Cardinale Stadium; Seaside, California
Saturday, July 16, 2022
Sporting Director & Head Coach Frank Yallop
On limiting Detroit City FC’s chances:
“Any time you can get a clean sheet, it’s good for the whole team – not just the goalkeeper and the back four. I thought the whole team’s attitude and demeanor tonight was good. It was an even game, and they are a decent side. They are doing well in the East, and it showed tonight. They kept the ball for long periods in the second half, but I felt that the couple changes that we made, Jason [Johnson] and Seku [Conneh] coming on, freshened things up. I think it springboarded us to go forward and try to win the game. I’m really happy with the clean sheet and the performance. Antony [Siaha] had another solid game. Both teams had good chances and I think a draw was a fair result.”
On breaking down Detroit City FC’s defense:
“I think it’s more about the missed chances. In the first half it looked like we probably should have scored at least one, but we didn’t, and they came into the game like most teams do. I thought we defended our box very well tonight, with last ditch tackles and blocked shots. And we were a little bit unlucky not to have scored with Seku [Conneh]’s chance.”
On Jason Johnson’s instant impact:
“He’s come in to do that. He hasn’t played for over a year. It’s never easy to step onto the field with players he doesn’t really know and get used to the system that I want to play and how I want to do things, but he’s slotted right in. He’s now getting match fit and I was very happy with his performance both tonight and last weekend at Orange County. He made a difference tonight. Chris [Cortez] was a little unhappy with that header, it would have been a nice touch if JJ had gotten an assist tonight, but it was a decent performance by him.”
On three consecutive results and looking forward:
“I’m looking forward to the next home game next Saturday. A similar performance by us will hopefully get a result, but no game is ever easy. But we’re at home again and we obviously want to get some wins here. Performance wise, we’ve played very well in the last few games, and I’ve been happy with our demeanor and the way we’ve gone about things.”
Defender Grant Robinson
On having the backline together for several games in a row:
“As the results have shown in the last three, it means a lot to have all of us back in the rotation. It’s just a comfort level, it’s familiar and it’s a lot easier when we’re all together. It helps a lot having all four of us.”
On the result:
“It’s frustrating, but that’s the game sometimes. We’ve all played long enough to know that’s how it’s going to be. The way they like to play gives us the ability to get some fast breaks, but they know it’s coming and they’re the type of team that’s ready to get everyone behind the ball and defend. It is frustrating that we didn’t get anything out of the game, a tie is one thing, but we want to win at home. We have another home game next weekend and we’ll go for it.”
On Antony Siaha:
“All four of the guys who have come into goal this year have done a great job. It’s not easy, especially being a goalkeeper. Antony [Siaha] has been amazing the last two games, his first two games as a pro being two shutouts. It’s hard to ask for more from him than that and I know all of us are feeling comfortable with him as well as the other goalkeepers. All of these guys are really reliable back there and it’s huge to know they’re going to have our back.”
On the remaining calm defensively:
“It probably looks that way, but I promise we’re all wired. It’s very stressful as a back line. We want to show that we don’t give up goals, and as we get more and more shutouts it will look more relaxed and composed. It’s all confidence building. It’s good that from the outside it looks like we are settling in, but the mentality is probably even more intense than it has been.”
Goalkeeper Antony Siaha
On a second consecutive clean sheet:
“I’m really proud of our defense tonight. We kept a shutout again and there weren’t too many shots for me to save in total. It was just a back and forth match, it was great.”
On keeping his composure between the sticks:
“I don’t know that I am very composed yet to be honest. There’s a whole bunch of stuff still going through my head during the match, but as long as I keep the ball out of the net, everything is good.”
On his confidence in the defense:
“I have full confidence in my back four and they have full confidence in me. It’s great because when I know my defense is doing good for me, I want to do better for them, and it keeps the energy up overall.”
On the team’s close chances offensively:
“We really wanted it, but unfortunately, we didn’t get one. That being said, it’s still a 0-0 draw and we got a point, so at the end of the day that’s a good thing.”
