ACFC Midfielder Clarisse Le Bihan
On her cross to Julie Ertz against Portland Thorns FC:
“I was just coming in and the match was tight. We wanted to push and I saw the kick off the set piece and kicked it to the first post and made the job.”
“We knew they had some strength on the end line, and we also had a good player on the end line, so I tried to give a decent look. It was a really good play, and until the end I thought it would be the play of the game that gave us three points. Overall it was still something positive for me to take away from the match.”
On the upcoming match on Sunday against KC Current:
“We really need three points right now. It has been a good week in terms of playing home after being away against two good teams. We could have done better on the road, but it still was a positive experience. If we win we can be proud of the process, but it has to be three points this weekend.”
ACFC Forward Katie Johnson
On the upcoming match this Sunday against KC Current:
“It's a big opportunity for us to get three points at home. We've come up with two ties and two points on the road. For us to get three points would be really big, and helps us move forward and turn the page.”
On KC Current’s strengths:
“They've had some good additions and have proved themselves in the league. Debinha is one of those standout players who changes the game when she's on the field. Overall, being aware of where she is on the field is going to be really important for us.”
On takeaways from their first big road trip:
“It was a good time for us to come together and figure out little details that can help us move forward. That was really important for us and we took a lot of time off the field to do meetings and spend time together, while talking individually on how we can improve. Those little details will help us hopefully this weekend.”
ACFC Defender M.A. Vignola
On how the season is going for her so far after missing all last year:
“The biggest thing for me was coming in with energy. Being out last year was frustrating and it went a little bit longer than expected, but also coming back, I knew that it was going to be tough. My thoughts were, how can I make an impact within the team when I'm coming back this late? Then I said to myself, ‘I can't think about it like that, I have to take it one game at a time.”
“It was really important for me to keep the same mentality, the same energy. Whenever we have games and practices and energy feels low, Ali Riley is always coming to me saying we need to grow. We need to and that's just fire for me. It's nice knowing that my teammates can bring that out of me.”
On the upcoming match on Sunday against KC Current:
“Kansas City for us is going to be a really good match up, because we're both fast teams, both very athletic. The biggest thing for us going into this game is about completing passes, staying connected fully as a defensive unit, midfield unit, and forward unit to bring it all together.”
“The biggest thing for us at this game is to continue moving forward and put the pieces together that we've said that we need to do in training. We're doing everything right, bringing the energy and things that the coaches want us to do. The next step is to transition that into games. If we can bring the same energy into games that we bring into practice, I don’t think we’re going to have a problem.”
ACFC Head Coach Freya Coombe
Thoughts on containing Debinha:
“She can't be allowed to claim space. When she gets going she's so good. It's about denying her the opportunity to find her rhythm. She definitely needs to be trapped after her possession, because after she has possession, she sprints into space.
On the biggest difference in KC between this season and last season:
“Other than Debinha, who makes a huge difference, they made good signings in DeBernardo as well. They've had an extra year of playing together and establishing relationships, which makes a big difference as well.
“It's a lot about time, and obviously they've made a recent change to their coach which I'm sure was unsettling to the team, but also they've come out playing really well.”
On KC having to adjust to recent coaching changes:
“There's definitely an adjustment period. The club has a strong identity, so I'm sure the coach will be in keeping with the way that the club wants the game to be played.”
On becoming a head coach in-season:
“The biggest thing is my situation was very different. I was coming in at the end of the season where the team was in last place and we enjoyed the fact that people expected nothing from us. The expectation on Kansas City with their spending in the off season, does put pressure on them because the expectations are high.”
On positive takeaways from the past three-game stretch in eight days:
“We've loved this for the group for the last eight days. We played our best football of this season. We have used the time together on the road to create greater bonds with each other. It was a great time to integrate Julie [Ertz] into the group with her being so new. It gave us more time to go through who we are, how we want to be and how we want to play.
On how Challenge Cup games help develop player depth on the bench:
“It gives an opportunity for players to play that haven't gained that many minutes yet and challenge for starting positions on the team. It gives us an opportunity to try new things, while also giving us an opportunity to cement our identity.”
