Prior to the Chicago Red Stars’ match against Racing Louisville FC, Danielle Colaprico and Head Coach Chris Petrucelli met with members of the media. The Red Stars line up with Racing Louisville for the second and final time this season, with Louisville previously falling 2-1 on April 30 during the Red Stars’ regular season home opener at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, IL.
On the team mood following the last few weeks (from Larry Hawley)
Danielle Colaprico: Yeah, I feel that, at least all my years in the Red Stars, we’ve always had our ups and downs, and I think that the past few games, we’ve been on a bit of a down. But I think that it’s in our DNA at the Red Stars to bounce back and that’s what we’ve talked about this week. I think we’re excited to get out there tomorrow and turn this boat around. We’re obviously disappointed with our result last week, you know we don’t want to lose 4-0, but at the end of the day, we’re excited for tomorrow and excited to get back on the field.
Chris Petrucelli: Yeah, obviously the mood around the team hasn’t changed much. I think the vibe is pretty good and has been good, for sure. We certainly don’t have a team that is feeling sorry for themselves at the moment.
On dealing with injuries this season (from Larry Hawley)
Petrucelli: It’s been difficult, for sure. You can look at our injury list and it’s a pretty good team that isn’t playing. But from the beginning, we’ve said we’re going to face some adversity, we’re going to have injuries, we’re going to have people out. I think we’ve tried to focus on who we have as opposed to who we don’t have and support the players who have had to step up and take over in different positions. So, I think the team has handled it pretty well.
Colaprico: Yeah, I agree with what Chris [Petrucelli] had to say. I feel like I’m personally really proud of all the players that are young and rookies and even one or two years into the league. They have taken on huge roles for us and I think they’ve stepped into those roles with confidence. They’re excited to be out there, and anything they can do to help the team, they get out there and do. That’s been great for us this year. Obviously, it’s unfortunate, missing so many starters, but at the end of the day, we have what we have, and like Chris said, that’s what our focus is on. I think that if you looked at us a few months back, we’ve grown a lot, especially with those players, so it’s been great to see that come to form.
On keeping up with the league standings (from Larry Hawley)
Petrucelli: I mean, it smacks you in the face, so you can’t look the other way. I think we all know where we stand. We’ve made the point, from the beginning, to continue to look in front of us and not look behind us. As I told the team yesterday, we’re only five points out of first place. We’re not out of this thing. We could win the whole thing, you know, the shield. We’re that close. So, I think we’re choosing to look forward, instead of looking behind us.
Colaprico: I’d agree. I think that at this point, we control our own destiny. If we want to be at the top of the table, we put our heads down, go to work, and win some games. It’s not a bad position to be in. We’re not out of this thing, we’re in a great spot, and we can go on and win this thing.
On Colaprico’s thoughts about not being included on the USWNT roster (from Hernan Espinoza Jr.)
Colaprico: I think it’s always hard to break into the US National team, and I think my focus this year is to be controlling everything I can control, getting back to playing my best soccer. I’ve felt good this year, and I haven’t felt like myself in a long time, so it’s nice to be going through a season without nagging injuries and playing well. I’m just excited to be back out there with the Red Stars, and my main focus this year is winning the Shield with my team. I don’t really focus on the national team, I used to do that when I was younger, but it’s a lot easier on me when I just focus on club and winning what I can.