CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

July 19, 2020

C.J. Sapong

Gaston Gimenez

Press Conference

San Jose 2, Chicago 0

Q. For either one of you guys, just what's the takeaway from tonight's game? First three games of the season, I thought you guys were pretty solid, and tonight maybe not quite as much. So what's the takeaway and what's the lesson from tonight's match?

C.J. SAPONG: Yeah, I'll start. I think it's just that we are going to have to develop that mentality where if we can't really stick to our identity and play, you know, quality soccer that we are used to, we're going to have to learn to dig deep and grind it out.

Credit to San Jose. They are a team that likes to battle, and I'm not sure that we've had a game like that yet. So it a good lesson to learn and I think we'll take from it moving forward.

You'll have to translate for Gastón, by the way.

GASTÓN GIMÉNEZ: We leave here with the sensation and the knowledge that we fought hard, we kept going; we competed. That's very important for us. We knew that whoever scored the first goal was going to have the chance to win the game, and they did it. They are a hard time and they fought hard, but we have another opportunity to advance, and we're going into it knowing that we have to give everything.

Q. Could you talk a little about that chance you guys had in the first half? Beric sent a screaming ball into you, and I don't know if you were a half-second too early or too late, but you just didn't get there. What happened there? And if you guys had converted that, do you think this would have been a different game going forward?

C.J. SAPONG: Yeah, Beric played the ball in, and yeah, I think I was maybe a half-second too late. When it comes to these games, you know, with all the different factors, you've got to be on top of your game and be mentally tough and be mentally aware the every -- every moment.

And you know, that's a ball that maybe with ten games under my belt and a little bit more games with Robert, you know, I sense that coming earlier and I can get there.

You know, while obviously that would have been great to go ahead at that time of the game, I think you could see that throughout the game it was going to be a battle regardless.

So yeah, obviously want to have that one back, but got to look forward and try to work on the timing and hopefully next time be on point.

Q. What step forward did you guys take with this game knowing you were facing a different rival and that maybe the circumstances aren't ideal heading into these matches?

GASTÓN GIMÉNEZ: Our style of play, the way we play is thinking about only our group, and our group need games. We need rhythm. We need to play together a little bit more.

Yeah, we are leaving here with a bitter taste of having lost, but we are leaving here with the knowledge that we fought together. We worked hard together. We went in playing our style of working together and for each other.

So yeah, we leave here and it's a little bit bitter, but we know that we worked and we worked for each other and we worked together.

Q. I'm asking this because you're so far away, and it's hard to be able to talk to you. Mauricio mentioned that you were in his line of sight for the national team. Is that true? Are you ready? Is all the paperwork ready?

GASTÓN GIMÉNEZ: Yes, yes, I am ready. I'm aware and ready for the process. I've done all of the paperwork; that's all handled, and now I have to keep working hard, find my rhythm and find my game back and keep working so that hopefully I can be called in for the national team.