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Simon Dawkins Announces Retirement from Professional Soccer

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Simon Dawkins Announces Retirement from Professional Soccer

SEASIDE, California (Thursday, August 1, 2024) – Monterey Bay Football Club midfielder and Jamaican international Simon Dawkins has announced his retirement from professional soccer after 20 years. With the sun set on his electrifying playing career, Dawkins is now expected to transition into an instrumental role within the Club. For now, Dawkins has been named the Interim Head Coach of Monterey Bay F.C. with a new manager set to be announced Monday. Monterey Bay F.C. will celebrate Dawkins’ playing career at an upcoming home match on Saturday, August 10.

“Reflecting on my 20-year professional playing career, I have had many great moments, and one in particular is my two years here at Monterey Bay,” said Dawkins. “I have met and worked with some amazing people and enjoyed every minute of playing for this wonderful club. I would like to thank everyone associated with Monterey Bay F.C. for making my time here an enjoyable one. I would also like to thank the fans for their support over the past two seasons.”

Dawkins, 36, rose through the ranks of English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur to begin his professional career in 2005 after two seasons at the club’s academy level. While under contract with Tottenham, Dawkins spent time on loan with Leyton Orient, Aston Villa, Derby County and Major League Soccer’s (MLS) San Jose Earthquakes on two separate occasions. In June 2024, the Jamaican international was named to the Quakes’ Top-50 Players of All-Time for his lasting contribution to the club throughout his five seasons in San Jose.

“We are honored to have been a part of Simon’s journey, both the close of his playing career and now the beginning of his next chapter,” said Monterey Bay F.C. President, Mike DiGiulio. “His future is very bright and I am very excited to get the opportunity to watch him develop in the next phase of his career. We are thrilled to have him continue on with us, as we look for him to play a big role in our future success.” 

The Jamaican international extended his playing career in 2022 when he signed on with Monterey Bay, immediately becoming an integral part of the Crisp-and-Kelp’s inaugural squad and has since continued to leave his mark on the Club both on and off the pitch. Most memorably, Dawkins is responsible for one of, if not the greatest moment in Monterey Bay F.C. history to date during the Club’s 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 contest. With the Club monumentally hosting the defending MLS Cup Champions LAFC at Cardinale Stadium, Monterey Bay found itself down 1-0 late in the match. In the dying moments of the contest, Dawkins ignited Cardinale Stadium with a fiery equalizer, sending the crowd into an uproar and the match into extra time before it eventually went to penalties.

“I’m excited to continue my career in the soccer world and help others to experience some great moments of their own,” continued Dawkins. “I’m delighted to start the next chapter of my career here at Monterey Bay.”

Monterey Bay Football Club and Cardinale Automotive Group Come Together to Volunteer at The Food Bank for Monterey County

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Monterey Bay Football Club and Cardinale Automotive Group Come Together to Volunteer at The Food Bank for Monterey County

Monterey Bay Football Club (Monterey Bay F.C.) and Official Partner Cardinale Automotive Group came together as volunteers at The Food Bank for Monterey County to package Thanksgiving meals in Salinas this week, a helpful start to a desired goal of 50,000 meals ahead of the upcoming holiday. Ray Beshoff, majority owner of Monterey Bay Football Club, led the charge in the first of four shifts over two days and was joined by MBFC players Rafa Baca, Simon Dawkins, Alex Dixon, Chuy Enríquez, Max Glasser, Sam Gleadle, Carlos Herrera, Alex Lara, Ugo Okoli, Adrian Rebollar, Antony Siaha, and Nevello Yoseke, as well as members of the Club’s staff.

“This has been a great experience for all of my guys, they love doing stuff like this,” said Beshoff. “To actually see all of the work involved in an operation like this is terrific. We have four groups of players and staff volunteering over the next two days to help package Thanksgiving meals and it’s amazing how enjoyable it is. You can talk with the person next to you while you work and every time you fill a box you know you have helped somebody. We want to be involved in the community as much as possible, that’s what professional sports is all about. If you aren’t a part of your community and giving back, it’s really a lost cause. We have genuinely great guys who love what they do and enjoy giving back to the fans.”

Monterey Bay F.C. teamed up with multiple staff members from Cardinale Automotive Group, who have been helping the food bank for the past two years. Cardinale’s Blessed to Serve foundation has been around for over 10 years overall and started with a street-level effort to feed the homeless before ultimately expanding to all 26 Cardinale stores.

“We are Blessed to Serve, that’s our foundation and we’re hooked up with the Union,” explained Joe Cardinale, President of Cardinale Automotive Group and member of the Monterey Bay F.C. ownership group. “MBFC is doing great things and every chance we get we want to do more for the community. Seeing Ray [Beshoff] and all of the soccer players here is almost emotional. They are a great group and together with Cardinale, we try to do everything we can.”

The Food Bank for Monterey County is the largest, most comprehensive provider of emergency supplemental food in the area, serving over 160,000 Monterey County residents each month. The Food Bank for Monterey County’s mission is to end hunger and transform the health of the community in Monterey County, while also transitioning the county from one of the hungriest to one of the healthiest counties in all of California.

“It’s all hands on deck to reach our goal this week and we’re so grateful to have Monterey Bay F.C. here, it’s really exciting,” said Melissa Kendrick, CEO of The Food Bank for Monterey County. “This partnership really goes on all year because these soccer players are fabulous. They are at so many of our kids’ school sites, they go out with our produce truck, they go out to other distributions, and they are like rockstars. The kids just love to see them and take pictures with them, and it’s really good for promoting health. One of the biggest problems in the county is that we have such a high level of type 2 diabetes in children here, so we think of this food bank as the largest medicine cabinet in the county for a lot of those that we are serving. I can’t think of a better way to promote a healthy lifestyle than having these professional soccer players here, it’s absolutely wonderful.”

The Food Bank for Monterey County feeds one in three children and one in four Monterey County residents overall. In addition to providing 50,000 meals for this upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, the Food Bank for Monterey County will provide an additional 50,000 for December holidays like Christmas. In total, the Food Bank for MC provides high-quality food, fresh produce, and educational and nutritional resources to over 160 local nonprofit members in its network – all of which is made possible by the dedication and commitment of local volunteers.

“It’s an amazing operation and I’m just happy to be a part of it. I woke up this morning truly excited to help and do my part in giving back to this community,” said Dawkins, MBFC midfielder. “We’ve been packing boxes with different types of foods, canned foods, mashed potatoes, things like that. I know this can be a difficult time of year for some people, so I’m happy to be a part of a project that makes sure everyone in this community is properly fed – it brings me a lot of joy.”

Monterey Bay F.C. was even joined by one of its pillar supporters’ group leaders in Salinas native Osbaldo Lucero. Lucero – who co-founded Fuerza Union, a Salinas-based MBFC supporters’ group – volunteered to help Union players and staff, and the staff from Cardinale, package the meals. Altogether, Lucero’s time, effort, and presence alongside the Club at the food bank this week defined what is special about this community and signified the impact that Monterey Bay F.C. has continued to make in the 831 as a whole.

“This has been a great experience, it’s nice to be able to give back to this community and I know everybody is excited about it,” said Dixon, MBFC forward. “I’ve been on box duty so far, but I’ve been seeing the guys packing up the dinners. It’s just cool to see everybody helping each other out and interacting. As a Club, we’re here to help. We’re happy to be a part of this community and we want to be involved and give back in as many ways as we can.”

Monterey Bay Football Club Attends Marina Fire Department’s Annual Fire Prevention Open House

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Monterey Bay Football Club Attends Marina Fire Department’s Annual Fire Prevention Open House

MARINA, Calif. (Thursday, October 12, 2023) – Monterey Bay Football Club attended the Marina Fire Department’s annual Fire Prevention Open house on Tuesday, October 10 in Marina, California. The entire team was in attendance to mingle with local community members, take pictures, sign autographs, and help with fan giveaways. The event was held outside of the Marina Fire Department and gave community members a chance to meet the firefighters, learn hands on CPR, and tour an authentic fire truck. 

In addition, kids had the chance to participate in a firefighter obstacle course and enjoyed face painting, treats such as popcorn, food from local Peregrino Taqueria, music from Monterey DJ John, and more. Monterey Bay players Chase Boone, Mobi Fehr, Max Glasser, and Ugo Okoli even took part in a race to see who could gear up in a firefighter suit the fastest. 

Other local community vendors were also in attendance such as Marina Youth Arts, Friends of Marina Library, Citizens for Sustainable Marina, Red Cross, Save the Whales, Compass Church, Monterey for Maui, the Cub Scouts, Tara Mangan Keni, Cheesecake Dreamations, and Luxury Nutrition.

Quote Sheet: MBFC 1-3 OAK

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Quote Sheet: MBFC 1-3 OAK

Cardinale Stadium; Seaside, California
Saturday, July 15, 2023

Sporting Director & Head Coach Frank Yallop
On the tactics from both sides: 
“We changed our formation halfway through the first half, to go to four at the back. They were getting control in the middle of the field, I wasn’t sure the system they were going to play. They’ve played a back four and a back three, they’ve played inverted with two wide guys. So you never know what you are going to get because they’ve not had a great run of form either before this match so I was expecting changes. It worked out that they played three in the back, a similar system to us. I just think we weren’t on our game at all to start with for whatever reason. Maybe it was nerves, maybe it was the occasion, I don’t know. We at least got ourselves into the game and played decently. I don’t think the system was the issue, we had enough good play and enough chances to get something out of the game. Again it’s won in both boxes. If you can’t defend well, they are going to score, and if you don’t take your chances then we don’t score. And that’s the game right there.”

On what aspects of the game didn’t go to plan:
“I thought we didn’t start the game well at all, Oakland were on the front foot and we weren’t and we kinda weathered that storm a little bit. They obviously went ahead. I just look at the whole game, I thought in the second half we came out with way more vigor and got at them a little bit. I’m not going to blame Alex [Dixon] for missing that chance but it kind of all hinged on that chance where it was probably harder to miss than to score. And then obviously momentum would have swung and we maybe would have gone on top of them – I don’t think we would lose the game then. But when you’re chasing the game late and a third goal goes in, it’s obviously very disappointing to lose. I was talking to Ramiro [Corrales] on the bench and said that we didn’t give up, we kept going. We played against a side that played well tonight, but I think we had our chances. We had more chances than we’ve had lately in games, we just didn’t finish them off like I felt we should have.”

Midfielder Simon Dawkins
On his perspective of the match:
“The effort was there, I think we had a few chances where we could have scored. Sometimes it goes against you and you’ve got to try to hang in there, and today just wasn’t our day. A bit disappointed obviously, but hopefully we can turn it around next week.”

On the plan going in and the execution:
“The plan was obviously to win, that was our main objective. It just didn’t turn out that way. The first five or ten minutes were very back and forth, no one really kept possession of the ball. We should have slowed it down a bit. We are at home obviously so we dictate the tempo of the game and we gave away three sloppy goals. It’s disappointing for us, but we have to dust ourselves off and go again.”

On the push for playoffs:
“It’s very difficult when you lose a couple, then a draw last week and now we lose again, it’s very disappointing after the run that we went on in the previous weeks. So what it’s about now is regrouping and getting ourselves back together. Going back to basics maybe sometimes and try not to get too down, because you can get in a slump and the whole season can just disappear from you. It is important that we stick together and get back on the training ground and enjoy things.”

Monterey Bay Players Jump Into Session One of Club’s First Annual Summer Soccer Camp

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Monterey Bay Players Jump Into Session One of Club’s First Annual Summer Soccer Camp

SEASIDE, Calif. (Wednesday, June 7, 2023) – Monterey Bay Football Club (Monterey Bay F.C.) is hosting the first session of its first annual Summer Soccer Camps this week, aiming to give each participant a fun, positive and challenging environment to enhance their skills. Kids aged 6-13 signed up to participate in this week’s session to train with and learn from the MBFC technical staff. 

In a fun twist today, those young participants were joined by Monterey Bay F.C. players Simon Dawkins, Chuy Enríquez, Mobi Fehr, James Murphy and Grant Robinson. Each player brought their soccer knowledge to today’s session by helping run skill-enhancing drills and activities at today’s camp, in addition to signing autographs and taking photos.

“The camp went really well today, it’s always good to be out here with the kids,” said Enríquez. “It was really cool to be out here. The kids know us, they know the team, they support the team a lot and they are excited that there are Union players out here. When we are here with them, you can see their faces light up and that right there makes me feel really good. Back when I was in school, I was one of those kids that always wanted the opportunity to learn from a professional player, so it’s great to be out here with them.”

There will be two additional sessions this summer set to take place July 17 – 21 and July 31 – August 4. This week’s session, as well as both future sessions, will run Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. each day during its designated week for a total of 15 hours of professional instruction.

All registered campers in attendance this week and/or during either of the next two sessions will receive a ticket and a parking pass to Monterey Bay’s Back to School Night match against Colorado Springs on August 26, plus one additional ticket to the same match for a guardian. Each camper will also be recognized on the field at this match. In addition, all participants will receive a t-shirt and a water bottle.

Monterey Bay Football Club Takes Part in Healthy Youth Field Day Hosted by Montage Health Foundation and Aspire Health at Cardinale Stadium

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Monterey Bay Football Club Takes Part in Healthy Youth Field Day Hosted by Montage Health Foundation and Aspire Health at Cardinale Stadium

SEASIDE, Calif. (Thursday, May 25, 2023) – Monterey Bay Football Club (Monterey Bay F.C.) took part in Healthy Youth Field Day hosted by Montage Health Foundation and Aspire Health at Cardinale Stadium in Seaside. More than 120 Monterey County Students from Bay View Academy (Monterey), Cesar Chavez Elementary (Greenfield) and Mary Chapa Academy (Greenfield) participated in the camp. Those students were joined by Monterey Bay F.C. players Simon Dawkins, Chuy Enríquez, Jesse Maldonado, Walmer Martínez and Adrian Rebollar, and MBFC2 players Jose Madrigal and Hugo Vargas.

Healthy Youth Field Day promoted a commitment to healthy lifestyle habits in hopes of reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes in our local community, while also celebrating the schools, teachers and students that have taken part in Community Hospital of Monterey Peninsula’s Kids Eat Right program and Aspire Health’s Don’t Feed the Diabetes school education curriculum.

Monterey Bay F.C. and MBFC2 players Dawkins, Enríquez, Madrigal, Maldonado, Martínez, Rebollar and Vargas collectively managed one of four stations that the students spent time at during the four-hour, half-day event. Each station included activities focused on nutrition and physical activities such as soccer drills, art projects, team-building relays and movement challenges. At the conclusion of the event, the players spent time further interacting with the students before taking photos and signing autographs.

“It was great to see all of the kids, they were full of energy and excited to see us,” said Martínez, a Santa Cruz native and CSUMB alum. “It was good to see them involved in all of these activities, they were all being goofy and having a fun time. They are some of our greatest supporters, so it was great to spend time with them and show them some love.”

Quote Sheet: MBFC (4) 2-2 (5) LAFC FT/PEN

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Quote Sheet:
MBFC (4) 2-2 (5) LAFC FT/PEN

Cardinale Stadium; Seaside, California
Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Sporting Director & Head Coach Frank Yallop
On the result:
“For us, it’s about performance. I thought we performed well. We moved the ball quite well and created a ton of chances. I felt that we weren’t as sharp in the final third as we normally are and that’s what hurt us. I think we got in some really good spots, wide and centrally, and the final pass wasn’t there. Another night we probably could have scored three or four, but we didn’t do that. You have to tip your hat to LAFC. They hung in there and did well. Towards the end of the game they were coming on and I think we kind of hit a wall and got a little tired. 120 minutes of football is never easy on anyone, and some of the guys we put on hadn’t played for a while. Again, no excuses, but it was an even game. Losing on penalties is never easy, but it is what it is.”

On Chuy Enríquez, Jesse Maldonado and Simon Dawkins:
“I thought all three did really well. Chuy did well in the game against Pittsburgh as well. Simon, who has not played all season, I thought he made a difference in the game. Great goal, great combination play, and gets a great finish off. And then Jesse comes alive. That suited Jesse, that game. When we are on top and pushing, he is very good around the goal, like he showed. He had three or four really good chances, scored one goal, which was great to get the lead in extra time. It’s a shame we couldn’t hold on to that and maybe get the win so that he gets the winning goal. But I’m really happy with all three guys, I think they did well. 

Forward Jesse Maldonado
On the environment tonight:
“It’s always a beautiful atmosphere when all of our fans show out – we do it for them. It was a very beautiful thing to play against an MLS side, especially LAFC, since they are the defending champs. It was great. Great to be out here, great to see all the fans that came out, just a great experience.”

On Frank Yallop’s message when subbing on:
“He just told me to go out, express myself and have fun. I feel like that’s exactly what I did and I was able to help the team a bit. We couldn’t keep the lead unfortunately, but I feel like I did what was asked of me and I had fun out there.”

On his preseason goal to make an impact when called upon:
“Of course, as soon as I came in and started getting a feel for the ball and getting some shots on, I felt like it was going to come. My teammates told me it was coming, my coach told me it was coming – I believed it and it came true.”

On what this means for the team moving forward:
“We’re going to keep moving forward regardless of the result from tonight. We are for sure a playoff team and we can even win the league, in my opinion. The whole team believes it, I believe it, the coaches believe it. So I think we are going to be a winning team overall.”

Forward Simon Dawkins
On his 90th minute equalizer to push the match to extra time:
“It was great for us. I knew we needed something from the bench and I’m glad I was that person to come on and get that spark going. It was great to get that goal and put us into extra time, it was just disappointing that we didn’t get the win.”

On the result:
“For us as a team, we are very disappointed in that. We felt like we could have advanced to the next round, but it wasn’t meant to be. We will look at video and see where we went wrong. We’ve got a big game on Saturday now, so we have to regroup and get ourselves ready. It’s disappointing, but for me personally, it was great to be back out there. It’s been a few months I think, so it’s good to get some minutes in. Again, just disappointed overall.”

Monterey Bay F.C. Positional Preview: Midfielders

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Monterey Bay F.C. Positional Preview: Midfielders

by Eli Corona & Steven Vargo

Continuing on, a breakdown of the midfield heading into year two. The controllers at the center of the pitch have all returned from the Club’s inaugural season with hopes of either retaining or gaining important minutes in 2023. 

For the new season, the midfield unit consists of the defensively-minded Mobi Fehr, a well-rounded pair in James Murphy and Arun Basuljevic, the attacking maestro Sam Gleadle and the energetic Adrian Rebollar. On the outside of the midfield, Simon Dawkins and Walmer Martínez provide an attacking threat with the ability to track back defensively. As the team settled and found its form last season, the most common midfield setup included Murphy, Fehr and Gleadle, accompanied by Dawkins and Martínez in the wide positions. Fans can expect to see a similar set up going into the new campaign, but look for Head Coach Frank Yallop to experiment with different midfield combinations throughout the year.

Arun Basuljevic
Coming off of an injury-plagued first season with the Union, Basuljevic is looking to bounce back in year two. In his 18 appearances last season, Basuljevic made eight starts and created seven chances. Look for him to build on those numbers in 2023 following an injury-free preseason.

Simon Dawkins
Dawkins undoubtedly offers the most experience on the team, and it was felt each and every time he stepped on the pitch for the Crisp and Kelp in 2022. His underlying statistics from last season proved invaluable to the squad, and showcase his ability to be a lethal attacking force in the coming term. 

Mobi Fehr
Fehr’s defensive prowess saw him drop back the deepest of anyone in the midfield on average last season. He even made spot starts at centerback in a couple of emergency situations. Fehr led the team in blocks with 45, led the midfield in clearances with 38, and scored the game-winning goal in the Club’s most impressive road victory to date against the eventual Eastern Conference Champions Louisville City FC at Lynn Family Stadium. Fehr is the Crisp and Kelp’s trustworthy safety blanket and will continue to be so in 2023.

Sam Gleadle
Gleadle’s mid-to-late season form for the Union was extraordinary, tallying a total of six goals and two assists in the second half of the season. Gleadle represented Monterey Bay in three-consecutive USL Championship Teams of the Week last season, and his dangerous ability to finish in front of goal stamped his name among the league’s best. His eight goals in 2022 were tied for a team-high, and fans can be excited about the prospects of Gleadle continuing his run of form for the entirety of the new campaign.

Walmer Martínez
Martínez’ ability to pick out a pass combined with his positional flexibility will prove crucial in the midfield as the season progresses and opposing teams adapt their playstyles. The Santa Cruz native scored the first goal in Cardinale Stadium history last May and has two goals already this preseason. Martínez will look to capitalize on his fine first season in his home on the Monterey Bay and become a regular goal scorer for the Crisp and Kelp in 2023. If this preseason has been any indication, the El Salvadorian international is gearing up for a big campaign.

James Murphy
Murphy emerged as a midfield stalwart over the previous season, racking up over 2,500 minutes played. He was deployed in a variety of positions, varying from partnering with Fehr in a more defensive position, to higher up the pitch in a central attacking role. Murphy’s contributions in 2022 were consistent – he maintained an 87.3% pass completion mark and averaged 13.6 duels won per 90 minutes. Murphy is expected to be a focal point in the center of the midfield this season. 

Adrian Rebollar
A surprise breakout in 2022, Rebollar will look to continue to impress and dazzle fans with his hard working style of play, silky dribbling and ever-present energy. The Watsonville native maintained a solid 3.79 dribbles completed per 90 minutes over the course of his first professional season and scored in his debut match off the bench in the Crisp and Kelp’s first-ever regular season outing. Now, Rebollar will look to build on his five goal contributions from last term in the upcoming season.

The Club created previews for each position group going into 2023. Each breakdown can be read here:

Quote Sheet: MB 1-2 SJE

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Quote Sheet: MB 1-2 SJE

Cardinale Stadium; Seaside, California
Saturday, February 4, 2023

Sporting Director & Head Coach Frank Yallop
On playing against SJE:
“It’s always good. We went up there twice last year, which was fantastic. I’ve been trying to get them to come down. When I saw Luchi got the job, I congratulated him and asked if they would come down to play us in preseason and he said no problem, we’ll figure it out. I really appreciate them doing that, I’m very happy about that. It was a great exercise. San Jose enjoyed it because it was a real game with a great crowd in tough conditions, so I think they enjoyed that, and it got them ready for their season.”

On the fan turnout:
“Brilliant. I think it was close to 5,000 people, which is amazing. I think they saw a good event. Rain doesn’t always do us well, we haven’t got any sort of cover, but it was great. I think the fans were entertained tonight.”

On Simon Dawkins:
“He’s doing great. I thought he had a really good second half of the season last year. He’s in good shape coming in. I played him in the middle of the field in the second half, and that’s not an easy position for anybody to play, so he’s right where he wants to be. He’s going to be nice and sharp for the season. He’s a good player.”

On the goal for the season:
“Make the playoffs. I think that’s important, but the real goal is to try and get a home playoff game if we can. That would mean being top four in a very tough Western Conference. I’m not trying to get ahead of myself, but that’s what we’re aiming to do. Obviously, making the playoffs is important because you have a chance of winning. We still have to add two or three more players. Hopefully, we can get that squad settled and have a good rest of preseason and have a good start to the season.”

Midfielder Simon Dawkins
On how it feels to play against his former team:
“It’s good, I’ve played against them quite a few times now, and it’s good to see some old faces and old coaches as well. It’s just good to get a run out for us as well. Overall it was a good evening for us.”

On the team’s goal this season:
“To make the playoffs. We came close last year. A few bad results at the end of the season last year stopped us, but this year we’re in good spirits. Hopefully we can do some damage with this team that we have.”

On skills he’s still honing as a veteran:
“I’m here to help the younger guys. I’m learning myself, every single day, that’s how I look at it. I think this is year 19 or something like that for me now and I’m still enjoying it. I just want to give back wherever I can and do well myself on the field. I’m still trying to get better at everything. I still see myself as one of the guys, and I know I’m older obviously, but I want to be a part of the team and be seen that way. But if I have advice for them I’ll give it to them. I’m always here to help.”

Quote Sheet: MBFC 0-2 TUL

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ONEOK Field; Tulsa, Oklahoma
Wednesday, October 12, 2022

Sporting Director & Head Coach Frank Yallop
On the match:
“It was kind of deja vu, we did the same sort of thing in Vegas. We played very well, created a ton of chances in the first half, but came into the break at one nil down. It was a tough game; we held our own in the match. We played some good stuff, but we weren’t quite good enough in either box. They took their chances when they came along, and we couldn’t quite take our chances.”

On his substitutes:
“A lot of the guys that came on the field tonight have basically not played much. JJ [Johnson] has not played for probably eight weeks, Arun [Basuljevic] has been out for a while, he’s been subbed but hasn’t played many games. Adrian [Rebollar] as well. It’s never easy in that sort of scenario, but we held our own and I’m pleased with getting the guys on the field. There’s only one game left, which is frustrating. But we got through it, not a great result for the club but I was quite happy with the performance and the chances created.” 

On the upcoming match against Rio Grande Valley FC (RGV):
“Just like any game we go into; we’re going to try to win it. We’ll pick a lineup to hopefully go in there and compete and get a good result in RGV. Every game we play in this division is hard and this will be no different. It’s another tough game against a Western Conference opponent on Saturday and we’ll just go in there and try to get three points if we can.”

Midfielder Arun Basuljevic
On entering the match as a substitute in the first half:
“That’s my job as a professional to always be ready. It has been a tough season for me, especially these past three or four months. The guys have been amazing and have played really well, I just tried to support them. In a game like today when one of our midfielders goes down early, it’s not ideal, but I just tried to be ready and do my thing when I came on and I thought it was OK. I’m just disappointed with the result.”

On the result:
“It was a tough game. I thought we created a ton of chances. I think the difference between us and them is that they finished their chances when they had them even though we have the same type of, if not better, chances than them. It’s something for us to work on moving forward, to be a bit more clinical. If we are a team that can put away our chances and bury teams, we are going to be really tough to beat moving forward.”

On being eliminated from the playoffs:
“It’s been a crazy week, an emotional week. This was a tough game for everybody to get up for. But the reality is that we get to play football for a living, and we don’t take that for granted. We love what we do and we have an amazing club that supports us. It’s really just a privilege to be here. Going into Saturday, we aren’t going to do ourselves or the club or the fans a disservice by not showing up and giving our all on. That’s all we can really do now, hopefully we get the three points.”

Midfielder Simon Dawkins
On tonight’s match:
“It was disappointing to lose the game, but I do think we have to look at ourselves and congratulate ourselves because we have done really well this season to come from the bottom of the table to where we ended up. We’ve done so well to even be talking about a playoff spot. We have to be delighted with how the season has turned out in the end, but we have to build on that next season and make the playoffs next year.”

On going into the final match of the season:
“It’s all about personal pride. I said it in the team talk earlier actually. It’s all about showing what you can do. Maybe some of the guys that didn’t play will get some more minutes, the guys who aren’t playing all the time at the moment, but just personal pride. End the season on a high and then take some well-deserved rest and come back next season.”

On wearing the captain’s armband in the match:
“It meant a lot to me because I have played with the gaffer for a few years now. Before in San Jose and now here. He’s seen me grow from a young kid to a young man. It’s good to have the armband and try to lead these boys, but they are leaders in their own right anyway. So, I am just here to try to shed my experience and help the guys whenever needed. It’s a shame we didn’t get the win, but I am really proud of the boys.”

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