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Kilgore, speaking to reporters ahead of
Tuesday's friendly with China, had a clear message for her squad
as they get set to turn the page on a year that included a
disappointing World Cup and the retirement of mainstays Megan
Rapinoe and Julie Ertz.
"It's showing who we are but also who we're becoming, said
Kilgore. "There's some really good stuff here. We have a very
strong history.
"This is a program that means so much to so many people and
really has been an example to the world in some ways about what
women's football can be and we don't want to lose any of that.
"And yet we are layering in new ideas, we are layering in new
tactics, we are layering in just a little bit of a shift in
mentality and I think it's both."
Kilgore replaced Vlatko Andonovski on an interim basis in August
when the latter stepped down after the national team produced
their worst-ever performance at a Women's World Cup, exiting in
the round of 16.
Long-time Chelsea manager Emma Hayes has since been named head
coach but will not officially start her new role until the end
of her current club's season in May.
Kilgore, who will stay on as an assistant coach on Hayes' staff,
said having fresh faces requires players to get a faster hold on
what the team's identity is within the group but added that the
ultimate goal remains the same.
"We have to acclimate them quicker and do so maybe not just
amongst a group of veterans but do so with a group that is new
which is a little bit different," said Kilgore.
"But I think it's the same thing it's always been. We want to be
on the front foot offensively and defensively, we want to be
dominant where we can be, we want to get better in possession
and we want to show that we believe that we can win under all
circumstances."
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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