Last week, we endured a 3-1 loss to Hoover FC at the Marina. I am told we were only able to field 10 players. We had some defensive miscues and missed a PK. Not our day. Following the loss – our fifth in a row across all competitions – I sat down with the media to talk about the rest of the season. (BTW, this is not meant to be serious)
Q from NBC’s Bob Costas: What’s your greatest challenge this season?
A: Bob, I believe it all starts with communication and consistency. When we field a full squad, we work well together and often take home the W. We have a deep bench and sweet tradition of teamwork. However, when players do not communicate their status or show up late, we don’t give ourselves a chance to win – and that’s frustrating. Last season, attendance may have been the difference between promotion and staying put. This year, we’ve already had a lapse in week one, which means we’re in the hole early.
Q from ESPN’s Michelle Tafoya: What’s happening with your roster?
A: As you know, Michelle, the final roster is due to the league on September 21st. Almost everyone is returning, which is great because we have a kick ass team. We are making some minor changes as necessary. We’re losing our beloved co-captain, Megan, to retirement. Tom is shifting to alternate status and we’ve picked up a few more players to round out the team. We welcome Cat, who will help us continue the tradition of having the best all-around female roster in the league. We’ve also added Alec to mix, who stood out in the summer tournament and who will give us superb depth at the goalie position.
Q from ESPN’s Julie Foudy: Talk about what it means to have Jackie take over as co-captain.
A: Well, it obviously means a lot. Jackie is one of the best players and personalities we’ve ever had on the team. You can trace a large part of our roster to her recruiting efforts. Whether it’s delivering fierce tackles or motivating the troops, she’s there for us. Of course, this season, she won’t actually be there for us for half the season, but we’ll make do!
Q from the George Michael Sports Machine: What do you need to do to get the Goleros back on track?
A: Without revealing secrets to our competitors, I think we need to shore up our defense, improve the work rate of our forwards and midfielders, play a little more dynamically, and make sure enough people show up to games. We do those things and we’re going to be successful.
Q from MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann: Next year, you are entering your 10th season. What does that mean to you and your fans?
A: It means a lot, Keith, it really does. We’ll be sharing more details on that soon.
Notes: 3-1 loss to Hoover FC, 8/24/08, Marina field. Goal: Ermy (NK). GK: Nate, Liam. PK opportunity: Jon (earned by Jer).
Pete,
ReplyDeletedid you get that picture when you were at Stamford Bridge? - great picture - you don't look scared enough though - all those EPL managers look like they are going to get fired any second when they are up there (all except Alex, and Rafa)
Peter's job is secure... unless he is unable to get one in the win column.
ReplyDeleteyeah, that's taken at Stamford Bridge right outside the media room. I tried to get seated at the Coach's table but it was too crowded. I had to settle for the player's area. Got the full lockeroom tour as well. They said it was a 5 star locker room. It was pretty nice, but there are athletic clubs nicer. The field was OK. Basically, they've renovated a really old stadium to make it decent.
ReplyDeletePI
I didn't even publish the most difficult question, which was "what's going on with the defense?"
ReplyDeleteI don't know, we're in flux. We've got to improve in this area and settle down. I want us to settle into a good 3-back system, but this season, we are going to try 4 flat backs across. i want to take advantage of a few players' ability to stretch out the wings and contribute to offense.
PI