CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 9, 2021

Federico Navarro

Press Conference

Q. Just early on, what are your impressions of training with the team? And what do you think of your new teammates?

FEDERICO NAVARRO: Hi. Good afternoon. It's a pleasure. Well, the reality is that everyone received me very well. I'm really happy. I'm really happy to be able to be with the full team again and to be out there training.

Really, it's another level from what I was used to. And I'm just getting used to -- it makes me really happy because it's another level. And that's what I was expecting.

Q. You are going to be the first Chicago Fire player to wear Number 31 since a very famous player retired Bastian Schweinsteiger. Tell me why you chose Number 31 and what is means for you to wear that number here.

FEDERICO NAVARRO: Thank you. It's also a pleasure. The truth is, I didn't know that they had retired that jersey for Bastian. But now that I know and that I'm able to wear it, really, it really is a great honor because he's a player who won everything. And he's a player who one aspires to be like.

The truth is, I chose that number because that's the shirt number I used when I made my debut. I used that number when I debuted professionally.

Q. There are several players from Argentina, both in MLS and a couple of your teammates here in Chicago are also from Argentina. Did you speak with any of those guys from your country before coming? And, if so, what did they say about the league and the city and things like that?

FEDERICO NAVARRO: So I was lucky enough to have two teammates here who are from Argentina. And I think it's going to be really helpful for me. They're going to help me a ton in adapting to the league and to the city.

And there are a lot of other Argentine players in MLS. I was able to speak with some of them. And, really, what they've told me I've seen to be true, that it's a different lifestyle, a different culture and that the league itself is growing so much and it's now one of the best in the world.

Q. So what about your game do you think is well suited to the Fire and to MLS in particular? I know that there are a few players from Talleres who have come over to MLS recently, including Tomás Pochettino down from my neck of the woods here in Austin.

FEDERICO NAVARRO: I think that I'm here to provide a lot. I think my characteristics are more offensive minded. I bring a lot of dynamic movement. And I think that that fits the league very well.

I think that what I bring is also a bit of balance and equilibrium, and I can cover a lot of spaces.

Q. I know you've touched upon some things in this press conference. But what about this project in MLS and specifically here for the Fire was intriguing to you and drew you into leaving Argentina and playing for the Fire?

FEDERICO NAVARRO: I think it was a very correct decision for me. I think I couldn't have made a better next step. As a player, you're always looking to grow and get better. And that's what I'm trying to do.

So especially here with the Fire, ever since I learned about their interest, it was a priority for me and for the people around me to get here and make this step into this club.

Q. We know a good amount about you the footballer. But can you tell us about you the person? Do you have any interests outside of football? Did you have a favorite club or player growing up? What can you tell us about yourself?

FEDERICO NAVARRO: Actually, the truth is, I've always been -- my life has always revolved around football. I am a huge fan of football. I could be watching 24 hours a day, and it wouldn't bother me in the least.

If I didn't know how to do this or I had to do something else, I really don't know what it would be. I've always just been around football. And I think my head is always just going to be around football.

Q. Just wanted to get your sense of kind of looking at the rest of the season. What are your, kind of, immediate goals for the team? What kind of things do you want to bring right at the outset?

FEDERICO NAVARRO: My first goal, and I think it's the group's goal as well, is to win everything that we can and to try to qualify for playoffs. And after that, then everything is just step by step.

Q. For the people at your age, at 21 years, still there are a lot of people, especially in South America, Argentina, that look poorly on players coming to MLS. Why do you think that those people are mistaken?

FEDERICO NAVARRO: I think that the people who say that don't play football. They don't know what it's like. They don't have an idea of what it's like to be in the league and a team and have a sense of the game. So I really don't have that same -- I don't share their opinion that coming to MLS means you're not progressing.

Q. At the beginning, you mentioned that when you started training with the team, you found another level than what you had seen down in Argentina, that you had lived in Argentina. Can you just give me a few more details about this?

FEDERICO NAVARRO: Yes. Talleres, that's the club that gave me everything. That's the club that formed me. That's where I lived every stage of my career and my life until now. And I don't mean to say that it was a different level or that things weren't done well down there. But just in the sense that it's another level, another style of life here. In certain ways, it's just a little bit more professional.