CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

May 1, 2021

Raphael Wicky

Press Conference

New York Red Bulls 2, Chicago Fire 0

Q. We've seen this game play out for you guys a few times last season and now carrying into this season. What's the frustration level like for you guys to see this form continue?

RAPHAEL WICKY: It's always the same; that the team is, there the team is in the game, they stood up today, they fought the second balls and all the fighting, and then again out of nothing, you make a big mistake and it costs us the game. That's the frustrating thing, and we've got to change that as quick as possible. Otherwise we're going to talk about that the whole year.

Yeah, at the end of the day, it's just not good enough. It's just not good enough to make these mistakes every single game and we have to fix that. Otherwise you will never be rewarded and that's obviously a frustration today because, yeah, we want to reward ourselves for what we do. But that's the frustration.

Q. With the back line making a couple more mistakes today, is there a point where you just decide to mix things up a little bit just for the sake of it to see if a different combination might not make those same mistakes?

RAPHAEL WICKY: Look, I will see, but goals is not always the back line mistakes. Of course, today, yes, on the first goal, but it's not always only the back four. So we have to -- in certain key moments we have to be better as a team and we have to make better decisions as a team, and it's not always the big four.

But of course we are thinking for options. Of course we look in the week and who trains well; is there maybe something we have to try different; is there maybe another player who should get a shot.

Of course, we are always talking as a staff but I don't like when you say it's always the back line because it's not. You defend as a team and you attack as a team. So as a whole team, we need to do less mistakes. You take the first two games, the first two goals against New England, that wasn't only the back line. That was several mistakes; we did them as a whole team. So you cannot only blame the back line. Today with the first goal, yes, Johan was a big mistake and it cost us.

Q. Two changes you made today were bringing in Mauricio Pineda into the starting 11 and then moving Alvaro Medrán to the left. What was the thought process behind that and how do you assess how Alvaro, in particular, did playing out wide today?

RAPHAEL WICKY: Well, I wanted to have Mauri there. Mauri deserved it; he trained well to be there in, to give us a bit of stabilization, as well. He's a more defensive-minded midfielder there. I think he did his part and he had a lot of positives there with Mauri.

We, as of right now, we have a lot of wingers, players who can be out wide who are not there, who are hurt. We said, okay, let's see how Alvaro does there. I know Alvaro is not the future there, and we know that. He had moments where he was good in the game. But we also know that when you put Alvaro out, there you're not going to get the same as you're going to get from a real winger. That's how I see it.

Q. How are you today?

RAPHAEL WICKY: Well, disappointed after the game, of course.

Q. Yes, my question is, do you think the first half was different than the second one? And if you guys are going to be preparing this week for playing at noon, next game.

RAPHAEL WICKY: Yeah, I think the first half we were in the game. We didn't create many chances today, but we had a lot of moments where we controlled the game, where we played out well. We just lacked a little bit in the final third of more verticality I think, but we were in the game. They had a chance or two as well but that's football. So it's not that they out-played us; I think we were in there, and obviously we know what happened in the second half.

I didn't understand your second question.

Q. Yes, if the team is going to be preparing to play at noon, if it doesn't make any difference playing in the daytime or noontime?

RAPHAEL WICKY: Obviously for us we came in here yesterday, so it's always good if you don't have to fly in, fly out the same day. But again, this is not something we want to look for excuses. Last year, all the games were fly in, fly out the same day. For this game, we came yesterday, and yeah, I think it's the same for most of the teams.

We'll prepare how we have to prepare.

Q. Is you alluded to it a little bit in your previous answer about going forward today with the attack, and there wasn't much generated. What was the explanation for that, and how concerning is that, considering that in the past you guys have always consistently generated some sort of attack or pressure, at least since you've been with the club.

RAPHAEL WICKY: I'm not concerned about that. I know that with this team that we will create chances. I'm not concerned about that. I have full confidence that we will create chances in the future games.

Today I think there were different reasons. I have to watch the game again. Immediately right now after the game, I cannot really give such detailed answers.

But I'm not concerned about us creating chances. We need to fix the other side where we stop making easy mistakes and giving goals away out of nothing. That's what we need to change.