Freya Coombe, ACFC Head Coach
On the team’s confidence heading into this week and the remainder of the season:
“We are confident we can meet our goal of making the playoffs. Playoffs aren’t decided in June. We are looking forward to players returning from injury to boost the squad and enhance our competitiveness.”
“I think we have to recognize where we are and where we need to go. We have learned a lot about ourselves throughout this season and we are growing.”
On this weekend’s match against Chicago:
“We are looking forward to returning to BMO Stadium to play in front of our fans and supporters. We did not get the results we wanted on the road this time, but we know that we have the ability to turn that around at home. We are going to go out there and put on a performance we can be proud of.”
On Sydney Leroux being fully integrated with the team:
“Syd has worked incredibly hard to get back on the field. She has a winning mentality that is infectious and getting her back into games where she can have influence is massive.”
“When Syd comes on the field, I think it will be the biggest cheer of the year. It is hard to get to this end stage when you just want to be out there playing. She looks incredible in training. We are all waiting for that moment because it will be fantastic.”
Sarah Gorden, ACFC Defender
On playing her former team:
“I circled this game on my calendar two years ago. I am so excited to be facing my former team. I still have close friends there, but it brings an extra added layer of emotional excitement and energy to the game. I can’t wait.”
“It definitely has a different feeling for me than other players. I was born and raised there, I went to college there. That is my city. I talk about being from Chicago all the time. It is really important to me. I always feel like I have something to prove, but a game like this even more so. It makes me feel like a rookie. Like I have to go out there and prove myself.”
On being one of two players that have played every minute this season [the other is DiDi Haračić]:
“Two years ago when I got traded here, the expectation for me was to carry on what I was doing in Chicago and be a rock solid player and teammate people could count on. Playing every minute and being there for my team and leading from the back has always been something I wanted.”
“Coming back from my injury, you never know where it is going to go coming back from a long term injury, you never know if you’re going to be solid right away. Thanks to the medical team, they’ve kept me healthy, it has been great to be in this position.”
On preparing to play at home after a difficult road trip:
“I think that it is a long season. It is what the NWSL is and it is a tough season. Every team hits spots of adversity in their season. At this point, we finally get to play a game at home. We were on the road for a week straight. It was tough. It wasn’t easy.”
“We want to put on for our fans and Supporters. Coming into this game, as a team, it is about how much heart we have, how hard we want it and how we can learn from what we have been through this past week and throughout the season.”
On what the defense and the entire team can do to see improvements moving forward:
“As a center back, as a defender, as a veteran - every time we get scored on, I always look at myself and our back line. What can we do? How can we affect this play? Whether it is that exact play or the play before that play.”
“As a team, we have things we need to clean up. As a back line, we have things we need to clean up or we wouldn't be letting in as many goals as we are. We know what we are capable of. We see it.
'We are a high-pressing team and we want to keep the ball. Sometimes that opens you up to getting scored on. It is about cleaning up the little moments in between, focusing on the shutout, and putting the ball in the back of the net.”
