March 6, 2023 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Monterey Bay FC News Release
SEASIDE, Calif. – Monterey Bay Football Club (Monterey Bay F.C.) held its annual Media Day last week. A Proud Partner of the Club, Monterey Marriott, hosted the occasion at its downtown location. The Union have worn the white tops from last season in every preseason matches thus far, so while it was the first time in 2023 for returning players, it was the new players’ first-ever time donning both the primary Kelp kits and secondary white kits in full. Thousands of photos and videos preceded questions from the media about the Club’s mindset heading into its sophomore season – and a clear theme emerged among the team’s leaders: unfinished business.
Defenders Morey Doner and Hugh Roberts
On the potential for this team in 2023:
Roberts: “Honestly we have a sour taste in our mouths from last year. We felt that we should have been a playoff team. We were unfortunate to not be in there after the last couple of games of the season. We felt like we were right there so we are itching to get back going. With our core group of guys back, we’re aiming for a top four finish in the conference. We are desperate to bring a home playoff game to Seaside. That’s one of our biggest goals and we know we can do that with our defense especially, but also with our core of attacking guys. Everyone is coming through, continuing to gel, and we’re all on the same page. There’s unfinished business. We have high expectations.
Doner: “The main thing for us will be consistency. Last year we were too fluctuating, we were always up and down. Obviously the first part of the season we were only on the road, but for me personally, one of my favorite quotes that I love to live my career and my life by is ‘keep your highs low and lows high.’ So if bad things happen, don’t get too low, but if good things happen don’t get too high. We need to stay level headed. I just want the group to be focused every week. We have goals on the board for a reason – these are the things that we are looking at to get the best out of each other. Come October, we should be where we want to be hopefully.”
On the goals for the defense:
Roberts: “We have high expectations for ourselves. We finished the season on a decent note, but we know we can carry that on for a full season. Realistically our goal is to be top five, maybe top four in the entire league. We want to be one of the top team’s in terms of shutouts and goals against…