Quote Sheet: MB 2-1 OC
Cardinale Stadium; Seaside, California
Friday, July 11, 2025
Head Coach Jordan Stewart
On the match:
“Obviously important to get back to winning ways, especially at home – a national TV game. I think in the first off we dominated, but then it was almost like when they got the red card they got energy and a determination to try to get a result. I won’t say we played scared at that point, but we were too standoffish. They gained momentum from that and sometimes in soccer with ten men, they’ve got nothing to lose, right? Then it almost feels like you’re hanging on to the game. So not the way we wanted to finish the game, but at the end of the day it’s three points.”
On the matchup with Orange County SC:
“They’re a physical team. We beat them twice before, so we knew going into this game it was going to be very demanding. Zubak is a big guy, Brewitt at the back, and on set pieces, they’re very good. We just knew all around we had to be on it. And I think in the first half, we showed a very good account of ourselves, especially up front with Anton [Søjberg] and Luke [Ivanovic]. Then when Mayele [Malango] picked up a little knock, Luke getting a bit of a cramp, and then obviously Nico [Gordon] – the subs came in to try and help, but sometimes you’re just trying to get the momentum back again. Overall the first half was very dominating, but the second half kind of fell off a bit. So it’s kind of food for thought. We need to make sure we get those aspects right for our tough game against Tulsa on the road.”
On the goals and the team’s response to conceding:
“You don’t want to concede that early in the second half, but Diego [Gutiérrez] came on and created an impact. He was aggressive in getting 1v1 actions. I don’t know if Diego was shooting or not, but he was towards the target and then Anton [Søjberg] made a great run and got a knick on it. So good for Anton to get back on the scoresheet and Diego with the assist. It shows that when guys are called upon they can make the difference.”
Defender Grant Robinson
On the match:
“We came out with a lot of energy. We had a lot on the line. We had a really good week and we knew that we needed to step it up, so I think that the overall performance just showed the heart and grit that we have to want to win, and we got it done.”
On Orange County:
“They’re a great team. We always compete with them back and forth. So it’s really good this year to beat them three times in a row. We’ll definitely take some pride in that and use that as a confidence boost.”
On his assist:
“I mean, at this point in the year, we’ve got so many reps that it was kind of just second nature. Mayele [Malango] laid it off and the defender pressed out really quickly, so he left me no choice but to whip it. The idea was to whip it as hard as I can behind the back line. Luckily, Luke [Ivanovic] was there and he made a good finish.”
