CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

March 6, 2025

Gregg Berhalter

Press Conference

Q. Curious, looking ahead to FC Dallas this weekend, they are a team that's shown the ability in two games to score and to score without the ball. Curious, just kind of how you're interpreting this matchup and how you think maybe their front four can cause some issues?

GREGG BERHALTER: It's a very dynamic top four, interchanging positions, edge the orchestrator of it all is Luciano Acosta, who we know well from the league, outstanding player. You know, with Musa up top, who is a handful, big physical presence, similar to what we faced last week.

And then, you know, two interesting wingers, one more vertical, speedy and one more technical who likes to come inside.

So overall, they have some good qualities in their team, and it's been impressive watching them so far.

Q. Switching to stuff with the Fire squad, how do you think the midfield has been handling -- I realize it's not a first-choice 11, and you're working through injuries with the squad. But how do you think the performance in the midfield has been and contributing to the defense and stability with the defense so far, and is that something that you think will need to change or shape up against Dallas in any way?

GREGG BERHALTER: What I would say, it's a work-in-progress, not a ton of continuity. Last game, having to make some changes, and then the first game, you know, I think it started well, and then we lost some shape.

But overall, the guys have been working hard. Really, their ability to both defend when we are high pressing, cover spaces, and then offensively, really to break lines and get into good positions to play forward is really important.

Q. How challenging is it to start the season with three consecutive away games?

GREGG BERHALTER: It's all part of it. We're good. It's stuff you have to deal with. I think it builds strength and character within the group.

It's a good challenge for this group to have to go on the road and want to pick up some points. So for us, it's all part of it. We accept this challenge.

Q. With the ribbon-cutting ceremony in the new training facility on Monday, how much of a game-changer can that be, not just how much of a positive in the day-to-day training, but also how to make help with shaping recruitment and roster build and attracting free agents.

GREGG BERHALTER: It's everything. On a number of different levels. Our new training center, Endeavor Health Performance Center, is a game changer.

When you think about recruiting players, all of a sudden you have one of the top facilities in the United States, if not the top facility, comparable to the biggest clubs in the world. It's just an incredible facility.

Then you talk about the existing players that we have, able to work with them and help develop them and keep them healthy and keep them recovered with all the facilities we have, whether that's the field, the weight room, the cryotherapy or the sauna or the hot tubs. You know, recovery is a big part of it, the recovery room that we have.

So really, looking after the players that we have and trying to get the most out of them and help them maximize their potential.

And the third step is the academy and the second team and to have the whole club integrated in the same pace and to see them train every day and work with the coaches and talk to the coaches, and really try to get this vertical integration is really key to the whole club's success.

Q. Availability questions for the weekend, any updates?

GREGG BERHALTER: Carlos is out. Maren is out. Leo is TBD. As you get one guy back, you lose another guy.

But you know, again, it's all part of it, and we just have to be calm and keep trying to play and keep trying to improve.

Q. Then with that, what has your challenge been to Sam Rogers this week after his MLS debut?

GREGG BERHALTER: You know, it was really a conversation because, first of all, we all acknowledge that it's not easy to know you're playing five minutes before the game.

But that's also the beauty of it, and that's also the mindset of, you need to be prepared to play every game, every minute, because you never know what can happen.

And for Sam, I think it was a tough start for him in the game, and I think he worked his way into the game a little bit. But we're looking for more from him. You know, it's really simple.

But we are also giving him the tools and giving him the instruction and working with him to help him, and we understand that it's a progress, and we're comfortable with that, and we're going to just keep working.

Q. On a similar note, Sergio Oregel, his first two starts in the MLS, can you comment on what you think about the progress that he's been making and what you've been seeing from him, and at the same time, if you could comment a little bit about Omari Glasgow, who also had his first two appearances since getting a first-team contract off the bench.

GREGG BERHALTER: When we start with Sergio, I would say that we did challenge him after the Columbus game and saying that he needed to be more physical and more present, and I think he responded well. We have to give D.C. a lot of credit for being a very physical team, very difficult team to deal with, and I think he acquitted himself well in that game.

We would like to see from him a little bit more control of the game offensively because we know he has it in him. He's a young player but we think he can help dictate the game for us.

You know, pleased with his second performance, and we want to see him continue to build.

You know, with Omari, he's an example of where, you know, the games were in different states when he entered both games. We're losing the one and ahead in the other one.

You know, for him, it's how does he take what's available to him, the space on the field and be dangerous with it. At times against D.C. he did it, and at times we think he can improve a little bit.

Q. Do you feel the team is under pressure to get its first win?

GREGG BERHALTER: I wouldn't say pressure. We know what we're in, and we want to win every game, right.

So when we look at how these two games unfolded against Columbus, there's really good pieces of it for a certain time period, and then against D.C., we fought to get back in the game and really get the lead again, and then, you know, crazy unfortunate play in the last second, literally of the game, changes the course of that result.

So we remain calm. We remain focused. We know we have three away games in a row and we just remain focused on playing a good game.

Q. I just want to ask real quick about Hugo Cuypers. He got two goals. He's still getting up to 100 percent. How close do you think he is to being at his best right now, and what have you seen from him so far?

GREGG BERHALTER: You know, he had two goals and he had a couple other chances to get more, and you like to see that with your striker.

There wasn't a ton of involvement. I think that was based on the way the game was going. It was a very combative game. You look at our passing percentage; it was way down to what it normally is. He still was able to get enough chances to score some goals, and that's what we're happy for.

You know, he's not at a hundred percent yet, and again, that's something we just have to deal with. We know he missed all of preseason, and for us, again, it's urging patience to keep getting him to where he needs to be but it's certainly great when you're not at a hundred percent and you're scoring two goals. Right, E.?

Q. The Fire II kickoff their season on Sunday. I know you talked a couple months ago about how you want to change not only the direction of that team but how they help the first team. What's your message been to that group, especially some of the first-teamers?

GREGG BERHALTER: We want to see the vertical integration. We want to see similar playing styles, similar aggressiveness.

You know, for us, we've already gotten -- the first team has gotten boosted with two second team players playing for the first team, so that's already a good start.

But really, we want this to be a pool of high-potential players that really have potential to develop into first-team players. That's really what we're doing this for, both a pathway for our academy players and then high-potential players coming from outside that will eventually make it to the first team.