CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

March 9, 2024

Frank Klopas

Press Conference

Columbus 2, Chicago 1

Q. Tough performance, a lot of time in stoppage time. Seemed like you guys were almost there with the way it had come together but another heartbreaker, tough way to end this three-week stretch. Curious about your feeling at this point.

FRANK KLOPAS: Yeah, right now, just emotional that, yeah, it's a tough loss, obviously. Because I felt we deserved to come out of here with points. I expected the goals was 1.73, 1.77, almost double theirs; we created enough opportunities. And you have to finish your changes. If you don't finish your chances on the road against a good team, you know, and then you put yourself in difficult moments.

I thought the team played really well. The changes came in, performed well, and we brought good energy. In the end, I think that's just, whether it's 12 minutes, 15 minutes, you stop thinking that the ball is ours and they play a quick throw in and we give up the second goal. So managing the game late in the games, we have to improve that.

And obviously it's really frustrating because again, this is a game that we should walk away with points. But it was a good performance from the team. So I'm really happy about that. It really hurts because we walk away, again, empty handed. So that's a tough one, especially with the performance we put there tonight.

Q. First three games this season, three of the toughest fixtures you'll have all season, and you were competitive in all three games. How do you feel overall even though you just got one point from nine?

FRANK KLOPAS: We're heading in the right direction, I can say that, but it's easy for me to say. But it's all about the results. When you look at all three games, I think all three games we should have walked away with points. I go back to the Philly game. Should have walked away possibly with three. The Cincy game was tough given the late goal from a set piece. We didn't create enough opportunity like we did tonight on the road.

So this is really a tough one. So there's no easy games. You know, obviously I said, I think playing some of the better teams, I think it's going to make us better. But we need to get results and we need to get points because also that does count for us within the group. Performances like this, it does, but in the end, there's a disappointment. I think the guys in there, I think it's a disappointment because they understand, again that, we left points on the table.

So that's a tough one. I think we are growing as a team. Like I said before, with seven new players, you know, I think it takes time to I think get everyone on the second page on the team. But the way they competed, the way they played, yes, of course we can be better at times. But we created enough today to put the game away and get points.

So in the end of three games, to have one point, of course we're not happy, I don't care who we play. So you know, we've got to continue to have this kind of mentality and attitude, and now we've got to get results. There's nothing else you can say. I can say all the right things, but in the end, it's about W's.

Q. Tobias made his debut, played 90 minutes. How do you think he fared?

FRANK KLOPAS: He was good. I think he was good. I think moments you can see his composure on the ball, especially we needed that today against a team. We needed to be good with the ball. I think he's been working extremely hard. We took our time with him obviously because I think he's only going to get stronger and better within every game, and I thought he had a good performance.

Q. Hugo didn't score tonight. It wasn't his night, but he did have some chances unlike the last two games. Does that make you optimistic?

FRANK KLOPAS: Yeah, we need to give our striker chances. Tonight we did. They didn't go in but I think he's got the mentality, the next opportunity. He works extremely hard. So we needed at points, the changes we made, we needed to bring fresh legs. And I rely on the team. That's the most important thing. It could be an off-night for guys and not everyone is going to play, you know, super every game. That's why you rely on the team.

I felt the guys that came in, you know, obviously Chris, he came in and you could tell, you know, that I think he needs games to get his sharpness. But I have no problem putting them in.

And I think Hugo, we've got to continue, today he did have his chances and I'm sure he's going to be thinking he should have put one in the back of the net because that's the mentality he has. I think if we give him enough opportunities like that, he's going to find the back of the net.

Q. Going back to the 12 minutes, we saw you talking with the refs at the end. I know it's still the replacement refs. What were your thoughts on that decision?

FRANK KLOPAS: I thought there was a lot of time, I always keep time on my watch to see when there's an injury, when they come in. I know the goals, normally it's 30 seconds. But for me, I felt that 12 minutes was long, you know. I would have thought ten minutes was long. You know, if you would have put eight minutes, I would have said, okay, six to eight minutes. But 12 minutes, for me, was long.

I'm not going to argue. They call it. I keep my own time. At the end of the day, we have to manage the game better. It was in our hands to get a result and then we stopped on one play. They make a quick throw-in and we pay the price. At the end of the day, we have to manage games better late in the game, and it's two games now with Philly and this one that we dropped points, and I would say all three.