CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

August 21, 2021

Alvaro Medran

Press Conference

Orlando City 1, Chicago Fire 0

Q. How do you feel after being in the health and safety protocol?

ÁLVARO MEDRÁN: I feel good. There were a few days there that were a bit complicated and they felt a little bit long, but the team did a good job and they played well during that time. And I had a good time watching them play and win the way that they did.

And now, I'm ready. I'm back and I'm here to help in any way I can.

Q. Tonight I just talked to Miguel Navarro and he said that's one of your guy's best performances offensively and defensively, but you guys couldn't get a result. How frustrating is that, that you guys can play pretty well but still be undone by just one bad moment?

ÁLVARO MEDRÁN: I think that we can do better. I think that we have a team that can hold the ball and is ready and able and capable of having possession and keeping possession and moving the ball around. I think we have to be brave to have the ball and keep the ball, and we can -- I think sometimes maybe we put ourselves in those problems where we sometimes give the ball away or whatever.

But we have to have this personality that we keep moving forward. Sometimes during certain phases we do things really well. Today, for example, maybe it was a mistake from Mauri, but that happened because he was trying to do things the right way. He was trying to do things well and move the ball and move forward and move forward. So I think that that's something that we have to focus on and just keep doing it well and be brave and hold the ball and move forward and play our game. We can't just let ourselves fall back and keep trying to play the long ball.

Q. You guys changed the formation a little bit for the first time in a few weeks. What kind of impact do you think that had changing things up a little bit?

ÁLVARO MEDRÁN: No, we didn't change. I think during this time where we've been playing with five in the back, we played 5-4-1 some games and we played 5-3-2 some games. And I think if I remember correctly against Orlando, last time we played them the 5-4-1, the same as today.

So it's something that we do know how to play and we've been playing in that formation before. And I think that just whatever Coach says, we have to take it to heart. We have to play it with personality, have personality to take what he says and put it into action and keep fighting for the victory in any way we can.

Q. The stats on the road have been well-documented for a while. How much do you guys need to get a win just to get that off your back; that you can get some more confidence when you guys go on the road?

ÁLVARO MEDRÁN: We simply have to take it as if it hasn't happened. We have to play as if -- we know we struggle a little bit on the road but we just have to take it game by game and we have to take it with personality and bravery so that we can win on the road. Sometimes we see that, you know, fans come and they come to watch us play, and we just have to go out there. Sometimes we are alone.

But we have to take whatever Coach says and face it with bravery and with personality, and we have to do it without committing any errors, or committing as few errors as possible. Because sometimes we go out there and there's just a little bit, a little lack, and it's costing us goals.

So we just have to concentrate on going out there and putting into action what Coach tells us with personality and with bravery, because if it costs us a goal and we go down, it's more difficult. It's more difficult on the road to come back. FastScripts by ASAP Sports ...