CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

March 20, 2024

Tobias Salquist

Press Conference

Q. How has it been, your adaptation period with the team, and what is your opinion of the MLS in your first games in the League?

TOBIAS SALQUIST: Yeah, I mean, it's a different league than I've been used to. I've been playing in a couple leagues, a lot of good players here. The atmosphere is amazing. Really, I different football than what I've been used to, so I have to get more used to that. But I mean, like great players, the atmosphere in the stadiums are really nice but different.

Q. How different is from you expected? I know sometimes in Europe, they kind of see the MLS like a lower division, but how do you see it compared with Europe leagues?

TOBIAS SALQUIST: No, I mean, yeah, of course, it's lower than Premier League, of course. But I would say it's different. It's difficult to compare the leagues, because it's different kind of football. So what if an MLS team will go to Europe, you will never know like how it would be. The same if a club came to MLS and played. You will never know because it's so different football.

I will not say the mentality is different. Everyone wants to win. And I mean, like the atmosphere of the stadium here, the facilities, are top, top level, and definitely the best I ever tried.

So I don't think you can compare it that way. I mean, it's different kind of football and I think players get to know different way to play and so yeah, I don't think you can compare it like what's better.

Q. First of all, nice to meet you. Welcome to Chicho. My question I wanted to ask about, coming back from two goals down late in the last game, there's clearly an emotional high for the team. How do you get the team back down-to-earth and what's been the reaction from the team that you have auto seen going into the next game?

TOBIAS SALQUIST: Yeah, it was a huge win that we came back, especially when you get -- when you go down 2-0 in like 12 minutes. That's hard. That's really hard mentally, and the opponents is like, of course, ahead of you because they are happy with the two goals.

But I think we came back extremely well. But I would say, like, Frank showed us some video. We know we have to do a lot of things better, and especially myself. I have to do some things better.

So yeah, I mean, we are training extremely hard every week. I think the coaches are really pushing us to get to know the things they really want, and we are training a lot and we are training hard. It's not a problem to go down. We know that we have to keep going. We need to get some points. So nice with a win but yeah, it should just give us the drive to reach for more.

Q. You've now had two opportunities to start alongside Rafa to your left and Alan on your right. Curious how you felt next to those two players.

TOBIAS SALQUIST: It's really good football players, or should I say, good soccer players. Yeah, the first game I was playing in Columbus, was a bit unlucky and we were not like aware in the last minutes, otherwise I think it was a good game.

Then I got stopped in the second game, first half.

So it's been good but I am playing in a couple of clubs now. It takes time to get to know the players that when Alan does this, I have to do that; when Rafa do that, I will have to do that. It will take time. It takes time. It's like we have a lot of new players, and especially the defense, it's like a lot of structure, a lot of things that you need to know.

Again, you come from something really different than here. So you have to get to know a lot of things, and when you've been playing, when you have done that system for a long time, you need to get used to something else.

It will take time. But yeah, you can look at them as great players.

Q. I want to know your opinions on which player has impressed you the most in the team, which player have you -- that you admire or that you think is a very good player? I know you're going to mention a lot of them but which player do you think it's like the main captain in the team during the games?

TOBIAS SALQUIST: I mean, that's always a really difficult question to answer. Because you can look at it like that way. You have your defenders. You have your midfielders. You have your attackers. I think there is a lot personalities on this team. You have a lot of great players, but I think it's hard to really pick one to just say, like that's the main thing or that's the main man. I think that's hard.

But I would say our winger, Guti, he's so young, and I can just see he have a lot of things that it's such a high-quality. But I think it's too difficult to say, like pick one man, but you can see different things in players. I mean, it's a really good squad and it's a really good team.

Q. There's going to be a change in goal this weekend with Richey coming in instead of Brady because he's with the national team. Does that change anything for you as a center back when the goalkeeper behind you is different?

TOBIAS SALQUIST: It is like you have to know, like the goalkeepers have to know us, and of course we have some -- there is some rules and ways we want to do it. But on the pitch, it's a lot of times about the connection. But I mean, like both are great goalkeepers, and so no, it like really doesn't make a big difference. You just have to know. Like we train with them every day. You just have to know what they want and what we want. I think, yeah, that that's it. It's all about communication.

Q. I saw that you investigated the green river over the weekend. Were you prepared for Chicago's St. Patrick's Day?

TOBIAS SALQUIST: We heard a lot of things about it; that it's beautiful, and especially with all the people, we heard about it, and I didn't know that would be that many people. It was unbelievable. There was a lot of people, and we had a difficult time to get to the stadium, actually.

But it was a really nice experience, and people were just happy. And I think a lot of them was -- were really drunk, as well. So yeah, it was a nice experience.