Above: Sydney FC huddle. Image: Sydney FC.
By Genevieve Henry (20/4/24).
After a two week hiatus following a rough pair of games, Sydney FC are back in action this weekend against the Central Coast Mariners in the first leg of the semi final in the A-League Women. American defender Jordan Thompson spoke to the media of her excitement going into her first finals series.
Although the absolute whooping by Melbourne Victory to cement their loss of the Premiership was not what anyone at Sydney would have wanted, that wounded mentality could give them an edge over their opponents. That, alongside Sydney’s incredible finals experience and record, make them tentative favourites over the newly returned Mariners. Thomson spoke of this history, saying, “Sydney comes from a very long history of being in finals and to be a part of that is super exciting and to still have a Grand Final to play for is even better. I’m excited about the home and away series, so we get a chance to play away and then to play in front of our fans.”
“Dropping the fourth Premiership was obviously a total blow and it was really hard and super upsetting. Knowing that we weren’t at our best on either of those days where we could have won it, that definitely is going to carry us into that finals series, knowing what that feels like and not wanting to feel it again.”
“Ante (Juric) does a really good job of giving us the space to be upset and to grieve, but then knowing that we are still in a position to play for the Grand Final, knowing that we still have something to play for. We’re not dwelling on it too much, but dwelling in a productive way, looking at film, having conversations amongst ourselves, having conversations with (Juric), and once we have all that figured out, putting it aside and focusing on the task at hand.”
While a break could sometimes mean a loss of momentum, Sydney needed the time to regroup. “The break was good for us, it gave us a chance to reset and really hone in on what we need to do going into these next couple of games in the finals series, to fix what we weren’t strong at in the Victory game and in the Canberra game. It makes everyone even more hungry to play and more hungry to get a result.” She continued, “the target going into any of these games is just to win. We want to show up. We want to play like Sydney FC. We want to play how we know we can play when we’re at our best.”
When asked about their opponents, a side in blazing form, Thompson said, “Central Coast is super strong. They’re really, really good. What they’ve been able to do in the last month, the whole season for that matter, but especially in the last month or two, has been amazing. Their pressure is relentless, we’ve been trying to mimic that in training and trying to get our mentality right knowing that it’s going to be an all-out battle.”
Now that they are in the finals series, one thing Sydney will want to avoid is the penalty-saving prowess of Mariners shot-stopper Casey Dumont. Thomson spoke of Sydney’s aim to not even reach that stage, saying, “you always want to win in regulation time. Anything you can do to decrease the minutes on your legs and to avoid going to a penalty shootout, especially when you have a keeper like (Dumont) who makes massive saves and is also able to put them away on the other side. Doing everything we can to get the result in regulation is obviously the goal.”
When the two sides faced each other during the regular season, the result did not go Sydney’s way. With the 0-0 draw and the drama-packed 2-1 loss to the Mariners, Sydney will want some revenge. “No game in this league is an easy game, especially when you’re going up against an opponent who we tied them the first time and we lost to them in the 98th minute the last time. They are relentless for all 90 minutes, all 100 minutes, all 120; whatever we play them.” She said, but emphasised the fact that they weren’t dwelling on these results, only looking ahead.
Coming up against a strong Mariners frontline with the likes of Wurigumula and Kyah Simon, Thompson explained the importance of not getting hung up on that. “They have an amazing frontline, an amazing attack, and honestly, an amazing defence, so they’re just a well-rounded team. I try not to focus too much on one player, because I get in my head, so I just focus on what I need to do myself. We’re mostly just focusing on the bigger picture, but keeping in mind that those players are really good, so we have to be on our A-game and bring it all.”
Thompson, who was signed as an injury replacement for Nat Tobin at the beginning of the season has been an excellent acquisition for the Sky Blues. She has impressed greatly during her time in Australia, saying of her time, “I’ve absolutely loved playing in this league, have loved playing for Sydney, have loved being in Sydney and in Australia itself. Just seeing the quality of players in this league has been really fun. Every game and every practice I’m challenged to be my best, so I’m really looking forward to the finals series.” Thompson said, continuing, “I’ve never been in a professional cup final, so this is super exciting for me.”
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