Before the two top matches between Lyon and Paris, it was an opportunity to talk with Ashley Lawrence. Great events, she knows, she who has lived a World Cup at home in Canada and win bronze at the last Olympic Games in Brazil. Reconverted into the side, she has become one of the most feared hallway players on the planet. A capacity for adaptation that finds its point of departure in a mental work of every moment ...


Soccer Hearts - You played the first of your three matches on Saturday against Lyon, which is currently considered the "best team in the world" for clubs. How did it work for you on the ground?


Ashley Lawrence - I thought it was a good thing to have the opportunity to play a game with them before the final of the Coupe de France and the final of the Champions League. There are not many teams that have this chance, and especially to be able to play at a date as close to other matches. So, first and foremost, it was the opportunity for us to play and see what they had to show and for us how to make an impact on them and in the game.


So it was also important to have this video session afterwards, yesterday and today, we watched it with the whole team, to identify the margins of progressions but also our strengths, how we can exploit them and get the victory . After, on the match itself, we wanted to win, [lose] 3-0 it's not something we wanted, but we know that for us it was an opportunity to learn and go from forward to turn to these last two games that we have [in front of us].

"It would not make sense to provide all this work
and not win titles at the end of the season "


CDF - In France, the Lyon-PSG matches go with a certain rivalry between the two teams. How do you tell your teammates and how this history feeds the preparation of the next two matches?


AL - There is very clearly a history between the two teams, and I think it's important to recognize it, but it's also about now, the present moment what we can control and in recent years, the two teams have changed both the players, the staff and with many adjustments.


Now we have to focus on the current Lyon team and even more on ourselves, our strengths. We can not worry in a disproportionate way of all the players who will present themselves [in front of us]. Of course, we need to identify what we are able to neutralize, but we have to look at what we can bring to the field and present the best team possible.


And that's what has been at the heart of the exchanges, the conversations because there are two great titles at stake, and that's the seriousness every day, we do not take anything for granted. We have provided a lot of work so far, you have got us all season long. But that's why we play, and it would not make sense to provide all this work and not win titles at the end of the season. So we know it's very important, we are aware of the past, but we are focused on the present day and the last two games.


"They will just wear Canadian jerseys
And may the best win "


CDF - In the United States, we have seen a lot of pride around the presence of Alex Morgan and Carli Lloyd in the Champions League semifinal. What return do you have from Canada with yourself but also Kadeisha Buchanan who will also be in the final on the side of Lyon?


A.L - They were pretty good. As far as I'm concerned, it's positive to see the development of women's football, and see players like Alex Morgan and Carli Lloyd playing in Europe, big names. This shows the development of championships around the world. It's exciting, it's an exciting time when you're a football player. In terms of the encouragement and feedback I have received from Canada, it has been great, very nice, especially the shared story we share with Kadeisha.


The fact that we have been playing together since we were ten years old, and we have almost always been in the same team throughout our career. So yes, we see a lot of support, friends and family talk about the match coming up. They say they do not know which team they are going to support (laughs) They will just wear Canada jerseys and the best one wins. There are a lot of things like that, but the support has been great for Canada.


CDF - Have you had the opportunity to watch one of the previous Champions League finals?


A.L - Yes, I watched the last final [Lyon-Wolfsburg] live stream on the internet, I remember seeing the game. It was very It's nice, already to see. At that time, I already knew that I wanted to become a professional player even if I did not know where I would play. But Europe had always been in the good of my heart, so to be here and play in the final, I am very enthusiastic, honored and grateful. It's also a great opportunity for PSG."That feeling of being challenged every day"


CDF - To talk about another aspect, we wanted to discuss with you Ashley about your game and in particular your positioning in the field. Today you play side, while recently you played in midfield. Can you tell us about this evolution?


A.L - First of all, I have always been an offensive, attacking or midfield player and it has always been my desire to be involved. Two or three years ago, the team from Canada offered me this idea of ​​playing backside and of course I was a little disconcerted at first, scared because it's a new position.


I did not know what to expect but I worked very well with the coach, John Herdman, who trusted me and worked with me, both defensively and offensively, and slowly but surely I could feel more comfortable I think playing in the midfield helped me a lot to build myself as a footballer, in my game both mentally and physically.


Now that I'm playing back, left, right, I think it allows me to play along the line on the width but I can also go inside to add another dimension. And yes defensively, this was partly a challenge, but I got to work and now I'm more comfortable.


Here for example, we play mainly in 3-5-2, it's a training I'm not used to, I know better 4-3-3. It does not sound like an important change, but it is. So I feel like I'm being challenged every day, and I'm ready to take them on because I know it's what you have to do to move forward, prove yourself, and grow as a player.


CDF - The 3-5-2 is more ground to cover on the sides, but at the same time it allows you to keep this offensive side of which you speak?


A.L - Yes 3-5-2, it keeps the best on both sides, it's a lot of work but I welcome it with open arms because I love this training.


CDF - Another aspect of your game is your ability to play both feet. Is it a quality you have always had or did you do a particular job in your younger years?



AL - When I was young, I remember that in my team we had worked a lot on the technical aspects I remember that we had done a juggling contest, I was nine years old at the time and I used systematically my right foot, and I was very good, probably the best.But every time I used my left foot, the ball bounced off the ground. In fact, it was my brother who at the time had stressed the importance of my left foot and initially I had difficulty to measure the importance. But gradually, I trained and I gained more ease and I can now clearly stressed the importance of using both feet.


At this level, it makes a difference. For the defenders, they do not know which side you are going to play, and for an attacker it adds an element of surprise, so it was something that I had to develop over the years. But it's something that I want to put forward for all players to move forward and progress.


"It may seem like something insignificant
but it's a big change for me "


CDF - Coming here to France, you have experienced a double change. First change continent, but also become professional. Can you tell us about your adaptation in recent months here in France in Paris?


A.L - It's a real change, for a lot of reasons. To be in France in a new country, there is language and I think also people, the culture is very different compared to North America. I think I was a little naive about the extent of the adaptation but it's very nice to be here and learn about another culture.


CDF - Can you give us an example?


A.L - I think in North America we are more direct in our communication. Here, I have seen that when a person wants to say something, they do not necessarily say it. It may seem like a trivial or insignificant thing, but it's a big change for me because I'm used to a certain way of talking to people, my teammates, but I've learned how to adapt and I'm learning to do it with different people, and it's not a question of good or bad, it's just the way things are between different parts of the world. So it's positive from that point of view.


On being in a professional setting, it's different, it's something you can not really explain, you have to live it to understand it, but it's great to be able to play and to be able to concentrate and focus my efforts on my game. I know I'm still young, but I still have a lot of progress to make and it's a very good start for my professional career [to be] with PSG.


CDF - And you have time for other activities, where is it for football?


AL - No, I think that at the beginning it was mainly to concentrate on my program, to put myself in a process that helps me to find myself in a state of mind that allows me to train well and to to play. It took a little while. But now, I've adapted well, I know my program, and I'm able to do other things like reading, I love reading books about business and investing. I love to learn things about the mind, psychology, I studied this at school [especially at the university ed]. So there are many areas in which I would like to advance, even outside of football.CDF - A few years ago, you said that your "ultimate dream" in football was to become a professional footballer. Is there an extra step to extend the pursuit of this dream?


A.L - Yes. I'm never satisfied. Every day, I wanted to become a professional footballer, and I want to become better every day to go to those areas that are not my strengths and I want to become better. I think that another important thing is to understand my role, it's beyond football and I play a role model for young girls who want to become footballers themselves or anything which they can dream in their life. And I think I may be an example to show that it's possible, and I want to use that springboard to encourage and assemble them that they can do it.


"Rituals, a routine that allows you
to play at your optimal level. "


CDF - To return to your studies that you mentioned earlier. We could see that you had graduated in Sports and Exercise Psychology. According to what we have read, this "Psychology of Exercise" is in particular the fact of being able to "use the principles of psychology to achieve optimal mental balance and improve performance". With that, you have to be one step ahead of the other players?


A.L - Yes, it's a part. Having the opportunity to study is great to acquire this knowledge and to have information on the mental aspect because for me if you are not mentally prepared, you will never be physically ready but it is more important to apply this in real life, in your work, your career.


And to be able to play with Canada's national team, to be in this environment and to experiment with some of these concepts and theories, that makes all the difference. Everyone is different and what can work for me, may not work for someone else, we all have different personalities, different emotions and it's important to discern what works for you.


As training and games approach, you must have rituals, a routine that allows you to play at your optimal level. It may be talking to a family member, listening to music, anything that makes you feel good, but it's important to define what it is because at the end of the day you must be mentally ready.


In the game, you can hit, make passes, train on all these elements but in the match, it is at that moment that there is pressure. You have to answer the challenge and it starts in your head.


CDF - You mentioned music, I read that it was one of the ways you use to motivate yourself before a game. Did coming to France allow you to add new styles to your playlist?


A.L - I have never locked myself into one kind of music. I think it really depends on the mood and how I feel. Coming to France, I clearly added French music, I do not really know the names but they are songs that are part of the best hits of the moment.


I love French music, it's different, it's very nice and a lot of players made me discover and I'm very happy. And yes, I think it's very important to have that in its panoply. But for me, I also like watching motivational videos, listening to podcasts and once again continuously feeding my mind with positive ideas and believing that I can make it happen.