HC TOM SERMANNI: “Obviously, as it gets close to game time and it’s a big game that they’ll just be maybe a bit more nervous than a normal week, but, to be honest, we’ve been under pressure, apart from the last game, in every game this year. We made not a great start to the season, so we’ve been playing catch-up for most of the season. So every game we’ve played, really, since early in the season, has been a pressure game. And I don’t really see this one as much different.”

“[Portland’s] a very experienced team. They’re a team used to winning. They’re a team that has a terrific home record, but, you know, we just have to look after our own game, and, to be honest, my biggest concern at the weekend is the officiating. We—I just hope that the officials aren’t intimidated by the environment over there, which is easily done, and influenced by that and influenced by the home team in relation to that. And I saw that in our previous game here, and that’s my biggest concern that our players get protected.”

“No, quite the opposite [of having a home-field advantage, regarding the officiating], to be honest. You know, we played Portland here, and we committed six fouls; they committed 17 fouls, and we ended up with one yellow card each. And, you know, Camila [Martins Pereira] got some brutal treatment during the game and basically didn’t get protected. Alex [Morgan] as well. So, you know, the key thing and my concern, particularly the way we play, is that we get fouled an awful lot and eventually gets to the stage where referees stop giving fouls whereas, you know, we’re hoping they’re actually start giving yellow cards.”

“(jokingly) [Coaching-wise], the fact that they don’t listen to me, probably, was probably the main factor [in us climbing the table].”

“I think what we did—we always knew last year was going to be difficult. That last year was a year of kinda getting the organization up and running and trying to, you know, put a whole lot of things together over a very quick period of time, and that was on and off the field. We got disrupted significantly, and we knew we would with the Olympics last year, which hurt us, but I think that—probably the thing we’ve done best over the offseason is our recruiting. When we look at the players we’ve brought in—obviously, the club brought Marta [Vieria da Silva], which is huge. But when you look at Ali Krieger, Alanna Kennedy, Rachel Hill, Chi Ubogagu, Camila—I mean, those are—we got those five players in for virtually nothing, trading-wise. And every one of them has been a significant contributor to the team. So, I think that’s been probably the most significant thing that we’ve done, and, obviously, coming into the second year, everybody’s familiar with everybody. Players know how we work, and we are much more comfortable around and know [what to] expect from the players, etcetera. So, putting all those things together, it’s been—it’s helped us be successful this year.”

GK ASHLYN HARRIS: “Yeah, we’re really excited. I think no matter who we end up playing, we have to play the best to win. So, it’s gonna be a tough venue, and it’s gonna be probably a sold-out stadium, but I think the energy is gonna be really, really fun to be playing in front of. So, we’re all excited, and we’re up for the challenge, so we take off tomorrow.”

“The good thing about Portland is they like to play football and so do we. So I think it’s gonna be a really good match, and we—both teams match up well because you’re allowed to play your style of game, which is get the ball on the ground, move it and let really crafty players take over. So, it’s gonna be about defending and finishing. You know, probably won’t be many opportunities. They have a great back-line and same with us. And whoever puts their chances away are gonna come out with three points.”

“The thing is is [the turf’s] not gonna be such a factor because it’s such good turf. It’s not like a crap stadium or a crap pitch, so it’s not that big of a deal. I rather play on something like that than a really crappy field or a crappy stadium. Not everyone gets the luxury of playing in an Orlando City Stadium, so, yeah, we’re up for it. No matter what type of pitch, you know, we’re gonna be putting our best game out there to win this thing and come back and play at home.”

“I think Tom—the beauty of him is he’s consistent. You know, he stays true to his principles. He doesn’t—if things aren’t working, he’s not reaching for other ideas and throwing things up in the air. He’s consistent, and he had a plan, and we just had to stick to the plan, and we had to grind it out, and we had to believe. And we had to believe in him, and we had to believe in each other, and we had to believe in the mission. And that’s what we did. We were under pressure. We knew we had to win games, and here we are. Nine games later, an unbeaten streak. And that’s because we believe. That’s because we trusted each other even in the darkest times. But it doesn’t matter how you start. It matters how you finish, and we’re rolling right now.”

F CHIOMA UBOGAGU: “Yeah, I’m super excited. It’s good vibes all around, for sure, and try not to take it for granted ’cause, last year, I was with a team that, you know, unfortunately didn’t get to have this postseason success. So, definitely enjoying every bit of it.”

“I think they play—they try to play possession-style soccer. They have a lot of talent on the field, and they have talent coming off the bench, too. So, I think it’ll be a good matchup like we saw earlier this season, but I think if we keep doing what we’re doing and keep building off the moment, I think we can get a good result.”

“I think Tom’s just—he’s got a lot of experience with all that grey hair, and I think he just—he understands the game, and he sticks to his knowledge. So, all we said at the beginning of the season, we weren’t gonna allow the results, but he still wanted us to play possession-style soccer, and he knew we had the players to do it. So I think that gave us all confidence that he stuck to his plan and that we continue to stick to the plan and just trust the process, and it’s working out for us.”

“I’m blessed. I’ve played with a lot of great players, but something that’s special with this team—I think we all get along really well. It’s been good vibes all around, especially since we keep getting results. I think everyone has that desire, and I think we all kinda feel it. I think we all feel it that we can really get it done this year, and the fact that it’s in our amazing stadium just kinda adds more to that special feeling, so we’re looking forward to the weekend.”

“Yeah, [off-the-field time with teammates] is super helpful, and it’s something that’s really important. You can’t really—you can’t coach that. You can’t do extra drills to get that team chemistry, so it’s something that just kinda happened naturally, and it’s been really nice, and I’ve gotten a lot more great friends here, and, after the game, a few of us couldn’t sleep, just ’cause adrenaline’s high, and we were all talking ’til like 3 a.m., I think? So it was super nice. Just those, like, little things like that’s what I’m gonna remember from the season.”