Following Sacramento’s thrilling come from behind victory against Las Vegas Lights FC, Mark Briggs’ men hit the road for the third straight week to take on El Paso Locomotive. Ahead of the club’s meeting with one of the USL’s best, Coach Mark Briggs, defender Jordan McCrary and midfielder Jaime Villarreal shared their thoughts on the week of training and the team’s approach to Saturday’s contest.
Following Sacramento’s thrilling come from behind victory against Las Vegas Lights FC, Mark Briggs’ men hit the road for the third straight week to take on El Paso Locomotive. Ahead of the club’s meeting with one of the USL’s best, Coach Mark Briggs, defender Jordan McCrary and midfielder Jaime Villarreal shared their thoughts on the week of training and the team’s approach to Saturday’s contest.
Head Coach Mark Briggs
Head Coach Mark Briggs
On the key to road to the Indomitable Club’s road success this season…
“There's no pressure when you go away from home. There are no expectations. It’s hard to get results when you're on the road. I think that that plays into it. There's no pressure, no expectations, and people play with a little more freedom. But whatever it is on the road, we have to bring that road form to our home stadium.”
On the challenge of facing a quality El Paso team on the road…
“They’ve got good height. They have high level footballers all over the field – even on the bench – they’ve got players that have played in Liga MX and MLS. It's going to be a game that we're going to be stretched in. Those are the games you want to play in, you want to play against the best and you want to pit yourselves against the best and see where your cards fall. It is a very good measuring stick.”
On the key to road to the Indomitable Club’s road success this season…
“There’s no pressure when you go away from home. There are no expectations. It’s hard to get results when you’re on the road. I think that that plays into it. There’s no pressure, no expectations, and people play with a little more freedom. But whatever it is on the road, we have to bring that road form to our home stadium.”
On the challenge of facing a quality El Paso team on the road…
“They’ve got good height. They have high level footballers all over the field – even on the bench – they’ve got players that have played in Liga MX and MLS. It’s going to be a game that we’re going to be stretched in. Those are the games you want to play in, you want to play against the best and you want to pit yourselves against the best and see where your cards fall. It is a very good measuring stick.”
Defender Jordan McCrary
Defender Jordan McCrary
On the team’s approach to El Paso’s strong defense…
“For us, we need to just be patient and really take our time to find the right moments and not force the attack. They are a good defensive team, but as long as we are patient and can move the ball around I think we’ll have success.”
On preparing for a team the club hasn’t seen yet this season…
“We have to prep the same as if we had played against them. We watch video, see what they typically do and get a read on their common passing tactics. We’re going to attack them just like we attack anybody else, whether it’s Phoenix, Tacoma, San Diego, we’re going to come out here and try to be the dog that we are any take away points.”
On the team’s approach to El Paso’s strong defense…
“For us, we need to just be patient and really take our time to find the right moments and not force the attack. They are a good defensive team, but as long as we are patient and can move the ball around I think we’ll have success.”
On preparing for a team the club hasn’t seen yet this season…
“We have to prep the same as if we had played against them. We watch video, see what they typically do and get a read on their common passing tactics. We’re going to attack them just like we attack anybody else, whether it’s Phoenix, Tacoma, San Diego, we’re going to come out here and try to be the dog that we are any take away points.”
Midfielder Jaime Villarreal
Midfielder Jaime Villarreal
On the team’s mindset this week…
“We’re doing well. Coming off the win I think everyone is in good spirits. These last couple days have gone very well- our intensity and energy have been up just like it was in the second half against Vegas. I think El Paso is going to be a great test for us as a team.”
On the importance of remaining confident against a strong opponent…
“We need to be confident on the ball, and be confident in our teammates to move for each other. We have the quality to be able to compete against any of these teams, so it is important we realize that and use it to our advantage so we can keep moving forward.”
On the team’s mindset this week…
“We’re doing well. Coming off the win I think everyone is in good spirits. These last couple days have gone very well- our intensity and energy have been up just like it was in the second half against Vegas. I think El Paso is going to be a great test for us as a team.”
On the importance of remaining confident against a strong opponent…
“We need to be confident on the ball, and be confident in our teammates to move for each other. We have the quality to be able to compete against any of these teams, so it is important we realize that and use it to our advantage so we can keep moving forward.”
