Sh’Nia Gordon: WFC CSKA is a perfect team for me

On Tuesday, August 10, in the WFC CSKA office a press conference devoted to the signing of American forward Sh’Nia Gordon was held. Sh’Nia spoke about her career, and also shared her expectations from playing for the Red and Blue side.

Sh’Nia, welcome to WFC CSKA. How do you feel after signing a contract with our club? And was it an easy decision for you?
“I’m very excited after signing my contract. Yes, it was an easy decision because CSKA Moscow is such a good club; it’s a big club and I’m excited to be here”.

What was the main important factor while signing the contract?
“The most important factor for me was to develop and get better, just being here with this club. It’s a huge club and I feel like I can develop in all aspects of my game, so I’m very excited”.

What are your first impressions about Russia, our club, our hospitality?
“Well, Russia is very big. This is the first thing I said when I came here. The city [of Moscow] is huge. I was very surprised and blown away by the professionalism of everyone I met. Everyone was nice and just professional. I was very blown away”.

How do you like our squad and the players you are going to play with?
“You know, I really like our roster. I haven’t met anyone except for the two foreigners [Nevena Damjanovic and Tijana Jankovic] but I watched a couple of games with the team. It’s a good team. It’s a hard team; they play hard, they fight – everything that I like”.

What are your expectations while playing in WFC CSKA and – mostly – your life in Russia?
“I really expect to just win games, win championships, win Champions League. That’s just something that I really was expecting coming here; just to win a championship and win a bunch of games. I think this is a perfect team for me”.

Next week our team is going to play the Champions League qualifying round. The schedule and the scheme of this tournament are really demanding this season. Your expectations about these games?
“We just need to win. That’s just the only thing that I can say about that. This will be my first time in the Champions League so I’m really excited to see how the team plays, how I play. So the main objective is just to win”.

What should we do to pass the qualifying round of the Champions League?
“Just fight harder than the other team. Obviously, all teams in the same group want to win. Everyone wants to continue in the Champions League. So the main objective is to want it more than another team; just to fight harder, play harder and come out with the win”.

What do you think about the Russian Women’s League and its level of competitiveness?
“It’s very competitive. From the couple of games that I’ve seen, I can say it’s very hard and reminds me American style. It’s tough and just really hard [to play here], that I think I’m used to and something that I like”.

In the two last seasons, you played in France in two different teams. How did you like French League?
“I liked playing in France. It’s a different style than America. I think, it’s a different style than here. When I was in France they taught me things that I didn’t know, so I’m very thankful for that”.

Before coming to France you played four years at home, in the USA. How did you like your NCAA experience?
“I loved that experience. I studied at the University of West Virginia, which was my college and I’m very thankful for them. I loved to play. I just loved playing soccer there and my experience was just amazing”.

What was the most shocking and unusual for you while adjusting to European football?
“Just thinking steps ahead. When I was in America it was sort of like who is faster, who is stronger. But in Europe, it’s more about who has a better tactical game, who can pass, who can think two steps ahead, two passes ahead. That’s something that I wasn’t used to but it’s something that I got better at. It made me a better player so that’s why I’m always thankful for France and the teams I’ve been on”.

What message would you like to leave to our fans?
“I just want to say thank you for the warm welcome. So far, I’ve got so many DMs and messages. Everyone welcomed me and I’m just so thankful for that. I’m so excited to play in front of you, guys. I’m so excited to wear the colors. I will do my best to help score goals and win games. Thank you!”