CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

July 7, 2024

Gaston Gimenez

Press Conference

San Jose 1, Chicago Fire FC 0

Q. Curious that you thought the game, broke, and why San Jose was able to get that win at home.

GASTÓN GIMÉNEZ: I don't have a very clear analysis right now at this time but we do know that we let go, we let pass a really good opportunity to fight for those playoff spots. We know that it's clear to us and we assume responsibility for that.

But we're going to go ahead and we're going to keep fighting until the very last moment until the math works out in our favor.

Q. What do you think was missing from the preparations for this game? Because San Jose is in the last spot in the League.

GASTÓN GIMÉNEZ: I think the preparation was very good. I think that we weren't fully clear with what we were doing with the ball. We weren't aggressive enough with the ball, and it was just one moment in which they were able to get the ball, and they scored the goal.

And on our end, it was a little bit difficult for us to find the tie. So we're very hurt and frustrated by the loss.

Q. Watching from home, it looked like the field was not in the best condition. It seemed very dry looking and choppy, and it looked really hot out there with the sun hitting early on. Was there any sense that maybe you guys got off to a slower start due to sort of the conditions surrounding that and adjusted by the second half of it? Was that any factor, do you think, for the players during the game, the field, and maybe the weather and the sun kind of the heat hitting?

GASTÓN GIMÉNEZ: No. The conditions were the same for both teams. The two teams felt the same heat out there. The field was poor for both teams. We lost the game. That's as clear as you can say it. We can't hide from it. We take responsibility from it, and that's just what happened?

Q. The team had another difficult loss after what seemed like a good opportunity. Can you describe the atmosphere of the group together right now?

GASTÓN GIMÉNEZ: Sadness and pain because it was a great opportunity towards our objective. It was a great opportunity for points.

And we know that we still have a chance. We know that we still depend on ourselves. We still control our own future and we can do it.

So the thing we have to do now is keep working. We can't let chances like this keep passing us by. We have to keep working towards our goal and our objective, and really it's the only thing that I know how to do. So we are going to keep trying until the end.