playing without starters Alex Morgan, Rachel Buehler, Christine Sinclair and Karina LeBlanc due to national team duty with the United States and Canada, respectively.
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Defender Jazmyne Avant, forward Danielle Foxhoven, goalkeeper Cris Lewis and midfielder Courtney Wetzel all made their first career NWSL starts on Saturday.
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Lewis, an amateur player called up by Portland for Saturday’s game, is a former local college standout at Portland State University.
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Portland’s season-long streak of 225 minutes without conceding a goal ended with the game’s opening goal in the 35th minute by Chicago midfielder Zakiya Bywaters.
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Portland is 2-1-0 all-time against the Chicago Red Stars.
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Thorns FC have recorded four straight home games with more than 10,000 fans in attendance.
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Saturday’s crowd of 12,446 was the third largest for a Thorns FC match at JELD-WEN Field this season.
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Portland conceded two goals in a match for the first time this season on Saturday.
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The 26 combined fouls between the clubs is the most combined fouls in a Thorns FC match this season.
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Portland’s 13 fouls tied a season high (set April 13 in a 1-1 draw at FC Kansas City).
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Midfielder Elizabeth Guess made her first appearance since coming on as a late substitute on April 27 at Chicago.
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Defenders Kathryn Williamson, Marian Dougherty and midfielder Becky Edwards have played all 810 minutes for Portland this season.
- Edwards wore the captain’s armband for the first time on Saturday.
