CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

March 12, 2022

Wyatt Omsberg

Press Conference

Chicago Fire FC 2, D.C. United 0

Q. Through three games, you haven't been scored upon which is first time in team history that the Fire have started a season with three clean sheets. Are you guys starting to build an identity of a team that is going to be pretty hard to score against?

WYATT OMSBERG: Yeah, I think so. It's something we talked about a lot in preseason with C.J. and Ezra, just they have talked about the past couple years we haven't gotten enough clean sheets.

So we've worked a lot on it. I feel like, yeah, we've done a really good job so far and it's three games. We have to keep this going and we have to keep this up defensively. Goals are going to come, we know that but as long as we stay strong defensively, we'll have a chance to win every game.

Q. You mentioned C.J. Brown there in your previous answer, I wanted to know the effect that he -- and overall, the entire coaching staff but specifically C.J. What effect has him being on the coaching staff had on you so far this season in terms of maybe improvement and performance?

WYATT OMSBERG: Yeah, so I think you have to give credit to all the coaching staff but C.J. in particular works a lot with the back four. We're with him every single day and he's given us little tips, pointers and specifically focusing on us. You can tell how much it means to him to be in this position, and as a former defender for this club, you kind of have to respect it.

So it means a lot to him, and it's been awesome for all of us learning from him. He's been really, really great to work with. Has taught me a lot and I think has improved our back four a ton, obviously, so far. But again, it's just a start, so we'll have to keep going.

Q. For you personally, three starts to begin the season and the next two are Rafael Czichos's. How is that partnership coming along and how would you evaluate your play to begin this season?

WYATT OMSBERG: Working with Raf has been great. He has so much experience in Europe and Germany. So I think when he came, he immediately shifted the mentality of the defense.

Yeah, I feel really comfortable next to him. I feel like we communicate really well together. We kind of understand each other and work well with one another. That's been great for both of us and yeah, three clean sheets is an awesome sort but again it's just a start so we'll have to keep going.

Q. You alluded to the condition earlier, very cold out there, obviously did not look pleasant to play in but it also seemed pretty windy as well, maybe at certain times of the game. Wondering if the wind at all played a factor, especially with balls up in the air, crosses, etc. Did that have a factor on your play especially as a certainty half?

WYATT OMSBERG: Yeah, I think we just knew we had to be careful because one ball behind and you could misjudge it, it could lead to a breakaway for them.

So but I think, yeah, the field wasn't great. You saw ice and snow on it a little bit. It was really cold and the wind. So not the greatest conditions for soccer but we knew it was going to be a battle and we knew we had to roll up our sleeves and work hard for 90 minutes and I think we did that.