It was a rainy night at Hudson Sports Complex when our players faced the team of Northeast Conference Spring Season Semi-Finalist, Mass United FC. After a defeat in our season opener the team around head coach Michael Holzer wanted to bounce back and did so in an outstanding manner. In the interview below, Holzer is praising the team performance, what made the difference to our first game in the UPSL and what the focus will be for the next game against the NH Bobcats.
Michael, how happy are you with the team performance?
It was a great performance from the start until the end. We had a lot of energy and sticked to the game plan. Great movement, combination play and work against the ball. I am also impressed by the players that got subbed in as the level didn’t drop.
Any particular individual players performances you want to point out?
We had to compensate 3 starters from last week with 3 new players and they really stood out. Vieux Mane controlled the middle, showed his class especially in the second half. Our defense around Willya Mekolo, Danilo Markovic, Josef Bujnak and Steven Valente had a great understanding with our goalkeepers Etan Mabourakh and Jack Carillo and worked really well together.
What has changed to the opening game from last week?
We were able to keep the level and intensity up in the second half compared to last week. We’ve added some more quality in the squad that gives us more depth. We also finished most of our chances which reflected the score line this week as last week we had the same but couldn’t score more.
Was this the best you saw the team playing so far in any game?
Yes. That was the best game from the start until the end. Really impressive day at HSC.
What can we expect moving forward? The team set themselves a huge benchmark by beating last years Northeast Conference Semi-Finalist 5-0. Is there still room for improvement?
Yes. We had some very good players missing yesterday. We want to always focus on the next game and try to play attractive soccer to get the result. We will think game by game and see at the end of the season what is possible.
What do you expect from our next game against NH Bobcats?
We still have to wait for time and location as they haven't been announced yet. We’ll have some players missing again. This will give other players a chance to shine.
How is the team preparing? What are the topics this week you want to focus on?
We will focus on keeping the intensity high. We were able to run for 90 minutes and being fit is very important in this level. I have an amazing coaching staff with Adam and Todd that do a fantastic job.
At the end of the interview Michael Holzer once again praised the involvement of our fans!
All in all, it was fantastic to see so many fans at HSC in the rain. The support was fantastic. I believe that we can build something really special with the community of Warwick going forward.
Our next home game is on September 28, 2019 at Hudson Sports Complex. The team is facing Krajisnik FC. Kick-off is 6pm. Order TICKETS now.