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The Washington Spirit fell to East Coast rival Gotham FC, 3-0, on Saturday afternoon. After the match, Assistant Coach Adrián González, spoke to the media about the Spirit’s first half struggles, Croix Bethune‘s return to the pitch, and Head Coach Jonatan Giráldez‘s red card. Forward Makenna Morris and defender Gabby Carle also sat down to provide their thoughts on the team’s tough loss and how they can bounce back.
Adrián González, Assistant Coach
On the slow start and giving up early goals:
We always prepare for the games in the same way. It is true that we haven’t had the start that we wanted. We know how difficult was the game against them. We know them very good. We were prepared, to be honest, during the week and also [knew] how we wanted to start, what we wanted to provoke, especially here at home with our fans, knowing that we’ve been playing many games on the road. But sometimes things happen in a different way, and we need to learn from this experience.
I think the players, they’ve tried, so we have nothing but to say for sure that they’ve been fighting until the end, and we just couldn’t score today as we did maybe in other games
On marking in the box:
We know how dangerous they are, especially the forwards. We know Esther [González], we know [Gabi] Portilho, we know all the players, how they perform, especially in the box. So we know that those situations would be a key point today, and maybe we haven’t had that aggressiveness that we’ve had other games. But again, I think it’s not just about that. Key factors during the first half, that early goal changes everything, to be honest. And from there, also then the [penalty kick], so I think it was a lot of circumstances that we’re maybe against, and we need to learn again from those situations because it’s sometimes something that you are not expecting, but you need to know how to react and how to face also those adversities.
On managing the game after an early goal:
[Translated from Spanish] Trying to get back to the game plan quickly, being true to what the team had to do, both with the ball and without the ball, and regardless of having scored a goal, which in the end is something that no one expects in the first minutes, but I think that being true to what the plan was in this case. From there you have to be confident that sometimes you need minutes to sit down in the game and trust that the team is able to generate opportunities. We have shown this to all teams and in the end, the team also knows how to suffer on many occasions and it is also true that the team never gives up. Today has been a clear example that despite having the result against us, we have tried it until the end, and we have tried different options with different players and the team has tried until the end.
On what the Spirit could have done differently:
In terms of pressing, probably the first half of the first minutes we weren’t adjusting. When we were just pressing high, maybe they were progressing to the left … Sometimes we were just jumping a little bit late, and they could progress, I think, easy from that side, and then from there, it’s difficult to be organized again … Once we were recovering the ball back again, we need to know how to be a little bit more patient with the ball, try to move them a little bit more, try to switch more times. Because when we were playing in their half, we could have had maybe more chances, more patience to build up and to create better chances.
On Head Coach Jonatan Giráldez’s red card:
We need to understand how difficult it is, you know, being a head coach, trying to make many, many decision in that moment, and sometimes you have a lot of things that you cannot control. And in the game, we were trying to help the team in the best possible way. He was just trying to protect our players or coaching staff, but nothing else. So nothing wrong with that, but unfortunately he won’t be able to be next week, but he will he helping the team for sure.
On forward Ashley Hatch coming on in the second half:
We know that Hatchy had a concussion last week, and she was limited in terms of minutes, so she could have just played 45. In terms of game plan, we were expecting her to have an impact in the second half … she’s giving us a lot, and we always prefer her to start, but today according to what we were thinking about her, and also the opponent, to have something also on the bench to have, maybe, a threat for the second half.
On 2024 Midfielder of the Year Croix Bethune returning to the pitch after eight months:
We had the green flag with her like she’s available now just for 15 minutes. So we know that she could play today, some minutes, but also we know—and she knows—that she needs a little bit more time to be with the team, to get the rhythm. Today we’ve decided to bring her in just to see where she is in terms of playing again … we also thought that it was important for her to be with the team, to get those situations again playing at home. So now we have a better picture for the next weeks, and it’s positive that we can see her again playing a soccer game, and I think she’s going to improve soon for sure.
On what forward Gift Monday brings to the team:
She’s bringing, I think, experience and goals as a young player. We all know that she needs to improve, she needs to get adapted to this league also, to the rhythm, the type of opponents that we are facing, but she’s giving us different profiles in terms of how we want to attack.
She’s always ready to thread behind, and also, she can drop to receive in between lines. We know how good she is … so we are just working with her because she needs time to know the league, to know the players, and she’s improving fast so we’re happy with her.
Forward Makenna Morris and Defender Gabby Carle
On the sluggish start:
Morris: I think for us it’s just being on the same page every game. Like when we start games, you know, like the first 15 minutes are huge, last 15 minutes, you know, start of every half. So, I think for us it’s just being on the same page, and learning from this experience. We never want it to happen, but it’s early on in the season. Learning from it, building off of it, and just not letting it happen again.
Carle: I just think there was a lack of energy. It’s something that shouldn’t happen as a team, but when collectively there’s a lack of energy, sometimes it, yeah, you can immediately see it. And, yeah, it took us a while to get into the game, which is unfortunate for sure.
On Gotham capitalizing on its scoring opportunities while the Spirit did no:
Morris: I think it’s unfortunate. I think before they scored I had an opportunity, and if we capitalized on those opportunities, or if I could capitalize on those opportunities, it changes the game. I think for us, it’s just finishing every chance we get or just being a bit more clinical because we are creating opportunities in all of our games and in today’s game. I think just being more clinical across the board and paying attention to all the little details in the attack and on defense, I think will help us in games.
On losing after last week’s big win over the Orlando Pride:
Carle: Yeah, this is always a danger of a big win like that—such a high—is that sometimes there can be a counter performance next week. That’s definitely not what we set out to do. I think we came into this game wanting to win so bad and [were] prepared to. But at the end of the day, this is sports. This is what happens. This is game six, so there’s a lot more games to be played, and we will work hard re-group and be ready for next week.
On winning on the road but struggling at home:
Morris: I think we put a lot of emphasis, after noticing that last year, away we didn’t handle our business how we wanted to. So I think we’ve put a lot of emphasis on that. I think for us, it’s reflecting on this game, learning from it, and then putting the same emphasis that we put on away games at home because we love our fans. We love Audi Field. So I think for us, it’s just protecting our home and not letting something like this happen again.
On the depth of the team:
Carle: Yeah, I think we’re lucky because we do have a very deep squad, and everyone that’s on the field we trust. Every single girl on the field today, I was like, “We got this together.” It is cool to know, though, that we have so many more players to come and that we can put out so many different starting lineups throughout the year, and that eventually it’s going to happen.
On the team’s resilience shown in the second half:
Morris: Honestly, it was good for us. We came back out, and we came out together, which I think was huge. I think going in at halftime, it could be super defeating. You’re down 3-0. And it’s like, “Oh, this game’s over.” I think we put up a good fight, and we continue to work hard—I think that that’s huge on us. But now it’s just being clinical, finding ways to get those goals back, and not giving up goals in the first half. But we couldn’t change that.
I think the energy in the locker room was much better in the second half, and I think it carried out onto the field a little bit.
