CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

July 21, 2021

Gaston Gimenez

Press Conference

Chicago Fire 2, D.C. United 2

Q. Gastón, while you were gone at the Copa America, the system for the team changed a bit, the back three, Alvaro dropping deeper. What's it been like adjusting to a team when you've come back in and the tactics have changed a lot since when you left?

GASTÓN GIMÉNEZ: Well, yeah, the team changed tactically, but Rapha and the assistant coaches have done a great job explaining everything and made it really clear what the changes were going to be, and so they worked well with us and we were able to adapt quickly, and we had to actually play this way in Orlando last year at the tournament.

So we had already trained in this formation and it made it easier for us to adapt to the tactical changes more quickly.

Q. Great goal tonight. I believe it's injure first goal as a Chicago Fire player, so I'm wondering first how that feels for you personally and then I'm also interested, did you mean to hit the ball where you hit it? Because not only did you hit it with such power, but if you meant to hit it where you hit it, you also hit it with pinpoint accuracy, too, as a great header. Curious as to sort of the mechanics behind that shot.

GASTÓN GIMÉNEZ: I'm very happy to score my first goal in MLS. Yes, I was looking for that spot. When I saw Boki, or Sekulic, get the ball and aim and get ready to pass it, I was trying to anticipate the defender, and so I was trying to shoot it there, trying to send the ball there.

I'm happy on a personal level for having scored the goal but I'm sad because of the result. It's another game where we should have come out with a victory, and then ten minutes in the game, we didn't close it out properly.

So it's another thing on which we have to improve. It's another thing we can grow on. But it's over and it's done with, and now we have a couple days to come back and get ready for a rematch here at home.

Q. After such a rough game in Nashville, you came here and pretty much had the game in bag but we know in football, the 2-0 score line is very tricky? How do you feel knowing you have another game coming up soon?

GASTÓN GIMÉNEZ: Yeah, that's the way the results go. We know that in football, a difference of two goals is really nothing because you score one goal and you're back in the game, and, well, what happened out there.

So it was tough because we had been playing a great game until that moment. We were at home and we were ahead and doing well and it's something we really shouldn't have let happen. But as I mentioned before, it's over, and happened, and now we have another game coming up. We can't lose, so we have to prepare ourselves to win at home here in a couple days.