Head Coach Mark Briggs
Head Coach Mark Briggs
On claiming a point last weekend against Orange County…
“It was very pleasing to go in front against Orange County, to take the lead, to get good momentum in the game and for Kharlton to get that goal that he’s been looking for for a while and get his confidence up. When you make substitutions, you want substitutes to impact the game. You want substitutes to make a play, come in, affect the game. It was a great ball by Hayden out to Shannon, Shannon lays it back and then Mitch and Nabi, two substitutes that came in. Mitch puts an unbelievable ball in the box and Nabi makes it his own, gets in front of his man, makes the diving header, scores a goal and we come back with a point, which is good because it’s a hard place to go and get anything.
On preparing for an Eastern Conference opponent…
You saw that momentum carry on through the week. It’s been a good week of training, good preparation for a hard test tomorrow against a team that we haven’t faced from another conference, against a style that we haven’t faced either. The boys are prepared. It’s been a good week. The atmosphere is good and we’re ready to go.”
On the momentum the team is creating…
“When you go through tough moments as a group like we have, you just have to get your head down and you have to grind. You have to trust what you’re doing, you have to believe in what you’re doing, and sooner or later, with the quality we have, the tide will turn. We’ve got to keep grinding, keep doing what we’re doing, and the tide will turn.”
On Mario Penagos’ development as an Academy product and his trust in his young players…
“He’s started straight games because he’s been the best player in that position. He’s affected games, he’s made plays, he’s getting more and more confidence. I’m extremely proud of him. I had him in the academy and we have him out here on the first team field. For you guys, for the fans, you’re starting to see glimpses of what Mario is capable of, and long may it continue.”
On claiming a point last weekend against Orange County…
“It was very pleasing to go in front against Orange County, to take the lead, to get good momentum in the game and for Kharlton to get that goal that he’s been looking for for a while and get his confidence up. When you make substitutions, you want substitutes to impact the game. You want substitutes to make a play, come in, affect the game. It was a great ball by Hayden out to Shannon, Shannon lays it back and then Mitch and Nabi, two substitutes that came in. Mitch puts an unbelievable ball in the box and Nabi makes it his own, gets in front of his man, makes the diving header, scores a goal and we come back with a point, which is good because it’s a hard place to go and get anything.
On preparing for an Eastern Conference opponent…
You saw that momentum carry on through the week. It’s been a good week of training, good preparation for a hard test tomorrow against a team that we haven’t faced from another conference, against a style that we haven’t faced either. The boys are prepared. It’s been a good week. The atmosphere is good and we’re ready to go.”
On the momentum the team is creating…
“When you go through tough moments as a group like we have, you just have to get your head down and you have to grind. You have to trust what you’re doing, you have to believe in what you’re doing, and sooner or later, with the quality we have, the tide will turn. We’ve got to keep grinding, keep doing what we’re doing, and the tide will turn.”
On Mario Penagos’ development as an Academy product and his trust in his young players…
“He’s started straight games because he’s been the best player in that position. He’s affected games, he’s made plays, he’s getting more and more confidence. I’m extremely proud of him. I had him in the academy and we have him out here on the first team field. For you guys, for the fans, you’re starting to see glimpses of what Mario is capable of, and long may it continue.”
Republic FC Mario Penagos
Republic FC Mario Penagos
On his starts at the No. 10 and its expectations…
“It feels really good. It’s always been my goal to start with the team and help the team get some wins. I feel like I’ve been working really hard. I’m excited to have this spot and I’m going to try to do my best to keep it.”
On his starts at the No. 10 and its expectations…
“It feels really good. It’s always been my goal to start with the team and help the team get some wins. I feel like I’ve been working really hard. I’m excited to have this spot and I’m going to try to do my best to keep it.”
On what the Academy has done for him and where it’s going after its MLS NEXT showing…
“I’ve played with a lot of those guys growing up. They’re all very talented and they all worked so hard to get there. I watched the live streams from them, and it was exciting to watch them. Everybody in our locker room was watching. It was really cool to see them.”
On being 19 years old and playing for a club that can build a roster from the local area…
“I’ve been here my whole life. Since I heard Republic FC was going to be a club, it was always what I wanted to be since growing up here. It feels amazing. I know a lot of people in the stands and it helps with my playing.”
On what the Academy has done for him and where it’s going after its MLS NEXT showing…
“I’ve played with a lot of those guys growing up. They’re all very talented and they all worked so hard to get there. I watched the live streams from them, and it was exciting to watch them. Everybody in our locker room was watching. It was really cool to see them.”
On being 19 years old and playing for a club that can build a roster from the local area…
“I’ve been here my whole life. Since I heard Republic FC was going to be a club, it was always what I wanted to be since growing up here. It feels amazing. I know a lot of people in the stands and it helps with my playing.”
Republic FC Kharlton Belmar
Republic FC Kharlton Belmar
On building on last week’s energy and finding the back of the net…
“Last week’s match was a good one. We showed a lot of fight in back-to-back weeks to grind out a result. The team worked hard. We’ve been working hard these past couple weeks to make sure we get back on the right foot and I think last weekend was another step in the right direction. I’m super excited to open up the account. It’s been a while since I had a goal from open play. It’s feeding the confidence for all of us and we’re looking forward to trying to get another three points this weekend.”
On seeing the breakthrough goals that change the complexity of the game…
“I think that’s a good place to start. It’s starting to turn into results from maybe losing a game down a goal to turning it around and getting a result in tough places to play. I think it’s trending in the right direction and right now we have to take it one step at a time. We’re starting to grind out those results, nicking points, and now we’re going to start trying to turn those into wins.”
On building on last week’s energy and finding the back of the net…
“Last week’s match was a good one. We showed a lot of fight in back-to-back weeks to grind out a result. The team worked hard. We’ve been working hard these past couple weeks to make sure we get back on the right foot and I think last weekend was another step in the right direction. I’m super excited to open up the account. It’s been a while since I had a goal from open play. It’s feeding the confidence for all of us and we’re looking forward to trying to get another three points this weekend.”
On seeing the breakthrough goals that change the complexity of the game…
“I think that’s a good place to start. It’s starting to turn into results from maybe losing a game down a goal to turning it around and getting a result in tough places to play. I think it’s trending in the right direction and right now we have to take it one step at a time. We’re starting to grind out those results, nicking points, and now we’re going to start trying to turn those into wins.”
