On Sunday’s SoCal rivalry match with San Diego
“It’s exciting that we have another SoCal team because we can create this derby effect. Rivalry games are fun, it's something that you step up to the plate for.”
“Considering it’s a home game for us, we really want to represent LA, our fan base and get the job done for everyone who supports us every single day. That’s the mentality we have going into the game. It's also a huge game as far as regular season goes, and we're really focused on getting the three points this weekend.”
On comparing last season to this season, specifically team attitude and preparation:
“We’ve talked a lot about the fact that there was going to be an expectation on us this year. We are no longer an expansion team, and we can’t really fall back on that whenever things aren’t going our way or when we don’t get results.
“This year we're really taking ownership of the moments that haven't been so great or when we haven’t had quality performances. We're learning from those moments as a team and we're trying to work through those kinks in order to be able put a 90 minute performance together every single game”.
On passing stats (ACFC leads league in passes connecting into final third; Wave is at the bottom):
“We’re hoping to have the most possession in the final third, it's something that we have focused on a lot. We want to have sustained pressure in the offensive half, and we need to convert those moments into goals. That's one thing that we're struggling with right now. Actually finishing those chances and making something of all that pressure.”
“We have to be ready for San Diego's opportunities whenever they come. They are very efficient at putting the ball in the net whenever they get the ball into the offensive half. That's something that we have to be aware of at all times. We have to make sure we have good coverage so that they can't score in transition moments”
On the addition of Julie Ertz:
“Julie has seen every scenario as far as soccer goes. She has played on some of the best teams and represented the U.S. in some of the biggest moments. That experience alone is going to be huge for our team. She brings quality on and off the ball, and her defensive presence is going to be huge. The way that she can break up plays is exceptional. It's definitely an exciting addition as we start this large chunk of games that we have coming up.”
On Sunday’s rivalry match vs. San Diego Wave FC:
“It’s about being secure defensively. We limited OL Reign in the Challenge Cup to few attempts on goal, and now we focus on being more dangerous in our attack. We have to take advantage of the strengths of the players that we have.”
“We have to put our players in situations where they can drive at the back line, go one-v one. We also have to get into the 18 [yard box] and commit more numbers forward as well.”
“They are a well-organized defensive team. They've got an opportunity to score goals through, obviously Alex [Morgan], Jayden [Shaw] and Amirah [Ali] in their front line. They're difficult to break down and don't allow many goals. That's going to be a test for us.”
“Both clubs really enjoy the rivalry. We can definitely feel the love from our supporters and the love that their fans have for their team when we travel away. It's a difficult place to go in terms of the noise that their supporters make, but I love our traveling contingent of fans that made a huge amount of noise last year. Just having that energy and excitement on both sides really lends itself to the players. It's something that's going to continue to grow, which is exciting.”
On upcoming schedule:
“We saw a little glimpse of it in the Challenge Cup midweek. The players that played in that game did exceptionally well to prove that they are able to play. The squad that we have is competitive, and every player is able to come in and do a job which is really great. That allows us to keep the competition for starting places within the squad and then also being able to rotate players.”
On the new addition of Julie Ertz:
“Julie [Ertz] will be able to complement Savannah [McCaskill] since they’ve played together before and they have a knowledge of each other’s tendencies already. In addition to that, Julie will add the aerial presence in the center of mid-field as well as the ability to defend in transitional moments.”
On San Diego Wave FC Head Coach Casey Stoney:
“She did a great job last year. She was very new to the league and new to the country, but she was able to put in a great coaching performance and have her team do well and qualify for the playoffs. She has a team that is a reflection of her. They're well organized defensively and very disciplined in terms of how they play defensively.”