CHICAGO (May 21, 2023) - Following an exciting match that saw the Fire come back in the 89th minute, and the first career goal of Georgios Koutsias, Chicago Fire FC Head Coach Frank Klopas, midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri, midfielder Maren Haile-Selassie, and defender Miguel Navarro spoke to the media following Saturday night's draw against Atlanta.
Chicago Fire FC Head Coach Frank Klopas
On the mental strength displayed by the team...
“Yeah, I mean earlier, there's been, always, talks like, we just seemed to crumble late in games and give away leads and give away points. And, you know, that might have happened, but it wasn't– but I kind of felt, you saw this team today, the way, the commitment that they had; the effort, but also the quality. It's not that, there was a huge belief. The way the guys were going down with a man, we had good moments in transition, even with a man down. You know, we equalized, we took the lead, they came back. Obviously, we were playing shorthanded, we put a lot of effort to get back into the game. And then I just felt like we made the right moves with players to come in – guys that, you know, we wanted to push the game. We wanted to win the game, we believed we could and then the team showed that. And the guys that came in had a lot of quality and I felt in the end, this is for me, it feels like a win, you know? Because instead of crumbling like you've seen in the past, where we just fall, that never happened, from the starting whistle to the end. Even when there were setbacks with the second yellow and then we were the ones equalized in the end and had the chances, even to win the game.
So, the effort, the mentality, what the guys put into this game and the quality, the quality of soccer, football, that we played was incredible. And you saw every player, that commitment, they left everything on the field. I'm extremely proud of– the whole organization is extremely, extremely proud and our fans, of what the team showed today, the character that they showed.”
On the significance of Georgios Koutsias' goal to his development...
“Yeah, I mean, the thing with him is that he's been in a professional environment at a very young age, from 15,16 at PAOK [Football Club]. So, he's a very mature 19-year-old even though he's young, and I think it's taken him some time and it's still going to take some time to adjust to a different league, to a different kind of game that he's used to. This game is so much more of a transition game but he's got pace, he's got athletic ability, he's fast. Technically, he is good, he can shoot with either foot.
I felt like at times, he tries too hard because he wants to show when he comes in. But with every game, he grew. Today, he had I think two big chances – the one also that Shaq played him in and he slid, then he went over and then his ability to finish. So, he doesn't lack confidence, which is great for a striker. He always wants the next opportunity and I think he's just going to continue to develop and grow. But obviously as a striker, to get a goal like that – because he really wanted to show and help the team – it's massive for his confidence and it's obviously huge for the team. So it's been great to see his growth since he's been here.”
On Jairo Torres' quality in limited minutes...
“Not yet. The other day, we got him in and he also got another charley horse to his thigh and the leg swelled up a little bit. So, he missed a couple of days of training. But I think we need to get– the more minutes that we can get him to find his rhythm, I think is very important. And you're absolutely right. I would have given him more time. If he did– he missed two days after the game in Charlotte; he didn't train because of a bruise.
So, you saw his quality when he came in. I think even in Mexico, when they played 3-5-2, they used him inside a lot of times, like an 8 and a 10. And he's so good with the ball and he's clever. So, you know, we need to get him games and minutes. He's just gonna get sharper and better, he's got a lot of quality. You saw in the end, his ability to finish plays; he was incredible, shot– almost won the game for us. So, as long as he continues to train on the field and doesn't miss, he's going to grow and his time is going to definitely increase because we need him on the field. We're only a better team when he's on the field also, because he's a key player for us.”
On the message to Rafael Czichos and the team...
"You know, Rafa is not 100 percent. Now he's playing with some injuries like most players are always going to feel something. But I don't even ask him, I just put him on the lineup and he plays.
No, I think the thing is, I think I'm a little bit different in my approach with the players. I've always been like that, it's my personality. I believe in building relationships, getting to know the players. I mean, getting them involved because, you know, if you're a coach, you're not going to coach a team if there's no one to believe in you and follow you – so there's got to be a buy in, you know? And you have to be very clear with your ideas, you have to walk the walk and talk the talk; or walk the walk when you say certain things, all the players are looking. I've been a player also and when coaches say certain things that you go the other way, you can lose certain players. But I always believe in building relationships with the players, being very honest with the players. You know, being a guy that really cares, because in the end of the day, you know, I care about the players. Whether you play or not, those are decisions based on performances, training and stuff like that; but in the end of the day, they're human beings, you've got to connect with them. You've got to make it fun – at the end of the day, we play a game that we love.
But the thing is, you can just see there's a huge buy-in and a belief with the team. You know, it's great for me to see that everybody– we have quality players, you guys see, you've seen that. But you see the commitment, everyone, 90 minutes, with the ball, without the ball and that's great to see. What I've told them is, in order for us to achieve our goals, in order for us, we need to have a winning mentality. That's not winning every game – that's leaving everything on the field, like we did tonight, and try to play good football. If we do that, we all walk away with a heads up high. And that's all we can ask for. And you can see tonight, this is a team that the fans left and they can't wait to come back. We're all extremely proud. Can we repeat stuff like that? I think we can, why not? We have the quality of players that are able to do that, we've just got to get the right pieces and find the balance on the field.
But I think I'm talking way too much. But I think the most important thing for me is like, I told them from the beginning and they know me – we love what we do. I'm very fortunate that I have an opportunity to be involved in this game that's given so much in my life, in the city and the club that I love. I have passion because I love what I do. If you do something that you don't love, if you have no passion, I told the players, then you need to go find another job. But all these guys have tremendous passion and love what they do and it shows, like they love this club and the team."
On the leadership displayed by Xherdan Shaqiri...
"Shaq was incredible tonight because you saw what happened: we got the red card, I moved him out wide, and then we put him back in the middle because I wanted quality on the ball and I wanted to play Jairo in the middle. Maybe we could have went more defensive. I wanted to go and put quality players on the field, I brought Jairo there to play because I wanted to go push the game. I wanted them to feel like, hey, I believe in the players, I believe that we can win. And that was incredible energy and I feel that there's a huge buy-in when you go there and you're positive. I'm more of a person that, you know, it's calculated risk, but you have to take risks in football. We took really good risks. I felt the backline, Miguel Navarro, all those guys, incredible tonight, you know? They played great, Rafa Czichos like we said.
But Shaq, guys, for me, he's one of the top players, one of the top players in this league. The stuff that he does, the passes that he makes, are high quality. And you can see now with the games, how sharp he's getting, how sharp he's getting. And he's even going to [get], I think for me, in my opinion, better and better because his ability now when he gets in certain spots, his ability to finish plays off, is going to come soon. And when that happens, forget about it. We got a different level player that we all know that he can play and be."
Chicago Fire FC MIdfielder Xherdan Shaqiri
On if the result feels like a point gained…
“Look, we want to always win the game of course, we are disappointed that we didn’t win the game but of course, happy that in the end we drew the game. But you saw in the end how we played, we could push. The referee giving the first 25 minutes two yellow cards I didn't understand. You cannot give after two minutes first yellow card in the middle of the field. This one I don't understand what he was thinking there. And sometimes it kills the game you know, this was the case. But I'm very proud of the boys, how they dealt with this. Everybody we fought till the end. The other guys took a second yellow too and then it was an open game. And for me it was important that the guys try to play till the end and don’t stay at the back and only defend. So I'm very proud of the guys they fought in the end, they wanted to win the game in the end. So in the end, I think we are also happy to draw because we were behind. And I'm really proud of the guys.”
On what the mentality of the group is being able to fight to get a draw after being a man down…
“We even went in front, two to one with a man down and it was amazing. And, you know this is football and anything can happen. We need to play also sometimes better, cooler also on the ball. But I think we did very good today, especially with one man down. We know Atlanta is a very good team. They play good football, ball possession. But I think we fought and we give everything back. So they had a hard time. And we try to create some chances especially in the end of the game, it was very open and we even could maybe win the game. So I'm very proud of the guys. But we have to keep going and our next game is just the head and we want to go through the club game too.”
On his goal being ruled as an own goal and walking us through the play….
“Oh really? I thought it was in already before but for me at the end of the day it is important I can help the team with goals in the system.”
On his opinion about the midfield with Gimenez and Navarro missing…
“Look, they are very important players for the team. But we also have other players who can and who need to get in and to play this role you saw today. In the end we were like all offensive players in the game. And even me, I played in this position, we know the quality of these players. But sometimes players are injured, some players got yellow cards and they need to step in and to show the quality. So I'm very very proud as of today how the other guys played, even if maybe they don't play a lot. I'm very happy that they could help the team.
On him directing his teammates during the match…
I try to lead the team because I'm a player who wants to play football. And I like that the players stayed calm on the ball and don't get hectic on the ball. And I try to give this to the team and what's most important is that I want to give this winner mentality to this team, that they can win every game, they can win also trophies one day. And you need a winner mentality and today we showed ‘til the end winner mentality that we want to win this game. And this is a different Chicago than before.
On his thoughts about Manchester City winning the Premier League…
“Yeah, congratulations to Man City. They had a very good season and well done they have another two titles they could win. I did it before with Bayern Munich. So it's amazing to achieve that. So yeah, let's let's see.”
On his thoughts about the fans' energy and support throughout the match…
“We saw today that many people came and the weather obviously was good and it was a very good atmosphere. The game was also perfect, I think for them many goals and I think the most important thing is that the fans saw the team is fighting to the end and give everything on the pitch to try to win a game. And what I can say, thank you for the support because they are always behind us, doesn't matter what happened and I hope they're gonna come even more during the season and we can achieve our goals together.”
Chicago Fire FC Midfielder Maren Haile-Selassie
On his thoughts on tonight’s match…
“Yeah, in the end, of course we'll take the point. I would say it was a wild game. I think the ref made it pretty wild, but we deserved at least the point.”
On his goal in the second half…
“Yeah, it was a great ball by Shaq once again, and Kacper did a pretty pretty nice layoff to me. And then I just saw the gap between the defenders and hit it first-time. Good hit, by myself, and then I scored.”
On what he saw in the game-tying goal…
“Yeah, we played to the left and then once Miguel (Navarro) crossed, I kind of anticipated that the ball was going to slip through to the second post. I made chest control, and then I just let Koutsias hit the ball.”
On the mentality of the team coming back being down a man…
“I think it shows that we have great character and a lot of mentality in the team because I think that we started the game pretty well. Rafa had a good chance hitting the crossbar and then getting the red card and conceding the goal. You would think that maybe the team could collapse but we showed a pretty good mentality also after halftime, really good reaction. Like I said, at the end we deserve a point. And I hope we continue.”
On his relationship with Xherdan Shaqiri…
“I would say it's still early in the season, but you can tell that his vision is really good. And once he sees someone, you can just imagine that the ball arrives perfectly, so once he turns and has the ball, I just have to make the runs behind the defense and then I'm sure the ball is gonna arrive.”
On the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match this upcoming week…
“Yeah, especially with Frank (Klopas) who has experience in that Cup tells us that it's really, really important for the Club and for ourselves. And I think in every competition that you play, you want to go as far as you can and the next step is on Wednesday.”
On the energy of the fans at Soldier Field tonight…
“It was a great, great atmosphere. The energy was really good to be honest, from the start, and even though we conceded the goal, they pushed us, and of course, that gave us a huge boost to continue and never give up. Also, thanks to the fans.”
Defender Miguel Navarro
On the depth of the squad…
“As I’ve said before here and on previous teams I’ve been on, there’s no such thing as subs and starters. Everyone during the week in training has to gain their spot and demonstrate it on the field in the game. That’s what gives a player confidence competing with your teammate for a spot but in the end, we all put our grain of salt to come together on the weekend and give it our all.”
On how the team adjusted throughout the adversity in the game…
“We never expected to go a man down for the majority of the game, especially that early in the game. But we talked within ourselves after they scored the first goal and we said, ‘Alright now we have to play a different game.’ We dropped our lines a little more and when we steal the ball and go on a counterattack, and create damage. Those were the words we said, we had to hold the defensive line and go on counterattacks.”
On the kid’s night theme and importance of the crowd…
“Very happy, happy for them as they get the chance to see a great show, a show that is the beautiful sport of soccer. I hope they had an amazing experience.”
