CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

March 9, 2022

Gaston Gimenez

Press Conference

Q. How do you envision your role with this team? What do you think this team needs from you and what are you trying to provide?

GASTÓN GIMÉNEZ: Well, nowadays, I think what I'm doing, the function, the role that I'm playing is a little bit more defensively what they are asking me to do and what I bring to the team is that I can go forward well, and then we can go forward together.

I think, also, looking for the ball on the recovery and recovering possession, because we always need to come out of the back well and organized.

So coming out of the back and always being focused on the recovery is important, and in order to keep possession, and it's also always important to keep -- be organized when we are possessing the ball and always be in contact with the defensive unit with the back line.

So as far as what I bring to the team is what I've always brought to the team which is the hard work that I put in. I'm someone that is very quiet but I think that I always bring in my best effort and that's what I bring to the team, especially out on the field.

Q. Whenever Federico is ready to come back, do you think he being on the team will help you go forward even more?

GASTÓN GIMÉNEZ: Federico's characteristics are certainly a little bit more defensive than mine, so if he is able to play or if he comes out, I would likely, yes, be forward a little bit more depending on whatever Coach wants, and whoever he chooses to play.

So surely if we play together, he will likely be more defensive and I would be up a little more, maybe as an eight, playing along with a ten and the forwards.

So, yeah, if we end up playing together, I think as a couple, I would probably go forward a little bit more.

Q. So far in this young season, you have divided opinion amongst the fan base on some of your performances. Some fans have said that you have been playing pretty well and others have disagreed. My question to you is: What do you think or feel when you hear some of the fans' criticism to you, and what is your response to that?

GASTÓN GIMÉNEZ: Well, before anything else, I think opinions are to be respected from every angle from all sides. Everyone has their own opinion. Some people will like things and some people will not like things, and that's something that's just a life thing. We get it everywhere.

Honestly if people criticize me or don't criticize me, I'm not thinking too much about it. In truth, I don't read anything, I don't read magazines and I don't read news articles. I don't watch anything that is in regard to us.

I simply focus on doing my thing and doing my job, and sometimes it comes out well and sometimes it doesn't.

But I do know that my intention is to always give the best of myself and to work as hard as possible for this club and pore this team.

So some people are going to like it more than others. Some people are going to disagree and some people are going to be fine with it but I don't really have much more to say on the topic. I do know, however, that every time I go out, my intention is always to leave everything out on the field and to take the club as high as possible and to help the team in every way that I can.

Q. You mentioned how playing with Fede changes your role but how does playing with Mauricio Pineda the last two games, how does that impact your game in particular?

GASTÓN GIMÉNEZ: In truth I get along with both of them really well and we all understand each other really well, and I've actually played more with Mauri than I have with Federico. I've just played with him longer.

So I think that Mauricio, he has some characteristics and tendencies that are a little bit more similar to mine. I think we understand the game in a very similar fashion.

I really feel comfortable with both of them. I feel comfortable with Mauricio. I really like playing with him and I think he feels comfortable and likes playing with me, too. I think there really is a healthy competition in the midfield where everyone is going in and there's a lot of technical strengths, and I think as we progress, whoever it is that is able to play, everyone will do it the best way that's possible.

But yeah, I really -- we know each other really well and I think that makes it easy to play with both of them.

Q. Ezra praised your performance following the Saturdays's match against Orlando and said it provides a positive influence on the younger members of the team. How has your working relationship been with Ezra so far, and how do you interpret those comments?

GASTÓN GIMÉNEZ: I didn't know that he had said those things. As I mentioned earlier, I don't read anything about us, so I really had not found out that he said those things. But really, it's a pleasure to hear those words from our coach. We're all really happy with him and we have a good relationship and he has a great relationship with the players. He's always out there talking and trying to correct any mistakes that we're making, just joking around with the players.

Sometimes it feels like he's another player out there but he's always just trying to speak with everyone, connect with everyone, and work, especially since we have a lot of young players on the team, just correcting things here and there. It's important for to us have someone like that and I think his winning mentality is something that we really are trying to incorporate and encompass as quickly as possible because he's a great person. We get along really well. We have a good working relationship and I mean, he does have -- you know, he has his own personality and his moods like anyone else, like any other person. But really, he's doing everything that he can and working with us really well; so that we can keep moving forward, and as quickly as possible, if we can just get his winning mentality and learn from him, and just win a game so that we can keep moving forward and keep moving higher, and have the kind of season that we all want to have.