Thorns Post Game Interviews - July 20, 2014

Head Coach Paul Riley

"Obviously it was a good attacking performance. Wasn't good defensively. There were some great connections. We've finally get Veró [Boquete], Sinc, Alex [Morgan], Allie [Long] all on the same wavelength and it's taken us a good five, six games. I mean, really, since Veró's come in obviously she's changes the season for us. We've been working on their runs, with Alex and Sinc with Veró and they're starting to get closer and closer to what we really want. I thought they were terrific today in the midfield, up front. Amber [Brooks] held them together really well too. She needs a bit of credit because everybody was running forward around her, she kind of held her position. Their best player was Lianne Sanderson, so I thought she did a good job on her. Alex and Sinc are starting to find each other too. Everyone said they couldn't play together and I think they can play together. I think they've proven they can play together. It was the second or third goal was a beautiful goal. Six or seven passes inside a five versus two spot, area 10 by 10 and I thought it was a lovely goal by Sinc. Some of the goals were good highlights. Jess [McDonald's] goal, again, she's come into the game and scored again. She'll be leading scorer in the league tonight unless something changes. I don't know the other scores or what's happened. I thought it was a good performance. In the back, we made it entertaining for sure. First half, I think we gave them four chances and they put three of them away. Just mistakes, individual mistakes. Collectively we've got to work on the backline. You're not going to win a championship playing like that in the back. Our need right now is to shore up the backline a little bit. I think we've started to figure out the final third of the field. We've had as many shots in this game as we have in many other games, up in the 20s and not come out with a win. It's nice to start scoring goals and the ball going in the net, instead of hitting the post and going wide."

Forward Alex Morgan

"Going into halftime, I remember us tying it up, being 2-2, and Sarah [Huffman] saying, ‘we only have 10 more minutes guys,' and then we go down a goal so we're down 3-2. At that point we looked at each other and we knew that we weren't going to drop this game, we weren't even going to tie this game. We had to come back. It was important, though, for us to come back and tie it up before halftime. Just for the momentum, for our confidence, and for feeling good going into the second half."

Forward Christine Sinclair

"Obviously, individually it’s nice. I’ve gotten to see shots go into the net that I think earlier in the season would have hit the post and bounced out. But as a team, I think offensively we’re really starting to click. The past two home games I think we’ve scored 13 goals or something. I think we’re starting to peak at the right time. We just need to continue that on the road...We’ve moved very quickly in terms of our chemistry. I think we’re playing better together in the short time this season, because of her injury, than we did all of last season. Things just seem to be coming together between us, just finding each other. I think this year we’re playing a lot closer together, so it’s easier to find each other, and then you throw someone like Veró into the mix and it just sort of brings everything together."