CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

January 18, 2023

Rafael Czichos

Press Conference

Q. I know it's very early in Tampa obviously but what's the mindset of the group right now as it embarks on a very long journey?

RAFAEL CZICHOS: Yeah, hi, first of all. I think you can feel it in the whole club that this seen has to be a special season, and yeah, the team seems to be really motivated, all of us, and the intensity at practice is already really high. So this is what we need and I think it's going to be a good preseason and hopefully then a good regular season.

Q. How do you see yourself, obviously last season, you guys didn't make it to the playoffs but individually, how do you see yourself, the progress that you have made to this league, and what do you expect from this season?

RAFAEL CZICHOS: Yeah, first of all, I came here to help the team and to make the playoffs in my first year, and I couldn't reach this goal but I'm optimistic that this season will be better for us as a team and for me personally.

Now I know how the whole league, like how it is to play in this league, how it is to travel all the long distances and yeah, like I said I'm pretty sure I will play a better season than my first season was and yeah so I can help the team reach our goals. The minimum goal is to make the playoffs and everybody knows is in our club and that's what we are working hard for.

Q. Just with yesterday's news of Jhon Durán moving on, what's the reaction in the room when a big transaction like that happens? Is there happiness, like seeing a guy go on to the Premier League, or is there a little bit of concern that now you guys have to figure out how to replace him?

RAFAEL CZICHOS: Of course, it was a big move, a big transfer for the club, I think for the whole league.

Jhon, I don't know, I think he made like 14 starts last season. Scored eight goals, and then after one season, yeah, it was really a big move for, I don't know, is he 18 or 19? So still very young.

But we are happy for him. Like he helped us last season. He scored goals. He worked hard for the team and when he feels ready for the next step, then he should try and we wish him all the best. I'm really excited to see him, how he will do it over there, and it's going to be completely different and, yeah, so we wish him a lot of luck.

Q. The bye week at the start of the season, do you think this is an advantage for the team by having an extra week of training, getting the whole team together, preventing any injuries and all that, or do you think it's a disadvantage that you might need that bye week maybe halfway through the season or close to the end of the season?

RAFAEL CZICHOS: I don't know if it's an advantage or disadvantage. I don't like it so me personally, I don't like it. I would have liked to start right away and not to wait one week longer because the preseason is already very long or will be long, and then you want to play.

You know, you want to go outside. You want to show the fans that you're ready and yeah, but it is how it is. We have to -- we have to work with it and I think at the end, it doesn't matter if you have the break during the season, at the beginning or at the end. We want to win all of our games, especially at home, so we are going to be ready for New York.