Cardinale Stadium; Seaside, California
Saturday, August 27, 2022
Sporting Director & Head Coach Frank Yallop
On the match:
“It was a frustrating night for everybody involved really. I thought we created some great chances. Obviously, the final ball, the final finish was not there, but there’s no way I’m going to fault the guys for anything they did in that game. I think the two breaks were led by a very good player in this league, Preston Judd. He’s a very good player. He was the difference again tonight. I thought we played very well, and we were definitely very unlucky not to get something out of that game.”
On players returning from injury:
“We got Chase [Boone] back, but we lost JJ [Johnson] before the game. He was probably going to start, and I think he would’ve been a difference maker in this game. I thought the guys played very well. We created enough chances in this game to score at least one if not two goals. It’s hard to take that we lost the game, I thought we did well enough to get something out of it.”
On the community impact of the club:
“This whole thing is about the community and the fans. We want to get this stadium packed; we want everyone to enjoy these games. Maybe the results are not quite there yet, but I’ve been doing this for many years. It’s difficult when you start from scratch, but we will keep growing. I know that the fans are entertained when they come watch us play, and that’s the main thing for us. And our guys are doing a great job in the community, getting themselves out there and getting us recognized. I think this is one of the best things that has happened in Monterey County.”
Defender Hugh Roberts
On the first conceded goal:
“I would say it was literally two moments where guys just switched off. Normally on corner kicks we are pretty good. It’s crazy, this is probably the first time all year that we got scored on twice off of corner kicks on the opposite side in the same game. It was another learning experience because everyone was pushing up, pushing for the goal, and we got bit on the counter. So it’s a learning experience, I feel like guys kind of switched off in general.”
On controlling the majority of the match:
“For most of the game, yeah, we had it under control. Those counterattack moments when they come after me and Kai, we’ve handled those scenarios all year. We’re at the point now defensively where, especially in the run of play, we know unspokenly where we are supposed to be. Chemistry-wise we are not too worried about turnovers in the middle because we know that we can still hold it down defensively. All four of us are hungry and sacrificing ourselves to block shots and block crosses. Even though there might be some mistakes out there, we know as a back four and with Siaha behind us, that we are still going to be tough to beat at the end of the day.”
On Kai Greene’s recent form:
“My guy has been playing phenomenal. He banged his knee a little bit tonight, but still pushed through. When he stepped his game up a month and half to two months ago, we all stepped our games up. He is someone who works hard both off the field and before and after practice. It speaks to his performance on the field. I’m happy for my guy.”
Forward Simon Dawkins
On the team looking likely to score throughout the match:
“It’s unfortunate really. I hit the bar in the first half. If we score that, it might be a different game. They scored on two breakaways. It’s unfortunate. We have to look at the video and see where we went wrong. We had our chances; we just didn’t really take it. It’s a disappointing night, but we’ll dust ourselves off and get at it again.”
On being in control of the match:
“We have to build on it, that was the main positive tonight. For us to have a successful year and make the playoffs, we have to build on a performance like that. We had a lot of the ball in the second half especially. We had a lot of chances. They didn’t have much offensively, but they scored on two breakaways. At the end of the day, they are going home tonight with the points. So, we have to look at that, see where it went wrong, try to build on the positives, and then take it into the next game and try to get three points next week.”
On deserving to win the match:
“The way we performed, definitely. I thought the lads did well. Like I said, two breakaways that were disappointing, but we were at home, so we expect to take away three points. Now we have another two games at home, so hopefully we can change that performance into wins next week.”
