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Monterey Bay F.C.

The Greatest Union of Land & Sea

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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.

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 F.C. Remains Unbeaten on the Road with 3-2 Victory Over Indy Eleven

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Monterey Bay F.C. Remains Unbeaten on the Road with 3-2 Victory Over Indy Eleven

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (Saturday, April 22, 2023) – Monterey Bay F.C. (3-2-2, 11 points) remained unbeaten on the road with a stylish 3-2 victory over Eastern Conference opponent Indy Eleven (1-3-2, 5 points) at Michael A. Carroll Stadium. Grant Robinson opened his 2023 account for the Union with a goal in the first half, while Christian Volesky and Nevello Yoseke added goals of their own to give the Crisp and Kelp its first road win of the early campaign.

Monterey Bay began the match on the front foot and saw its first opportunity of the night in the fourth minute. Volesky controlled possession and pushed the ball down the right side of the box, but his cross into the mix was cleared out for a fruitless corner by the Indy Eleven defense. Then to emphasize his great start to the match, Robinson fired a ball from Alex Dixon into the back of the net from the center of the box to put the Crisp and Kelp on top early. It only took Indy six minutes to equalize, however, when a short free kick opportunity was headed home by Soloman Asante to bring the match to 1-1. A short free kick chance for the Union in the 28th minute saw another chance on frame, but Volesky’s header was caught by the goalkeeper. Indy Eleven took the lead with five minutes to play in the half when a ball over the top found the feet of Sebastián Guenzatti, who shot it off the inside of the far post and in to make it 2-1 at halftime.

It did not take long for the Union to get back level in the match. In the 58th minute, Morey Doner made a long and brilliant run down the center of the Indy Eleven defense before laying a perfect ball off for Volesky inside the box for the left-footed finish to equalize. Then five minutes later, Dixon intercepted a pass by the Indy goalkeeper near midfield and immediately found Volesky in space near the right of the half circle. Volesky then contributed to his second goal of the afternoon, this time with an assist for finding Yoseke who smashed the ball into the bottom right corner with just two touches. Indy created a chance at the top of the box in the 77th minute, but the curling shot by Asante missed wide of the right corner. As the match entered stoppage time, Walmer Martínez let a left-footed ball rip from outside the box, but the shot missed just over the top of the corner frame and the Union left Indy with all three points on the night.

Up Next: Monterey Bay F.C. continues its 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup play with a third round matchup with MLS side San Jose Earthquakes on Tuesday, April 25 at Cardinale Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT and will be streamed live on the Bleacher Report App and the B/R Football YouTube Channel.

Man of the Match: Christian Volesky earns tonight’s Man of the Match for another multi-goal contribution performance. Volesky added a goal and an assist to his season total in the match, and has now contributed to a total of seven of Monterey Bay’s last 10 goals in the run of play – all in just 17 days since the Club’s second round U.S. Open Cup match on April 5.

Notes:
– Grant Robinson scored his first goal in 2023 and the second of his professional career with his shot in the 17th minute of the match.
– Morey Doner tallied his first assist of the 2023 campaign with his assist to Christian Volesky in the 58th minute after co-leading the Club with five assists last season.
– Nevello Yoseke recorded his first goal in Crisp and Kelp with a strike from the center of the box to retake the lead in the second half.
– Missing the match due to injury were Simon Dawkins (knee), Sam Gleadle (illness), and James Murphy (hamstring).

Match: Indy Eleven vs Monterey Bay F.C.
Date: April 22, 2023
Venue: Michael A. Carroll Stadium; Indianapolis, Indiana
Weather: Cloudy and 44 degrees
Attendance: 10,038

Scoring Summary: 1 2 F 
Indy Eleven   2 0 2
Monterey Bay F.C.  1 2 3
MB: Grant Robinson (Alex Dixon) 17’
IND: Solomon Asante (Aodhan Quinn) 23’
IND: Sebastián Guenzatti (Solomon Asante) 40’
MB: Christian Volesky (Morey Doner) 58’
MB: Nevello Yoseke (Christian Volesky) 63’

Lineups:
Indy Eleven (4-3-3): Yannik Oettl; Bryam Rebellón, Robert Dambrot, Jesús Vazquez, Younes Boudadi (Mechack Jerome 68’); Aodhan Quinn (Juan Tejada 85’), Cameron Lindley, Jack Blake (Harrison Robledo 68’); Sebastián Guenzatti, Solomon Asante, Jonas Fjeldberg (Douglas Martínez 37’)
Subs not used: Tim Trilk

Monterey Bay F.C. (4-2-3-1): Carlos Herrera; Grant Robinson, Hugh Roberts, Kai Greene, Morey Doner; Nevello Yoseke (Walmer Martínez 84’), Mobi Fehr; Chase Boone, Adrian Rebollar, Alex Dixon; Christian Volesky (Jason Johnson 68’)
Subs not used: Antony Siaha, Alex Lara, Max Glasser, Chuy Enríquez, Jesse Maldonado

Stats Summary: IND / MB
Shots: 10 / 10
Shots on Goal: 2 / 5
Saves: 2 / 0
Corner Kicks: 4 / 7
Fouls: 14 / 13
Possession: 55.3% / 44.7%

Misconduct Summary:
IND: Jack Blake (caution) 45+1’
IND: Douglas Martínez (caution) 78’
MB: Chase Boone (caution) 85’

Officials:
Referee: Greg Dopka
Assistant Referee 1: Eric Del Rosario
Assistant Referee 2: Eric Burton
Fourth Official: Zach Gaidar

Monterey Bay F.C. Positional Preview: Defenders

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Monterey Bay F.C. Positional Preview: Defenders

by Eli Corona & Steven Vargo

Next up, a breakdown of the defense heading into 2023. With nine clean sheets in the Club’s final 18 matches, including a run of five consecutive shutouts that extended for a total of 558 minutes (ninth longest in USL Championship history and third longest for a first-year club), the backline proved to be the strength of the Union in its second half surge.

Monterey Bay F.C. retained the services of talisman Hugh Roberts, as well as his centerback partner Kai Greene. This pairing proved effective over the past season and the re-signing of both defenders to new deals allows for an optimistic outlook for the defense in the upcoming season. The most dynamic part of the defense last season was the play of both fullbacks, Morey Doner and Grant Robinson. These two defenders combined for eight goal contributions in 2022, highlighting their dual importance in the attacking phase of play. While the starting back line from the inaugural season is back under contract for 2023, there have also been a couple of offseason additions to the defensive unit in young defenders Alex Lara and Max Glasser.

Morey Doner
Doner won 64.5 percent of his defensive duels over the course of the season, representing his important contributions on the defensive front. Doner started in all 34 regular season matches in 2022, leading the team with 3,047 minutes played. Flying up the right sideline, Doner recorded a team-high five assists and led the team in non-set-piece chances created with 30.

Max Glasser
A regular starter for the Aggies in the final two seasons of his collegiate career, the Novato, California native will be looking to impress in his first professional season. At UC Davis, Glasser became known for his intelligence on and off the ball and his skillful dribbling ability. In his debut with the Crisp and Kelp against the San Jose Earthquakes this preseason, Glasser made quite the impression. Do not be surprised to see the 22-year-old challenge for meaningful minutes throughout the campaign and earn plenty of opportunities to play this season.

Kai Greene
Greene started in all 31 of his appearances for the Union last season and recorded an impressive 107 clearances on the year. Greene also added two assists last season, including the game-winning assist to Roberts in the club’s first-ever victory. With nearly 170 appearances and over 13,700 minutes played in his USL Championship career, Greene’s experience and prowess make for an invaluable combination.

Alex Lara
Former Las Vegas Lights FC defender Lara has been brought in and will provide reinforcements on the backline, filling a much needed role heading into the new campaign. The addition of Lara allows for greater positional flexibility as well, as a back three can now be a viable option for Head Coach Frank Yallop while still maintaining the midfield setup.

Hugh Roberts II
Roberts returns to Seaside as the captain of the Crisp and Kelp in 2023. He started in all 30 of his matches played for Monterey Bay F.C. while donning the armband and recorded a team-high 124 clearances. In addition to scoring the goal that secured the first win in Club history, Roberts climbed the individual rankings among league history. During the campaign, Roberts moved to third all-time in USL Championship history with 18,627 minutes played and seventh in league history in total games played with 233. His unrivaled experience in the USL Championship will prove vital to the team’s success this season.

Grant Robinson
In addition to his dynamism in the attack, Robinson averaged 5.9 interceptions per 90 minutes, showcasing his ability to both read opposition play and position himself defensively to cut off passing angles. He appeared in 27 matches for the Union in 2022, created a total of 15 chances and scored his first professional goal in a match at Cardinale Stadium in September.

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

Volesky, Robinson Named to USL Championship Team of the Week for Week 29

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SEASIDE, Calif. (Tuesday, September 27, 2022) – Monterey Bay F.C. played two matches in Week 29, a high scoring midweek draw at home against Phoenix Rising FC and a scoreless weekend draw on the road against Miami FC. Following a busy two-result week, forward Christian Volesky earned USL Championship Team of the Week honors for Week 29, while defender Grant Robinson was named to the bench.

Volesky’s top-11 performance stemmed from a two-goal night against Phoenix Rising FC at midweek before leaving the match with an injury that held him out of the club’s second match of the week. Reaching back into Week 28, the goals were Volesky’s second and third in just two matches. In addition, the forward added seven duels won, four shots on target, and two tackles.

Robinson earned a spot on the bench in this week’s Team of the Week for scoring his first professional goal against Phoenix Rising FC midweek, and for his role in the club’s eleventh shutout of the season in Miami over the weekend. In addition, the defender added four clearances, four interceptions, created two chances, and added two tackles.

Below is USL Championship’s full Team of the Week for Week 29 lined up in a 4-3-3 formation:

Goalkeeper – Jordan Farr (SA)
Defenders – Graham Smith (MEM), Michael Bryant (DET), Matthew Mahoney (COS), Alex Crognale (BHM)
Midfielders – Christian Pinzon (RGV), Tyler Freeman (LDN), Eric Bird (TUL)
Forwards – Christian Volesky (MB), Skage Lehland (LDN), Sam Adeniran (SA)
Bench – Grant Robinson (MB), Tyler Deric (RGV), Akeem Ward (RGV), Theodore Ku-Dipietro (LDN), PC (SA), Yazeed Matthews (DET), Ottar Magnus Karlsson (OAK)

NEXT UP: The Union play tonight against Las Vegas Lights FC at Cashman Field in Nevada at 7 p.m. PT on ESPN+. Then, Monterey Bay F.C. welcomes Eastern Conference side Tampa Bay Rowdies to Cardinale Stadium for the club’s regular season home finale at 7 p.m. PT on Saturday, October 1. Join us at Cardinale Stadium as the club continues its playoff push! The match can also be streamed live on ESPN+.

Quote Sheet: MBFC 3-3 PHX

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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 0-0 DET

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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.”

Quote Sheet: MBFC 1-2 RGV

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Cardinale Stadium; Seaside, California
Saturday, May 14, 2022

Sporting Director & Head Coach Frank Yallop
On the Rio Grande Valley defense:
“We didn’t start particularly well in the game for whatever reason, but I think the middle spell in the first half, we had some chances we could have at least done a little better on. But again, we didn’t take those chances until the one Hugh [Roberts] put in. I think we should have at least had a draw with the chances we created.”

On the second goal:
“I haven’t seen it yet. It’s difficult when you’re sitting down there to see any kind of angle or what happened very clearly. I think Carlos [Herrera] made a good attempt to save the first one. I couldn’t see it all that well from the angle where I was, so I’ll have to look at it.”

On the match:
“I think it was an entertaining match. I don’t think the fans went away saying it was boring. I don’t think they went away thinking we were not trying our best to win. We kept going to the end and on another night, we could have had a tie. I think a tie would have been a fair result in this game. Obviously going down to 10 men in the middle of the second half gives you a bit of a mountain to climb, but we had good chances after that point. If they had got that third goal and killed the game off, then so be it, but I thought we defended well other than the one or two moments that they scored on. I think Hugh [Roberts] and Kai [Greene] defended well and were strong.”

On being away from home for so long to start the season:
“Mentally, it’s good to be home sleeping in our own beds and getting ready for the games here. The initial stretch of away games now is over, which I was dreading before, but at least we got one win out of it and then we took ourselves into the next game at home and we got a win out of that. It’s disappointing not to get something tonight, especially with a tough game in Louisville next weekend and then Colorado, who is top of the league right now coming back here after that. There’s going to be some tough games here, so we have to learn how to play here, quickly.”

On the first half injuries:
“Carlos [Herrera] just got into the team and made his pro debut last weekend and now halfway through this one he’s injured. I don’t know what the injury is, I haven’t spoken to the trainer yet, so I’m not sure. It’s disappointing for him. He was very unlucky on the goal that he tipped off the post. Then we had Arun [Basuljevic] go out as well, who has been a very good player for us. It’s been a tough few weeks.”

Defender Grant Robinson
On breaking down RGV’s defense:
“A couple of us played there last year, so we know that’s something they pride themselves on. They’ve only given up five or six goals in eight games, so we knew it wasn’t going to be easy to find the net. We were able to get one in the first half, but they really locked us down in the second half and we had trouble breaking through. Defense is something they pride themselves on and they did a good job.”

On the match:
“We’re really disappointed, honestly. After the win last week, we wanted to show everyone that it’s not a onetime thing, so it hurt us a lot not to win this game in front of the fans. Throughout the game we thought we were in it, even with the red card. There were moments where I thought we could easily have scored, but the keeper made some good saves for them. At no point did I think they were running away with the game; it just wasn’t our day today.”

On the team’s resiliency:
“That’s a reflection of the team, the coach, the owner – everyone from the top down. We know we’re going to take our lumps and it’s going to be tough, but everyone is willing to go the whole game. I don’t think anyone on our team had their head down thinking it was over. I think that’s important, and I want to convey that to everyone who’s listening; we are going to give everything for 90 minutes every single game, so if you guys stick with us, we’ll keep going and keep giving our best. I think our energy levels were great, it just wasn’t our day.”

Defender Hugh Roberts
On his goal:
“We’ve been working on set pieces for a while now. We’ve got some good size on this team, so it’s all about putting the ball into hopeful or dangerous areas. We really love the chances we’re creating and we’re going to start taking advantage of them. Honestly, it was a great goal and a great feeling too.”

On the breakdown during the second goal:
“I would say it probably started from a bad clearance. We were stuck in our corner, and it came right back onto us and then from there we were all out of sorts because everyone was trying to get up the field. We were caught in a bad position starting from the clearance and then from there it was like a domino effect.”

On the health of the team:
“We knew we had this quality, especially the back four, because we’ve been playing together all preseason, but injuries have been holding us back. For us to build this confidence, it speaks volumes of us and it’s great to have these guys back from injury too. We had more guys injured again tonight though, so here we go again in this same situation, but it was good to at least have the back four so that we could build some more chemistry.”

On defensive communication:
“It’s hard to hear us with the fans screaming and yelling at us all the time, but we talk a lot on the field. A lot of it is instinctiveness as well, so when a ball goes over the top or a ball is in a tough situation, we have good enough chemistry now to where it’s kind of unspoken. I know Dallas [Jaye] is going to come off the line and clear the ball, and he knows me and my speed, so we’re talking a lot, but a lot of it is instinctiveness and chemistry.”

On the fans:
“We’re so happy to be here at home. We hear the fans the whole game, and it’s not just them cheering for every good moment. They actually know the game of soccer. Every time we get out of a situation or move the ball well, we hear them clapping and cheering. And we appreciate that more than just ‘go so and so,’ because we see that they understand the quality of our game. It’s the little things you have to appreciate, like the one-two touches, the nutmegs, and getting out of tough situations. We hear the oohs and aahs and it makes us want to be even more creative and just play our game. We appreciate all of it.”

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