Preview: As Season Nears, Yallop Happy with Roster Progress
March 10, 2016 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Phoenix Rising FC News Release
Arizona United's last preseason match was very typical. Head coach Frank Yallop primarily started players he's confident will get plenty of minutes in 2016. After about an hour of playing time, nearly all of those players had been subbed out for trialist.
Nothing out of the ordinary.
Then Arizona United allowed four goals in the final 20 minutes and the team walked away with a 4-0 loss. Yallop wasn't pleased.
Following the match, he said, "If you look at it, we had 2-3 signed guys on the field (in the second half) and the rest are trialists. I found out a lot about them in those moments. Which is disappointing because they're wearing our uniform and our badge. But it wasn't a good display for those 20 minutes."
Yallop later went on to say that some performances made his job easier in terms of deciding who will ultimately make the team.
The difference between a safe spot on the roster, and a spot on the couch, calling for the next trial, can just be 20 minutes.
"I think from years of doing this, I understand the psyche of some players and how they're going to fit in with how want to do things here," said Yallop following a training session earlier this week. "My big thing is the chemistry right now. ... I'm looking at performances individually right now to make the team."
Yallop has said before that, in addition to skill on the pitch, he's also looking for players who come to the team with the right attitude and willingness to make the club and its fans proud. He echoed those sentiments again this week, adding, "They won't be here if they don't have that spirit."
As the preseason winds down, and more spots are taken up, Yallop is pleased with the roster he's built so far.
"They've been great," Yallop said. "I think the group of guys that we have right now, has been, really, a joy to work with. I feel we have a good camaraderie. All in all, I've been pleased with the spirit and I hope it continues."
He later added: "We're making sure they understand that every training session and every moment when they're working for us, matters. They're representing the city they live in. They're representing the state. And they're representing the badge, which is our team. I want to instill that in them and want them to be proud to play for us."
Scouting Report: Like Indy Eleven, USL-side OC Blues FC is in Casa Grande for preseason training. Today's match will be their sixth preseason match of 2016. The club comes in sporting a 1-3-1 record in its previous five matches. Their last match was on Tuesday, a 1-0 win over NASL side Indy Eleven.
Previous meetings: The clubs have met seven times in the last two seasons. Arizona United is 3-4-0.
United Soccer League Championship Stories from March 10, 2016
- Arizona United SC Play OC Blues FC to 0-0 Tie - Phoenix Rising FC
- Recapping Toronto FC II Preseason Part Two - Toronto FC II
- Swope Park Rangers Sign Three Academy Players - Sporting Kansas City II
- Spring into Savings with Discounts & New Ticket Packages - Penn FC
- Energy FC to Partner with Griffin Communications to Air Energy FC Soccer Matches this Season - OKC Energy FC
- Independence Signs Community-Focused Partnership with DICK's Sporting Goods - Charlotte Independence
- New Ownership Announced for Rochester Rhinos - Rochester Rhinos
- Preview: As Season Nears, Yallop Happy with Roster Progress - Phoenix Rising FC
- New York Red Bulls II Sign Aaron Long - New York Red Bulls II
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