CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

May 3, 2023

Federico Navarro

Press Conference

Q. While you were gone, and of course on Saturday, as well, when you were not on the pitch, the team has developed, I guess, a bad habit of giving up leads and late goals. What's your -- why do you think that's happened, and how much of a difference do you think your presence will make the next time the Fire have a late lead to defend?

FEDERICO NAVARRO: Well, I don't think that that happens, or that has anything to do with me being on the field or being off the field. I think that my teammates that were on the field in my place did everything very well. I think he or they, whoever it was, did a good job, and the team has been playing really well in the last few matches. And it's also not something that's recent. It's something that even happened to us last season.

So whether I was on the field or not, we would be ahead or a couple games, or we were ahead, and in the final minutes, they either came back to tie or we lost a game in the final minutes, and that happened with me being on the team. So I think that it's something mental, the group is working really hard on overcoming that, and being 100 percent focused up until the very end, the final moments of the match. So I think that after this last game, we are doing much better and we have our heads on straight, and I think that we are going to be ready to go and we are ready for the next game.

Q. The team has a lot of games in May. How are you feeling as you come back from injury?

FEDERICO NAVARRO: Yeah, it's true that now we have a lot of games coming up all together in May. But I feel a lot better.

This last game especially, I felt really good out on the field. I feel like I'm still working to get 100 percent but I feel so much better in the last few games, and I think with all of the games together, I'm really going to be able to catch the rhythm and to catch up to the rhythm of the team as we are going. So we are ready and ready to face all the matches that are coming up.

Q. What are your feelings and sensation after having been off the field with your injury for a long time? You had mentioned that you missed being on the field. And second question, your opinion on your new teammates, the new people that the Fire have brought in to the team.

FEDERICO NAVARRO: I'm very happy to be able to be at a hundred percent and be with my teammates at a hundred percent. The truth is that it was a hard month for me because being out and not being able to recover quickly was something that was really difficult. Those injuries aren't usually something you see in me or something usual for me.

So I'm really happy now, working hard and getting back into the rhythm of things, and I'm really happy to be able to continue to bring something to the team.

And the second question, the second answer is, they are good, both on the field and off the field, the new players that have come in really bring a lot to the team. They are excellent teammates. They are all really good team players, and they have come in with their head up and moving forward, and they have come in at a hundred percent.

So we are really happy that everyone is in and ready to bring something to the team and get points.