Quote Sheet: WNT vs. Ireland - May 10, 2015

U.S. WNT head coach Jill Ellis

On the match:

“The expectation is for more and I think the players expect that of themselves too. We got a lot of set pieces and we scored some set pieces goals, which I was pleased with, but I think we’ve got to increase that number and certainly finish some chances around the box. Again, I thought we had some quality chances, we just need to fine-tune that. We’ve got to put those away.”

U.S. WNT forward Abby Wambach

On the team being surprised by their mothers the night before the match:

“Obviously we were all surprised. The first person that walked in the room was actually Ali Krieger’s mom so it was like, what is Ali Krieger’s mom doing here? I thought she was going to be our motivational speaker. But it was just such a fun night and a fun day today for them to be here, especially for my mom because she’s got a lot of kids and she’s got a lot of grandkids that she could be spending it with so it’s awesome that she chose to spend it with me here for this game.”

On her injured nose:

“My nose is great. Doesn’t it look good? Yeah it’s fine. It is what it is. At this stage going into the World Cup you can either get X-Ray’s and scans, but if you’re not going to do anything about it what’s the point in my opinion. So it doesn’t matter if it’s broken or not, I’m pushing forward.”

On the match:

“I think in the first half we kept the ball really well and we created a lot of opportunities. How many set pieces and corner kicks did we have? And I feel like I was just about to get on the end of a few of them. I did, but just wasn’t strong enough in my heading presence. As soon as we scored I felt like we were going to score again, because it’s halfway defeating to get scored on against us, because as most teams in the world know it’s very difficult to score goals against us. So for me, we just have to be a little bit sharper in our goal zone, inside the 18-yard line, inside the six-yard box lines, and I think that that will just come over the course of the next several weeks.”

U.S. WNT goalkeeper Hope Solo

On the mother’s surprising the team:

“It was awesome. Our entire team was shocked and I can’t believe they kept it secret. Twenty two women kept it secret, including our coaching staff, our support staff, my mom, my grandma, everybody kept it secret. So when they walked in everybody was in complete shock and had some tears in our eyes.”

On what it’s like to play in games that the USA dominates:

“I could never explain what it’s like to be inside a goalkeeper’s mind and what these games really are about. But it is my job and it is the life of a goalkeeper and I’m ready for the World Cup. I’ve been training my butt off this week so it would have been nice to get a little bit of action, actually not just action for myself, but really have our defense tested. We did the little things right even though they weren’t really pressing us so, you’ll still hold each other accountable even though they’re not really attacking us.”

U.S. WNT midfielder Megan Rapinoe

On seeing her mom when the players were surprised at dinner the night before the match:

“I actually knew that my mom was coming. I didn’t know about the whole surprise, she kept that part from me, but yeah we had hung out that day and she kept a tight seal on the secret so I was proud of her for that. She’s normally a big mouth so it’s good on her.”

On being honored before the game for her earning 100 caps:

“I’m obviously honored by that accomplishment. It took a long time I think. I’ve kind of grown up on this team and just to take a second and look back and kind of reminisce about all the years was really special.”

On if this game helps prepare the team for the World Cup:

“I think so in many ways. I think that in the World Cup some of the teams are going to sit back on us like they and kind of pack it in so we’ve got to be able to break that down and I think that we were able to get wide quite a bit today and our set pieces were good.”

U.S. WNT defender Julie Johnston

On what it was like to be playing in San Jose near where she played in college at Santa Clara:

“It’s fantastic to even be back in the San Jose area where I went to college. It’s kind of a dream come true and to score and have such a great start to the Send-Off games is truly special for sure.”

On how it feels to have scored in three-straight games:

“It’s pretty remarkable, but the services that I’m getting are perfect so I’m always happy to finish them when I can.”

On if the U.S. defenders ever expect to be able to score, with the frequently scoring forwards that are on the team:

“We do. We sure do. I mean, our defenders take is, we don’t want goals, but if we score them for us in the other net, we’ll absolutely do that.”

On seeing her mom when the players were surprised at dinner the night before the match:

“I knew that [my parents] were going to come if I was selected to go to the Send-Off game, just because of Santa Clara, and our family friends our here, but the stuff that FOX really put on for us last night was truly special and I thank them a lot for that.”

On her run that led to the goal:

“I just ran through to the near post and it was a perfect driven ball. Lauren Holiday hit such a great service and I couldn’t get my head to it so I tried to use my toe and I think my pinky toe touched it just enough to get it in, so I’ll take that.”

On if the team was frustrated in the first half:

“I’m not so sure it’s a frustration, but absolutely we wanted to get a goal early. That’s been a big thing for us, but we knew it was going to come, so I think it’s an important thing to happen going into the World Cup as well, you know you may not be getting goals right away, but I think it’s important to keep going and going until you get that first one. Then you keep going and going until you get the second and third as well.”

On how the defense is coming together:

“Everyone just played really well together. We have such a depth on this team, you look at every player on this roster and it’s huge. So what we’ve been doing is just trying to get a relationship, especially in the back line and we’re on the same page and that’s important going into the first World Cup.”

 

U.S. WNT midfielder Carli Lloyd

On how this game will help the team prepare for the World Cup:

“I think it’s kind of the first time in a while we’ve seen a bunker. They were really compact and at times had five on the back line so the important thing for us was to get the ball wide and then wait for things to open up. I think once we got that first goal it was easier to get the second goals. Overall, I think it’s a great tool for us. I think moving forward into the World Cup that this game is going to help us get better and learn and improve.”

On if the team tried to attach too much down the middle early on:

“Yeah I think at times, myself included. You always kind of want to bounce those passes off, and you know these are the games where you try things, and if it doesn’t work you obviously reassess and I think getting it in quickly and getting it out wide was the key today. I think we scored three great goals, so overall it was a pretty decent performance.”

On Julie Johnston:

“Julie is a warrior back there. She communicates and even though she’s one of the younger players she’s not afraid to communicate and just offer guidance back there. I think she’s taken her opportunity and seized it so it’s good. I think she’s got a good major momentum going into her first major tournament with this team and I’m really happy for her. I think she’s a great, great asset back there.”

On Abby Wambach:

“Well I think Abby is a unique player. I think that she steps it up a couple of notches right before a big tournament. Never had any doubts about her, I knew that she’d find her way and I think she’s been working really hard and I think she’s finally kind of looking like herself. Two great goals finished by her, she’s a great leader out there and I love playing with her. It’s ust awesome to have her out there. But this is kind of normal for her and she comes up big all the time for us.”

U.S. WNT forward Christen Press

On if the team’s loss in the 2011 World Cup final is propelling the team this year:

“Absolutely I think that loss in the final is part of our DNA. It’s part of our Identity as a team. Of course there’s a ton of players that weren’t there, I wasn’t there, but it’s still ingrained in us that this is a little bit of a revenge story and a comeback story.”

U.S. WNT defender Kelley O’Hara

On how excited she is for the World Cup:

“It’s everybody’s, and I think it’s every little girl’s dream to go to the World Cup. I think that being able to go twice now is pretty exciting and hopefully things end better this time.”

On what it was like to return to the area where she played in college:

“It’s amazing, when we were flying in I just got so happy and I had the biggest smile on my face and I went up to Stanford yesterday and had lunch with one of my friends on University Avenue, walked by the oval and checked out the quad a little bit. It makes me so happy to be around Stanford.”

U.S. WNT defender Ali Krieger

On Julie Johnston:

“She’s scoring more than some of our forwards are scoring. She probably has more goals with the National Team than she does with her club, or even me, and I’ve been here what, six or seven years? So I’m super jealous of that.  But she’s great at attacking those set pieces and that’s what her job is and she’s there to score when we need it and I think those are going to win us games when we’re in the World Cup and I think she’s off to a great start.”