CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

August 20, 2020

Raphael Wicky

Press Conference

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Q. Columbus 3, Chicago 0.

Q. Was tonight's game maybe a lesson for a team about what it takes to play against one of the best teams in the League and maybe even the best team in the League.

RAPHAEL WICKY: I don't know if it's a lesson. Personally I don't think it's a 3-0 game. I think we struggled in the first 15 minutes. It took us a while to come into the game. I feel the team actually stepped up, created chances, created good moments, very good moments.

The lesson is, and again, it's the same what we spoke about in Orlando. The last thing is that we need to be better in finishing our chances because we create chances, every single game we create chances. We need to be better in finishing them and then it's too easy, the 1-0 is clearly too easy. It's one long ball and there is a goal. That cannot happen. It's very too easy.

So if on both ends of the field, we are not 100 percent, then it will be difficult. I think we put this team, which is one of the best of the league under a lot of pressure. We put them into danger. There were a lot of stretches in my eyes where we played really well, but then the lesson was that they were very clinical and we were not.

Q. You mentioned needing to be better on both ends of the pitch. You've now been outscored 7-0 in your last three games. What is it going to take for you guys to sort of fix the defensive lapses goal side, and on the attacking end, being able to score?

RAPHAEL WICKY: Yeah, look, the first thing is we're going to keep working on what we're doing, not doubting what we're doing. Everyone has to step up and do 10, 15, percent more on both ends of the field, being more focused, more concentrated and not giving in certain moments them time.

Like today, the 1-0 is just too easy, tactical error, which we cannot do. I think everyone has to keep doing and keep believing in what we do, and then just do that little extra and especially not doubting.

Q. Speaking of the 1-0, what went wrong? Was that Frankie's job to track that runner?

RAPHAEL WICKY: It was a free kick. I think it was a free kick, the 1-0, and Frankie takes automatically this position, basically like a right back. Sekulic was nest to him. So when he goes and takes his position, he needs to do the job. He cannot start a job and not finish a job. That's pretty simple. I don't think it's anything to do with Calvo in that moment. It was the right side, our right side with Frankie and Sekulic, and it's just too easy. Those are two very experienced players.

Yeah, spoke to them. They have to do better. This is too easy.

Q. You guys travel today if I'm not mistaken, so how did that go, and I guess did you feel like it had any sort of effect either way on the team, because I know this is pretty unprecedented for teams to travel on the same day of games?

RAPHAEL WICKY: The travel went fine. All easy. All really good. The question, you'd better have to ask the players who will be here after. I cannot tell you if it affected them.

I don't think that it's anything to do with traveling today. Travel was easy. We had a charter flight. We had time to rest. It took us a little bit to get into the game, but I don't think it has anything to do with traveling. It's more that we haven't played for four weeks again, but after 15 minutes, like I said, we stepped up and we had very good moments.

So I think you've got to ask this question then to the players.