CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

August 18, 2021

Raphael Wicky

Press Conference

Inter Miami 3, Chicago 2

Q. What's the mood in the locker room right now and what's the level of disappointment with not getting a result out of that match?

RAPHAEL WICKY: Yeah, it's obviously big, when you get -- when you concede the loss in minute 90 plus three, or 90 and four, I don't know exactly what it was, but that's obviously very, very painful and that's how the mood is right now.

Yeah, that's I think -- that's okay for now, and then tomorrow we've got to get up and move on. Get up again.

Q. Obviously the result is disappointing but how did you feel about the way the team played today?

RAPHAEL WICKY: Yeah, I think it was a good game. I think we came back well after the 1-0. We had a few adjustments. I think the team actually did really well with the ball. We found some good gaps. We were controlling the game for 2-1 and I saw a lot of positives there.

But then at the end of the day we beat ourselves, we beat ourselves with the second goal which is too easy and the third goal, minute 93, we have the ball before the throw in. We have the ball; we could clear the ball. Those are little details where we have to make better decisions not to concede them and not to put ourselves into trouble and at least walk away with a point here.

Yeah, we have to learn from that, and I hope we learn from that because otherwise obviously things repeat.

Q. I asked Francisco a similar question with the quick turnaround, Orlando coming up in the next few days, how do you as the manager, the leader of this team, how do you prepare these guys not only physically but mentally given that it was such a disappointing result, but at the same time you guys do have to play another game and there's another opportunity to collect three points very, very shortly?

RAPHAEL WICKY: Yeah, first I give them a little time for themselves. I usually don't really talk after the game. I didn't do that today neither. We all fly back now to Orlando and then tomorrow we will meet and we will talk and we will then -- yeah, we'll then move on. We have to prepare again in two days.

There is -- or in three days, there is another game, another tough game like every game in this league but in a game where we know if we do things right and better, we are able to get points, and that's how we will prepare.

At the end of the day, it's not our mentality to put our heads down and to give up. It's a tough loss to be the and it hurts, and it's okay that it hurts but then tomorrow we have to move on.

Q. You guys have been kept in really good shape defensively and given up I think two goals in the last four games. What was Inter doing that was able to open you guys up a little bit and find some space that maybe had not been there for other opponents the last few games?

RAPHAEL WICKY: I have to watch the game again but I think they played -- they had made runs behind. They played a little direct sometimes. Even they tried to obviously combine. I think they stretched us a little bit with some of those runs. But I will have to watch the game again.

But in general, again, we give three goals away. I don't think we gave up that many chances. I think we were still quite stable and defended okay. It's just that the third goal is obviously, yeah, like I said, we had the ball before the throw in. We should clear that ball there. And the second ball is a long ball over the top where we don't track the runner, which is very easy and it nothing to do with the shape or the system. It's just we have to track it.

Q. Following up on the play with Gastón where he wasn't able to clear, how surprising is it to see that perfect him, one of your leader is most important players where he isn't able to clear the ball like that and it leads to a throw-in which led to the goal?

RAPHAEL WICKY: It's not more surprising from anyone else. Of course he is a very experienced player and these are the moments we have to learn. From we are on the road, minute 91, 92, there is a moment we can get the ball -- I have to watch the game if even there is a striker in front. But it is just those moments we have to make better situations, and whether with Gastón or another player.

Yeah, those are maybe the little things where we still -- we have now -- I think we are in a progression but we have to learn then also how to be smart way from home and say, okay, 91, 92, we are just walking away with a point here and maybe not trying to find the playing solution in those moments. But on the other side it's also a strength from a lot of our players that we actually try to play and look for playing solutions.

But yeah in this moment it was not the best decision.