CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 2, 2020

Raphael Wicky

Press Conference

Cincinnati 0, Chicago 0

Q. So it seemed the team was a little bit slow to start today and had a noticeable energy boost once you made a few substitutions, particularly Elliot and Djordje. Was it a function of just a lot of games and guys needing some rotation or fatigue from travel or a combination or what was up with?

RAPHAEL WICKY: Yeah, you're right I think we started a bit slow. It's not an easy place to play here as you guys all know. No one really scores here much. No one really wins here. They are very tough to play in their 5-3-2, we knew that so we started a bit slow and then we actually had to fight into the game which was very, very positive and we actually fought ourselves into the game.

Yeah, look, we tried to find -- we tried to build the team. We tried to find some consistency. So we started with the same team besides with Bobby, which played in New York, but yeah, I felt some guys had a little bit of heavy legs which is normal after all these games and the stops came in very, very well. I'm very pleased with Johnny, Djordje, Elliot and also Wyatt, who came in very late in the game which is not easy. That's what we need.

We need guys who can come in, who can take the role of the teammate and the level doesn't drop. I think that's what we have seen today, they brought in good energy, positive energy ask that's what we need.

Q. I'm not sure if you've had a chance to look at it yet, but from what you saw on the sideline, the foul where Robert got head-butted and was bleeding, was that a penalty in your eyes?

RAPHAEL WICKY: I haven't seen it. From where I stood, I -- from where I stood, if it would have been -- I saw it was a penalty. If it would have been against us, I probably would have said no. I cannot judge obviously. I have to watch it. But with VAR, they checked it and we have to trust the referees and take the decision. From my view, I couldn't really tell it.

Q. Coach, I would like to ask you if you see any difference with the team plays on turf and when it plays on grass?

RAPHAEL WICKY: Yeah, of course we all know that it's a completely different game but we didn't train on turf. So maybe also that can be a reason why we started a bit slow. I don't know.

But it is a different game, yeah. If you play on grass, it's completely different football than when you play on turf. Everyone knows that. The ball, you have to be very precise. The ball bounces differently. Then this turf is quite an old turf so there is obviously the newer turfs are better, different, but it is what it is. We have to adapt and we have to play on turf. In Seattle we had to play on turf and in New England, that's what it is, there are stadiums like that. The guys adapted well after awhile and fought themselves into the game.