CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

July 5, 2023

Miguel Navarro

Press Conference

Q. They say competition breeds excellence, what do you think about the competition with Alonso Aceves this year?

MIGUEL NAVARRO: I think that it's a healthy, good competition. He's a very good player. He's a player who came to add -- he can only add to our group and be a big part of it. He's a very dynamic player, and he gives us a very dynamic option. He's a very important player for this team.

Q. We've talked earlier in the year but how are you feel, first off, physically and what do you think the team needs to focus ongoing forward to get into the playoffs?

MIGUEL NAVARRO: Physically, I'm feeling very well. I think not, just me but all of my teammates. We are feeling good and we are all preparing ourselves for this second half of the season and this next phase as we prepare for the rest of the season, and focus on getting to the next phase which is playoffs.

I think that now, especially with the games at home, we're very focused on doing what we have to do at home, especially, if we are trying to move forward and accomplish our goal of reaching the playoffs. So we are mentally prepared and ready to face Nashville this weekend.

Q. Thank you for joining us. It's been a long time. We've missed seeing your face. And how was your Fourth of July weekend?

MIGUEL NAVARRO: It was good. I was trying to recover a little bit. I felt a little bit of a knock after the last game from what I had been coming back from, but now I'm feeling much better and I'm ready for the weekend, ready for these games.

Q. The last time you faced Nashville, it was a 3-0 game, so it didn't go very well for you guys. Is there a different strategy or a different focus now as you prepare to face them again this weekend?

MIGUEL NAVARRO: Yes, I think we are preparing. We are preparing well. We are completely focused, and the last time we went over there, it wasn't the best time that we ever had but now prefer prepared to come home and we are prepared to play at our house and have confidence in our football and play our game, and with God's help and with ourselves, what we've prepared for, we are going to be ready for this weekend to face Nashville at home.

Q. You had been playing very well and you had two back-to-back victories and then you played this last game, which it didn't quite go your way. Is there anything that Frank especially told the team or how did he address the team?

MIGUEL NAVARRO: Yeah, he basically told us to focus on the team, especially after that defeat because we had come from a very high place as far as the atmosphere within the team and then to come back with that defeat, it was very difficult.

But what he told us is that now it's time to focus on our team, focus on ourselves, turn the page, and now focus on Saturday's game which is the most important.