CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 13, 2023

Gaston Gimenez

Press Conference

Q. Frank spoke about the importance of this game coming up. As one of the veteran players, how do you prepare yourself and your team to face off against Montreal and for a game of such importance on the way to obtaining the goal of the Fire of the season, which is ultimately to make the Playoffs?

GASTON GIMENEZ: Yes, it's a very super important game, not only because of the points, not only because they have 35 points and we have 32 points, but in every sense of the word we definitely need to get three points or to get points on the road, especially since there are only seven games left in this season.

A game like this one I think really puts you into or takes you out of the Playoffs. That's in every sense of the word. So it helps you both in your confidence, it helps us be confident and together as a group, and to believe that we can do it, that we can make it. In that sense it's definitely very important.

How do we get there? Well, defensively we have to play a great game. We have to take care of all the little details that are happening during the game, not allow ourselves to commit the same mistakes that have gotten us into trouble before.

Q. Going into August the Fire had won six in seven games. Since the Leagues Cup, you lost four and four. What changed the last couple of weeks?

GASTON GIMENEZ: What changed was the results. The results really changed our emotional state. It changes the emotional state of a team.

As a team we have to come together and we have to know how to get over that hump because at the end of the day there isn't time. There are only seven games left, so we have to work together to get over that and to continue with that streak of victories in the way that we had been doing it before.

Now we're going ahead. We're going to continue to play hard, recover. We're hoping to continue a return to that streak of victories.

Q. I'm curious how confident you are right now going forward and taking maybe more shots? Frank spoke a few months ago about wanting to see you attack more on offense. I'm curious about how you're feeling about moving forward.

GASTON GIMENEZ: Yes, today I'm in a little bit more of an attacking position. I have the goal of creating more in the attack opportunities for the team. I think I'm working to get forward a little bit more, but always helping to create more opportunities within the team and the group.

I'm more focused on moving forward, still doing what I had been doing before, always helping the team and putting the team first, but I am focused on working more and helping more on the attack.

Q. I want to ask, you have had a great winning streak before the Leagues Cup, then you had a slump after it. How do you deal with the ups and downs as you try to make your way towards the Playoffs? How do you keep an even mindset as you approach these final matches?

GASTON GIMENEZ: Always being positive, no matter what happens. If there are mistakes, you work to get over them. This is personal, it's a personal belief, but it's like in life: if you stumble and you fall, have you to get back up. Then you stumble again, you have to get back up. I really believe in that.

I think streaks, both positive and negative, are always broken at some point. So now, right now we're kind of on a slump, a downward streak. But we hope this weekend against Montreal, we go out there and that streak is broken in a positive way so that we can continue to look forward and finish off the season strong.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Gaston.