CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

August 1, 2021

Raphael Wicky

Press Conference

Philadelphia Union 1, Chicago Fire FC 1

Q. What you were your thoughts on the way your guys stuck with it after the red card and how they were able it grind out a result?

RAPHAEL WICKY: Yeah, great compliment obviously on everyone in the team and it was a great effort. I think we all know how tough it is to play here. We all know how tough Philly is to play, very physical, very vertical.

So yeah, great credit to the team, great effort, and I'm proud of what they have done because it's not easy, the situation where we are where last week the results didn't come and then you're coming here and you're winning 1-0. And then you go down and immediately concede the draw, the 1-1, so great reaction, and that's something I think everyone showed a lot of character.

Q. I'm sure I've watched it more times than you have at this point but what did you think of the red card specifically?

RAPHAEL WICKY: I have seen it once. Look, I cannot say much. I mean, look, we have VAR. We have VAR. If they review it on VAR with slow motion with a lot of people, and they think it's a red card, I mean, you can trust them that it's a red card. But it's very, very, very soft, and yeah, I mean, it is what it is. I have seen it once. I didn't see on the slow motion, so I didn't see what they saw, but apparently Wyatt hit his knee or something.

Q. Did any of the referees give any of you guys an explanation of what they saw on the red card? Was there communication between the referees? What were they telling you?

RAPHAEL WICKY: I mean, I wasn't in communication with the referees. I asked the Fors. Fors told me that Wyatt was touching his knee or was touching the player. So, yeah, that was it.

Q. First I just want to ask how you're doing with everything personally and family-wise, how is everything going with that?

RAPHAEL WICKY: Thank you, yeah, no changes. We're hanging in there. We're praying and hoping that my dad will get better but so far there is no changes. He's still in a very, very critical situation. He's still fighting for his life and that's how the situation is.

We hang in there and we support as a family as much as we can, and each other, and obviously my dad. That's what the situation is. Obviously as long as the hospital people are doing a great job and not giving up, we are not giving up as a family.

Q. My thoughts are with you and your family. The struggles away from home have been well-documented, and I'm sure you're aware of them. First away point of the season, obviously a very important point against a team that's in the playoff spot in the conference. Does this point get the monkey off your back, so to speak, and how important is that point in developing confidence away from home, and with the vast majority of your remaining games away from Soldier Field away this season?

RAPHAEL WICKY: Yeah, it's an important point. Every point away is always a good point, and today especially playing for so many minutes down against a strong team, I think that's something that can build; and that shows that the team is alive and the team fights and works together and that's very good now.

Yeah, look, we obviously are going into every away game with the mindset that we want to play like we play at home, and when we win we go and win, we are going for the three points. We never going into a game saying we are going for a point.

So we are going -- in that year, I don't know how many games I have now as a coach, something 30 or almost 40, but we haven't won. But wee were last year, as well, we had points and we were close.

We're going to get there. We have to go away and go with the same mindset and fight somehow get a win. I am convinced that we will do that. I know by the end of the season, we have a lot of away games, but I believe that if we play and fight together and if we manage our games a little bit better, sometimes then we can get three points on the road for sure.