Cardinale Stadium; Seaside, California
Saturday, July 2, 2022

Sporting Director & Head Coach Frank Yallop
On the match:
“I thought we played well for about five minutes in the first half. They dominated possession wise, but we didn’t give up too many chances in that spell. We didn’t play well in the first half, I told them at half time. I loved the response from the guys after halftime. I thought that we certainly deserved a draw and could have snuck a win out of it. New Mexico is a good team and they caught us on the break a few times. With the effort the guys put in in the second half it would have been nice to get the three points.”

On the defensive effort:
“New Mexico is a possession-based team, and we are more of a counter-attacking team. They have a lot of players in the middle area, they want to possess the ball to create great chances. Our counteracting to that is to win it and try to break and use the space wide, which is where we did very well, I thought most of the game. Most of our chances came from that, which was the game plan. Kind of cat and mouse. I don’t mind giving up possession, but in the first half we were too passive with closing down the ball. The second half was completely different, I think the guys really listened at halftime. We could have ended up winning the game. I was really proud of the way they reacted after halftime.”

On the formation:
“We play with three across the top, and that system suits us. Adrian [Rebollar] in the pocket underneath gives us energy, fight, and drive. Chase [Boone], great finish at the back post. Terrific goal, another goal for him. It was a great ball by Morey [Doner], and then I thought Walmer [Martinez] was good tonight again. The last two games he’s played very well. Him and Morey are starting to have a nice partnership on that side. All around, tonight was a fair result.”

On the midfield:
“New Mexico outnumbered us in the midfield, so it was tough in there for Arun [Basuljevic] and Robbie [Crawford]. We had two sitters and Adrian [Rebollar] high, while they have four players in the central area. When we win it and break from those spots, it’s great. New Mexico is going to possess it, they’re a good side. They lost their last game before we played them, but they had won four straight matches before that. They’re a good team and established in this league, whereas we are brand new. For us it’s a good night, our fans were great, they drove us on late into the game. We’re a bit sad that we didn’t get that winning goal for them, but we will be back in a couple weeks and hopefully we can get a win.”

Goalkeeper Carlos Herrera
On his great saves giving the defense momentum:
“I think each save is a weight off our shoulders, seeing that we can stay in games and that I can do my part to help the team stay in games. If they would have gotten up on us, it becomes a little bit of a battle more than it already was. I was just glad to do what I’m supposed to do.”

On recent close results:
“There’s definitely just a little thought in the back of your head, telling you about that. Once we were able to weather the storm a little bit after they got their equalizer, we were in it. I think a tie is rough, but we will take it. It’s not a loss, and at home, it’s progress. The team is finding what works for us and finding our footing and hopefully we can build on this and keep improving going forward.”

On playing a lot of the game on the defense:
“The period of the game when we’re defending for two, three, four, five minutes, you can feel the pressure building. I feel like a save or any defensive stop, whether it’s from me or from the defensive line, is like a little relief of the pressure. It helps you get through the game. It’s like a reset button I feel. You absorb the pressure, you get out of it, you can breathe again, and you can go forward.”

On his distribution:
“I’m confident in my abilities to play the ball with my feet and try to find passes. If we’re able to keep the ball, I want to try and do that. Obviously today there were times where I was off technically, messed up passes and poor decisions, but I will go back and watch film and try to learn from those mistakes and improve. If I can help the team keep the ball, rather than create a 50/50, I’ll try to do it, but I have to be smarter in picking my times to do so. That will come with learning and watching film and doing my homework.”

Forward Jason Johnson
On his first thoughts:
“Overall, not a bad game. Definitely a step up from last week. Last week we got scored on twice in about a five-minute span. This week we had an early goal again. Fortunately, we weren’t behind, and the response in the second half was much better. It was a step in the right direction for sure.”

On the crowd’s energy and the refs:
“The referee’s get the most hate in this game. They could have been right, could have been wrong. It’s just a fighting spirit, you want everything to land on your side. Credit to the guys, especially in the second half I think we played a lot better with longer spans of intensity and concentration. And once again from the crowd, I really appreciate the reception. That was very nice, I appreciate that. Going forward I hope to do a bit better.”

On struggling to connect on the final pass:
“We were just talking to Grant [Robinson] about that pass that he squared, and it went through three guys to Robbie [Crawford] who got a shot, but the keeper made a save. I think some of it is the passer and I think some of it is the runners. It’s just something both of us have to keep working on in training sessions. But it’s one of the first games that we’ve had a full squad on the bench so that’s a positive as well.”

On the difference of play in each half:
“The dynamic is different because we scored in the second minute, so New Mexico is going to want to come back and put some pressure to try and get the ball. I think it was smart of us to sit in, be compact, and to pick the right moments to attack. Obviously when they scored the dynamic changed, and in the second half it was back and forth. Throughout the second half we grew and grew into the game. They say goals change games, so it had a big impact on the game.”