Wave Sound | María Sánchez, Abby Dahlkemper, Landon Donovan Press Conference vs. Angel City FC

uh so obviously a difficult uh match up out there with uh with the Rival in both uh regionally and on the table did you take us through what the difficulties are and just the urgency with these last nine games of season is yeah I mean I think obviously um we're not happy with the way that our season is going but um I think we need to kind of um give ourselves a little bit of Grace Just because there's been a lot of change for us as players and I think that that's hard um I don't think that that's an excuse for not getting um results but I think ultimately it has been a hard year for us so I think um we're trying to do the best we can and stick together and you know there's kind of a lot of change but um yeah disappointed in the result today I think um we we had enough chances to to get some goals and I think that's something that we need to continue to work on to to get more points on the table and ultimately get into playoffs is which which is what we want so just for either how do you findy faiv um yeah I think we all have each other I think um we're very supportive of each other obviously nobody goes out there to lose um so I think the way that we've handled everything and been supportive to each other I mean I'm I'm fairly new to the team and I think something that I've noticed and that I've uh really liked is the way that everybody has each other's backs um so obviously it's a lot of change that we've been going through but I think this support that we have um is what will keep us going what would you think Chang from the first half to the second half it seemed like the team a more moment some of Subs came on would you say Chang yeah I think um obviously we had um our game in Panama on Tuesday and the travel um there was just a lot of different things that came into it but I think um ultimately you know we conceded two goals in the first half which we didn't love and um no one likes to concede two goals but I think it was more so like I mean we have nothing to lose and like we have to respond now so I think just um a little bit more aggressive um I think you know obviously the fresh legs coming in um helps a lot when you um played a game what 4 days three four days ago plus travel um so it was it was hard and that's not an excuse but um yeah the fresh legs helped and I think just if we can kind of take that second half performance and that aggression and um you know that that just putting balls in the box and being dangerous and and getting on the end of them I think uh obviously we need to get results now so I think um yeah just focus on FR uh Saturday Sunday Sunday our next game Sunday plan so [Music] see for get for yeah I think um you know he is one of the greatest American men so soccer player that has played and I think he knows the game you know very well and um I think he's going to help us score goals I think he's going to bring aggression um he's going to bring you know enthusiasm and he's been so good and um so encouraging and that's helpful when there's um kind of another change and um I think you know Landon's been great and very accommodating to all of us players but I think um kind of like me and Maria have said like the players have each other's backs and I think that that's special too that um we're kind of able to like grow super close um despite the the change in manager but Landon's been great and um we're like looking forward to working with him um throughout the rest of the season two more of of you get yeah I mean I think I think that just kind of speaks to like the parody of the of the league I think you know you you have to show up on the day and put the ball in the back of the net or you're not going to get a result and I think that's what kind of makes this league really exciting and um hopefully fun for the the neutral fan to watch but um yeah I think you know we've been unlucky and I've uh We've hit posts and just um near misses but yeah I think hopefully if we get get um one to go and and you know we can stay on top hopefully we can start winning games and um seeing points on the board um yeah I mean it was like a perfect ball from Maria she serves perfect balls all the time and I um just saw a really good opening and um the ball just went straight to where I ran so it was great and yeah all credit to Maria it just kind of bonked off my head so it's great yeah I mean I think today she showed that she's here to make us better um I think I remember her from our u20s uh World Cup and I remember being like wow she's an amazing player so um just the fact that I'm able to share the field with her um I think could bring a lot of learning to my game um so yeah I think we're very excited to have her she's shown that she wants to be here she wants to make a difference um so I think she can make the team better going forward for sure thank you guys thanks guys thank you guys you just take us through this match today and just what some of the conversations are to try to ignite some victories after performance like yeah um I think you guys heard me say this a lot with loyal uh judge the performance not the result the problem is we need results now because we at the point of the Season we're in so it hurts to not get anything out of the game but there's so much that they're going to learn from feeling this things they did well things they didn't do well and we're going to grow a lot from a game like this now ideally you do it when you win um but we you know kind of gave away two sloppy goals and and that ended up hurting us Angel City played really well um they were really hard to play against and so I think Becky did a really good job they did a good job and made it hard on us but there was a lot of good moments there's a lot a lot to build on but then a lot of moments that we felt um and we suffered for yeah I mean look that at the end of the day um you look a lot better as a coach when you have players like her on the field right and so she was limited um just Fitness wise to 30 minutes today obviously wish we could have had her on the field for 90 but um she's she's special and she she changed the game significantly so we're excited to get her fit uh we're excited to get nay back get Jaden back get Sav back um get Pearl here and I think that that will help us a lot but I'm really proud of I'm really proud of all these women this was a really hard week for them very hard week with you know 7 hours travel to Panama playing a hot human environment 7 hours back and then getting ready for this game um midday was they did a great job I'm really proud of them um mutica um um ala Thompson um I mean um [Music] teammate um s to technical um it's process as process um [Music] um obviously we ear to ask you this so there's a lot of discussion about the differences between M players and female players have you noticed anything especially tactically or technically you noticed is a major difference um not significant no there's minor Minor Details but the game's the game and what I'm finding in this league in particular is that one or two Playmakers make the difference on teams um it's a little bit you know like MLS was early days where if you had one or two Playmakers you can win games and you saw that today uh between Claire and and Alyssa they're kind of were all the difference today right they were both very very good and they made the difference um so that's we want to get away from being a team that relies on that and so there's there's a process and a structure by which we will be much better in all parts of the game but that takes a lot of time to build and you know just by way of comparison at loyal the first year it took I think we were 14 games in and we looked at each other and we're like okay we're there the second year because we had continuity I think after nine games we said okay we're there and then the third year because of continuity from preseason we were there so it takes time they are I've said this many times weeks and weeks and weeks ahead of where I thought they'd be honestly and so they need to continue to be brave I think we were a little scared in the first half second half they were more Brave and then they felt that they can do it they felt that they can do it and that's important so very inter said that Playmakers perhaps make a bigger difference here perhaps other players solid defensive players and so on and so on does that mean that youing for more players and so on is not such a I can't I can't speak for other teams um this team has the best goalkeeper in the world and the best center back in the world so that's clearly been an emphasis here um so that's a great starting point for me we have a lot of capable players to be Playmakers here um we're missing a few right now but there's still plenty on the field to make a difference and didn't happen tonight for long stretches there were glimpses um but we'll get there yes um I don't think I underst no she guys oh okay um Premier [Music] Alex Champions Cup Alex no [Music] um yeah in Tech um [Music] hey what's up they're all tied together so what happened today was when you get hurt a couple times behind naturally the most powerful human emotion is fear so you can I can tell them as much show them as much as I want about how to be comfortable being uncomfortable in One V one moments for a few seconds in the back but when you feel it and you get hurt a couple times you revert back to Old Habits so part of it is giving them the faith and belief that they can do it and that's why the second half was great because they felt okay if we do this we can actually do it um but then we just have there's so many parts of the game model that we still have to keep honing in on and helping them with and so it's one thing to tell them one time but over time by training it it becomes natural and becomes new habits a great example today is the second goal with Alysa Thompson we train those moments with the you're at the top of the box understanding and knowing that she always wants to cut in on her right foot there's only so much info I can give them this week that they can retain so we said that to them yesterday we showed them a little bit but when you're in the moment it's still difficult because you're not trained you're not it's not a habit so she cuts in she shoots and it ends up in the net right and that's the difference in the game so it takes time this is a process and it takes time you can't just dump everything on them and expect that they're going to be able they'll understand it intellectually but to do it at a in a game when the stakes are high and when there's pressure it's much harder so that's why the training is so important we'll yeah it's awesome it's awesome I was really impressed with the crowd um everyone was very welcoming I'm you know disappointed that I couldn't help lead them to a point or a win today and that's you know that's frustrating for me same with the team they deserved it after the week they've put in they really did deserve it so I'm frustrated with that um the balance I've been trying to strike is do you just be really pragmatic right now and try to get a result or do you try to start building the process and I'm trying to figure out that line I've never done it in the middle of a season and it's really it's a really honestly it's just difficult for me to try to understand today I probably got it wrong and should have just been a little more pragmatic early um so that's on me that's my fault but all they all I ask of them and expect of them is to take the information and try to implement it and they did and they did and I have to give them credit for that I'm still working out how do we make that how where's that pendulum between pragmatism and continuing to build so that in four weeks we're really good versus in four weeks were kind of the same but we got a few results so hopefully we can do all of that last one yeah yeah that's a good question um again I want to be respectful of what's happened and gone on in the past because this is the same team that Casey led to the shield last year right so actually yesterday I was walking in the hallway with Alex and there was a picture of the team from last year and I said oh how many of them are still here and I get I think there were 11 gone from last year according to her she can't counted om it so yes they won the shield but there are quite a few gone and there was quite a few turn turn over quite a bit of turnover um there the the the challenge for me so far has been in the first two games um it's kind of been whoever's fit is going to start and so that there hasn't been tremendous competition yet right and so when that comes in everybody trains better plays better there's really good competition you know McKenzie had to play as a defensive midfielder today and that's not I mean God bless her like she just said okay I'll do whatever I can for the team that's not a normal position for her she ran so much today she put so much effort in and I'm really grateful for that as we get new players in new players fit nay and Jaden back um and some people healthy then we'll have competition and competition makes you better and better so I think right now we have the players capable of doing it it's just getting them fit CU a lot of them are just they're just not fit fit enough right now and then getting them acclimated and then some getting back from injury and that'll eventually that and there's more qual I mean Naomi is the best defender in the world right so that's going to make you significantly better tomorrow cool thank you guys very much thank you guys I appreciate it