CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

June 3, 2023

Wyatt Omsberg

Press Conference

Cincinnati 1, Chicago Fire FC 0

Q. Commiserations about the results. What are your thoughts on the overall performance of the team against Cincinnati who are top in the League at the moment?

WYATT OMSBERG: Yeah, I think pretty good. Obviously it's a disappointed locker room right now. Everybody is disappointed to give up a goal late. We feel like we worked pretty hard and there was a real chance to get something from the game against a really good team in a tough place to play.

I think there's positives to take from the game but at the moment, it's a disappointed locker room.

Q. Curious with that full performance, we have talked a lot about the need to defend, the need to defend always, and it seems likes this was one of those matches where you, Kendall and eventually Rafa were in there playing aggressive on aerial balls. Curious about mentality and overall how you guys think you brought it over a full 99 minutes?

WYATT OMSBERG: Yeah, I thought it was really good. We had a really good game plan. We didn't have much time to prepare when we were on the road, so a lot of it was just video-based. But went into the game of a good idea how and play and more specifically how to defend. Acosta is a great player for them and we tried to limit him, and obviously he got free that one time and done well to score the goal.

I thought our game plan was really good, and as a unit, not just the defenders, everybody, we were pretty aggressive, winning 50/50s, winning our aerial duels. Especially in the second half, we played pretty well and started to create more chances offensively.

Q. With the Open Cup game just three days away, how can the team prepare with such a quick turnaround, and how much does that competition mean for the group as a whole?

WYATT OMSBERG: Yeah, we obviously don't have much time, and our mindset for the past couple days has just been, you know, it's been a tough stretch for us, a lot of away games and a lot of games in general. It's really been one game at a time, and now we've got to put this one to bed.

It's really disappointing to get close against a good team but we have got to put it to bed and turn our focus to the Open Cup because from the beginning, the emphasis has been on making a run in this tournament.

We know the history that this club has, so we have got to turn the page and start focusing right away on Tuesday. So it's going to come fast but you know, we are going to have to get back, get ready, get back to work, because it is a big game for us, and a huge, huge tournament for our club.

Q. I have to end it on an actual game question. In the 59th minute, there was a bit of a break for FCC, and you really broke it up with seemingly like three tackles, knocked one away and then back on the ground. Wondering, first off, if you can walk us through that scenario of you breaking up this tackle, how your body is feeling after that, and how great is it that you're able to play that kind of cerebral defense once again?

WYATT OMSBERG: Yeah, I think it's a little bit of a counterattack. I'm not sure how they got the ball, but they got the ball in a good pocket, and then Acosta, it's kind of a 2v2, 3v2 situation, and Acosta makes a run, and behind Kendall. So I just tried to slide and I knew I had to try and win the ball there or else we'd be in trouble.

So yeah, I mean, just tried to break it up. And yeah, I think it's tough to reflect on certain moments because at the moment, like I said, we are just disappointed to not come out of the game with anything.