Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines
Opening statement
“Disappointed with the result. It was a great opportunity for us to keep that momentum going. I thought any time you play a team like Chicago, who are short on confidence, you have to not give them any hope and that's what we did. We gave them hope by allowing them to score first. But, at the end of the day, you can't dominate a game the way that we did and not come away with three points and that's the disappointing thing. The game is built on goals and we didn't take our opportunities tonight.”
On the frustration to not convert on the number of chances
“Yeah, it's frustrating of course because we're not just talking about half chances. We're talking about clear-cut opportunities. There were some really good deliveries in the box, some opportunities from distance and I think [Alyssa] Naeher had probably the game of her season so far so it's a tough one. It's a tough pill to swallow because we were so dominant in the game, being from the first half to the second half and to come away with zero points is disappointing.”
On the message to the team after the match
“The message was if we want to be a top team competing in obviously the playoffs, we have to win games like this. It's a reminder that we can't take our foot off the gas. We can't take anyone for granted. Whether it's Washington at home in front of our fans or coming away to Chicago, sitting bottom of the table, every game is a tough game in this league. It's a reminder that we have to keep going. We have to keep fighting and challenging and all the words that I've used in the past, we have to keep reinforcing that message”
On having Julie Doyle back in the lineup
“She's an exciting player, she's always active. We felt like it was the right time to bring her in, chasing the goal. She's always on the move, making defenders defend and it's nice to have another attacking option come off the bench, along with Ally Watt and Summer Yates. It just shows that we were being more aggressive towards the end again to try and get ourselves back in it. We felt that with the likes of Julie and Ally, Adriana, Marta, and Summer, we had an opportunity to get back in the game and ultimately win the game at the end, but we fell a little bit short. I can't fault the players' efforts. They put a lot into it, they're working extremely hard and we have to just keep going and look forward to the next game away at Houston.”
Orlando Pride Midfielder Mikayla Cluff
Thoughts on the match
“It's a frustrating one, that's soccer sometimes obviously. We had a lot of the ball, we had plenty of opportunities and we just had to finish our chances when we had them and [we] weren't able to get the result tonight.”
On the difficulty in breaking down Chicago’s defense
“It was difficult. We were able to break them down somewhat effectively, we created a plenty of opportunities and like I said, we maintained good possession throughout the entirety of the game. The part that we're missing tonight was the last piece and putting the ball into the back of the net.”
On what the team needed to do more of in the game
“I think that we approached this game the right way. We prepared the same way we have been. We've had a lot of momentum and felt confident going into the game and like I said, that's football sometimes. We just got to keep doing what we're doing and trust the process and move on to the next one.”
Orlando Pride Defender Haley McCutcheon
Thoughts on the match
“We had a slow start in the first half, got punished on kind of a transitional one-off chance that we need to do better with. Second half, [we] came out and had them on the back foot the whole half and we just need to finish our chances.”
On the Chicago goal
“I think it came off of us giving the ball away and that happens and we need to deal with it. An uncontested ball in the box and then they just had numbers and we need to do better with our line and do better with marking up and we will own that.”
On keeping the confidence within the group
“We knew that today it was going to be arguably the hardest game that we've had in this streak just because it's a hard way to learn that you can't take a day off. You can't take a half off, you can't take a moment off in this league and with that being said, we played some good football tonight. Again, the second half, we had them on the back foot the entire half, even in the first half, there were some good moments. We just need to know what we're capable of and continue to push in training, continue to reach higher levels as a group and individually, collectively, all that.”
On Julie Doyle’s return to the field
“So good. She brings such a good energy and intensity and obviously skill and it's just great to have that depth and that energy from her. We really missed her so we're happy to have her back.”
