CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

May 12, 2021

Bobby Shuttleworth

Press Conference

Q. How is the team holding up, just the team's morale, the chemistry in the locker room? And can you remember a time in your career where you were on a team that was struggling, lost a few in a row and was able to turn it around and what happened to make that happen? What helped to make that happen?

BOBBY SHUTTLEWORTH: I think to answer your first question, I think there is frustration within our locker room because the results have not been good for us. I think if you spoke to any player, they recognize that and know that this has not been good enough from us. You know, we need to improve.

And that being said, I think, you know, every day at training we are trying to improve. We are talking the things over that we need to be talking about and looking at the videos and knowing the areas that we need to improve on and trying to improve those areas. So you know, we are hoping to move forward and kind of, you know, kick start our season here.

To answer your second question, yeah, I mean, I think even if I look back at the 2014 team that I was on that went to the final, we started the year very up and down. You know, started okay and then lost a bunch of games in a row and then turned that around and went to MLS Cup final. It's a 34-game season. We're four games in. We recognize so far it hasn't been good enough but also the fact that like I said, it's early. It's early doors still.

Q. You guys have conceded I think three goals on plays that originated with throw-ins. What is it about that passage of play in particular that things seem to break down for you guys?

BOBBY SHUTTLEWORTH: You know, I think it's a few things. The biggest thing is not taking a second off, we talk about it all the time, putting in 90-minute performances and that includes when the ball goes out for stoppages of play. You can't just put your head down and start to walk back or not communicate with each other or any of those things.

It needs to be 90 minutes of completely tuned in and certain things haven't been breaking our way, you know, this season, but also we need to, you know, make those things easier for ourselves by putting each other in good positions and communicating and doing all of those things.

Q. How much do you guys as a team need a good performance and decent result Thursday, not even thinking about the playoff race or anything, but how much do you need a good playoff for morale?

BOBBY SHUTTLEWORTH: Yeah, I think it's important. If we look at the New England performance was overall pretty good and there were good things in Atlanta. I think our last two performances have not been good enough.

Like you said, I think for us, it's putting in a good performance and starting to move in the right direction, and like I said earlier, being tuned in for 90 minutes and playing to our strengths and doing the things that we do well and trying to exploit the things that they don't do so well.

Q. Going back to the throw-ins question, what can be done? Is that something that just is more focused or is there some tactical issue that is letting the throw-ins turn into goals?

BOBBY SHUTTLEWORTH: I mean, I think it totally depends on the situation where the throw-in is, where the players are that are defending it and I think if you look at the three goals that we gave up, it's going to be three different answers. But I mean, there are basics, you know, it starts with -- and one of the basics is communicating to one another, telling guys to drop, telling guys to front other players.

If you look at the goal against Philadelphia this past weekend, it's communication where someone fronts the guy that is in the box and he's not able to lay it off, and it all kind of starts from this, force it to go backwards.

I think it's totally dependent, again, on the specific play but there are basics like I said, and I think the biggest one is starting with communication and guys being tuned in, even when the ball goes out for a throw-in.

Q. The second goal against Philadelphia came off a corner. As a goalkeeper, do you have a say in how the team sets up and marks or does that come from the coaching staff?

BOBBY SHUTTLEWORTH: A lot of it depends on what the coaching staff wants to do. It depends on if the coaching staff wants players input or wants to listen to things that the players speak about. You know, a lot of it, I mean, you can talk to 20 different people and they are going to give you 20 different answers on the best way to depend a corner kick. What it comes down to is mentality, being aggressive and attacking the ball and marking up in the box, and you know, those are the most important things that you need to do in order to not concede set pieces.