Dawkins

Quote Sheet: MBFC 3-3 PHX

September 21, 2022 by Steven Vargo

Cardinale Stadium; Seaside, California
Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Sporting Director & Head Coach Frank Yallop
On building this team:
“I felt all along that we had a decent side, from the start of preseason to now. I think we’re playing really well to be honest. I think when you go through a game like tonight and get a chance of winning the game in the last minute but don’t score, that’s very disappointing for everybody involved. But we had other chances that we should’ve buried even before the penalty, and after the penalty. Great effort from the guys, but disappointed because we didn’t get the result we deserved. But we didn’t lose, and we played against a talented side. I’ve always said it, Phoenix is a good team. They move the ball well. They have a new coach, a different system, but they are starting to get used to it. I still think we had enough tonight to get the three points, but we didn’t.”

On Antony Siaha’s progression:
“For Antony [Siaha], it’s only his 13th professional game. So, he still has a ways to go to learn the trade, but his natural talent is very good. He still has things he needs to work on, which he knows, but just in general, he’s been fantastic for us. He’s making saves for us when he should do and making saves for us maybe when he shouldn’t do. He makes those great saves. His general play has been very good. He’s done very well for us and he’s still learning, which is great. We’re excited for his future.”

On Grant Robinson:
“Grant [Robinson] has been playing very well for I don’t know how many weeks now. He’s very calm, very astute with his play. He is forceful. Great ball to Sam [Gleadle] who created the first goal. Takes his goal very well. He’s been very assured with solid positional play all the time as well. I think he’s doing really well right now and I’m very happy for him to get his first goal.”

Defender Grant Robinson
On his first professional goal:
“That’s a play that comes up in our games that you guys see all the time. Me overlapping Simon [Dawkins]. We work hard on that in training. He knows if I’m going to just play it blind and I’ll be free. It’s one of those ones where it’s pretty easy in the end. I was wide open, perfect ball in and then once I was there, I don’t know. I kind of blacked out a little bit. I haven’t scored a goal since 2019, I played higher up back then. So this was my first professional goal, but I probably could have had a few before now. I’ve just been building, so it’s good to get it.”

On Simon Dawkins:
“It’s a pleasure to play with him honestly. He’s pushing the back line back, he’s always controlling his defenders, so I have a lot of freedom. It is another day at the office now, but i’m definitely grateful for it and I don’t take it for granted playing with such a great player who’s been a lot of places.”

On feeling confident in making attacking runs:
“It shows in my game a lot. In the beginning of the season, I wasn’t really getting forward, I wasn’t getting crosses, I wasn’t as much of a threat. I think I’m more confident in myself and I think the team is more confident. I have more confidence in them, and they have more confidence in me. I’ve got their back and vice versa. It’s a group confidence. Tonight wasn’t really our night, a lot of stuff went wrong, but in the end we didn’t lose. That’s what good teams do and that’s what we’re trying to be.”

On the result and what it means for the upcoming match:
“Obviously we really wanted to win, but we knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Getting a tie out of this is still good for us to push us forward, we’re one point closer. This was technically a game in hand, so this point is good for us. Winning this game would have been good, but I almost think it’s a good thing that we tied to keep us hungry for Miami and really go into that game knowing that we have to give everything. I’m excited to play again, I know the group is. It’s not a positive, but it’s a positive in terms of that it’s going to wake us up even more. We’re going to be coming for teams.”

Midfielder Simon Dawkins
On his run of performances:
“I think it’s a team effort obviously. Other guys have to put the ball in if it’s coming in from outside on the left. Other guys have to finish it off. I’ve had a bit of joy on that left outside the last few games. Today, we had our chances. We should have killed the game off to be honest. We had a few chances there in the end, but we just didn’t take it. We just have to move on and get ready to go again in Miami.”

On the result:
“It’s very disappointing that we’ve given away those penalties. We have to look at it again, but like I said, we had our chances to kill the game off completely. Again, we need to look at it and make it right in Miami.”

On the resiliency of the group:
“We’re confident. You’ve seen that in the last game we played when we won 5-0. We’re confident we’re going to score, we’re aggressive in our play. We can score against anyone. We have a good team bond now, if we go down a goal, we regroup. We know our chance is going to come. And today it did, but we failed to take advantage of our other chances to win the game. We’ll look at that and move right along.”

Quote Sheet: MBFC 0-2 LA

August 27, 2022 by Steven Vargo

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.”

Quote Sheet: MBFC 2-0 NY

July 23, 2022 by Steven Vargo

Cardinale Stadium; Seaside, California
Saturday, July 23, 2022

Sporting Director & Head Coach Frank Yallop
On being in control throughout the match:
“I think we managed the game well, we limited their chances. I think we could have scored more tonight, which was a good feeling as well. Even before the red card I thought the guys managed the game well, defended great as a unit, and were really good on the break. We could have scored a couple more to really seal the game off, but that second goal really helped.”

On the offensive scheme after falling down a man:
“I was able to speak with them at halftime. When the game is going on, it’s very difficult to get any information to the guys. So at halftime we talked about being a solid block. We played a 4-4-1, which is what we normally do. From that, I told them we’re going to get chances. We’re going to break on them because they are losing and they’re going to try to take chances to go forward on us, but once we win that ball we have to try to break on them and score that second goal. I don’t think you can write a better script, to be honest, with what happened in the whole game. We ended up winning 2-0 and we managed to get Dallas [Jaye] on the field at the end. I think it was a great night for everybody involved at the club and I’m just really proud of the players and the effort they put in.”

On Adrian [Rebollar]’s performance:
“He’s one of those players who when the game starts to open up, it really suits him because he’s a runner. When it’s all compact and tight, it’s a little more difficult for him, but once the game gets a bit stretched and he can open his legs up and run, he’s very quick with the ball. He’s fast, he tackles well, and I think he’s doing great. I’m really happy with Adrian [Rebollar] and may it continue. I feel a little bit sorry for Walmer [Martinez]. He’s a little bit tender in his hamstring, but he felt fine before the game and was rested, so I feel sorry for him. But overall, I’m really happy with the guys that played. I’m very pleased with the result and very happy for the fans that saw a great performance from their team.”

On Simon [Dawkins] scoring his first goal for the club and Sam [Gleadle] scoring on his return from injury:
“If you look at the first goal, I haven’t seen it back on tape yet, but it’s one of the better goals we’ve scored. The combination play, Simon [Dawkins] making a great run, and a great ball by Adrian [Rebollar] that leads to a terrific header. Then Sammy Gleadle came back into the fold. He’s been out for a while with his knee injury, but he’s trained very well over the last couple weeks. I’m real happy to have these guys back. They’re very good and dangerous players and I’m looking forward to the game next weekend now.”

Forward Simon Dawkins
On the match:
“It was a good result for us, we needed it. Every single player did brilliantly well. Going down a man as well was very difficult for us, but we gathered ourselves at halftime and it was a brilliant performance from all of us. It’s good to get the three points.”

On controlling the match:
“When you get games like that, when everything’s clicking, it breeds confidence and obviously we’ve needed that this season. To get three points at home is very important for us obviously, because we want that playoff push. We have to take that confidence and bring it into the next game as well, but we’re happy with tonight.”

On going a man down and still creating opportunities:
“Obviously when you go a man down, it’s very difficult. There’s no space for us to exploit. We had to find a way, dig deep and defend. Then once we went into halftime, we sat down and discussed how we were going to counterattack. Tonight was brilliant from the boys, we’re very happy. It was great to send Dallas [Jaye] off as well. Tonight was fantastic for us.”

On defense giving confidence to the offense:
“We had a clean sheet last weekend and said to ourselves all week, we can get another one. We’re capable of scoring and I thought Gleadle did well coming on. As did Adrian [Rebollar], and Walmer [Martinez] did well when he was on as well, so we have attacking options and we always know we can score. It was brilliant from the boys again. I’m delighted with the win.”

On scoring his first goal for the club:
“Honestly, I don’t remember much of it. The ball was coming into the box, and I thought, let me get my head to it and direct it toward the goal. I’m really happy to get on the scoresheet. It’s been an up and down season for me, in terms of being on the field, and I think finally now I’m getting my fitness back. I want to get to one hundred percent.”

Midfielder Mobi Fehr
On winning at home:
“It’s a huge win having not won at home for the past three or four games. We definitely had a tough game tonight; it feels good to win at home.”

On playing with a man down:
“It sucks to lose a man in the first half, but we were up one-nil, so we just had to close the game out.”

On Monterey Bay’s dominant defense:
“I believe it’s three games that we haven’t conceded now. We’re finally getting our defensive unit right, so it’s looking good for our upcoming games.”

On creating opportunities while a man down:
“We knew coming into the second half, we’re going to drop a little bit, do a low block. But we have fast guys up front, so our game plan was to counterattack as fast as we can, and it ended with a goal. Tonight was a great team effort.”

Quote Sheet: MBFC 1 – 2 BCFC

April 7, 2022 by Steven Vargo

PayPal Park; San Jose, California
Wednesday, April 6, 2022

Sporting Director & Head Coach Frank Yallop
On the result:
“It’s not a good feeling losing any game. It was one of those where we didn’t really play that well. We had chances to score that we should have put away to be honest. It’s a game where you’ve got to put it away. It’s won and lost in both boxes. They had two or three good chances and scored two goals. We had maybe five really good chances and scored one, so as disappointing as it is, it was kind of a fair reflection of the game. You’ve just got to finish your chances. And we made sloppy errors defensively to give them their chances as well.”

On returning to the home of the San Jose Earthquakes:
“It was great. We came here in preseason and played a couple of games against them, and it was good. I also came here once with Chicago. That being said, it’s very disappointing, but that’s football. We had a few injuries, but that’s not an excuse. We didn’t have a full array of things to change the game from the bench with guys banged up a little bit. But it’s just football. They did well, hats off to them. They deserved to win in the end with us missing our chances. Two well taken goals, good luck in the next round.”

On what to expect from Monterey Bay F.C. the rest of this season:
“If you think about it, even in this game, we are quite exciting to watch. We make a few mistakes so it’s exciting down one end, but we do create a few chances to score in the final third as well. We’ve just got to get better at our finishing. We have two strikers out right now in Seku [Conneh] and [Christian] Volesky. Again I’m not making excuses, but you can change things if it’s not going your way and we didn’t have those options. Chris [Cortez] had a couple chances to score, Robbie [Crawford] scored his header. Just disappointed, but that’s football. Have to move on.”

Forward Simon Dawkins
On being back at PayPal Park:
“It was good, it’s like a second home for me, I’ve spent a lot of time here so it was good to be back. Frank [Yallop] as well, so it was good to be back with him. Obviously disappointed that we didn’t get the result, but it was good to be back and play here on this field again.”

On playing in front of a PayPal Park crowd again:
“It was good and this stadium is lovely as well. It was good to see the fans back out here, a lot of San Jose fans are here supporting the local teams around here. It was good to see a good turnout and it was great to play in front of them again.”

On returning to play soccer in the States:
“That was my first 80 or so minutes in a while, it was good. I hadn’t played for the last three years just about, so it was good to get match fitness in for me. It’s just obviously disappointing with the result. But a personal thing for me to take away from it is that I got minutes and hopefully I can build on Saturday and the forthcoming.”

On what to expect from Simon Dawkins this season:
“To put in better performances, really. Like I said, I just need to get fit and then once I do that I will be able to contribute more and more and hopefully play 90 minutes or whatever is needed. So I’m just trying to get fit and then we’ll see what happens from there.”

On his role in the formation:
“I started over on the left, then we made a few changes and I got moved to the middle. It was more to try to get on the ball so that I could help build some attacks because we lacked that a little bit. But obviously it didn’t work out today.”

Midfielder Robbie Crawford
On Bay Cities advancing to the third round:
“Yeah it was like a cup final for them with us obviously being a bit more of an established team. Credit to them though honestly. They played out from the back and they took their chances. Obviously they didn’t have too many, but they capitalized on the mistakes we made and punished us.”

On moving forward in league play:
“The cup was a chance for the manager to play some guys that haven’t played in the league as much. Obviously that was their chance to impress. It’s difficult when there’s guys that haven’t played much together before, but we’re not interested in excuses. We should have had enough quality and experience to win the game, and it didn’t happen for us tonight. All we can do is focus on the league and we’ve got a short turnaround with another match on Saturday.”

Dawkins

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