Postmatch Quotes
Chicago Fire 1:3 New York City FC
Match Recap
Chicago Fire FC Head Coach Raphael Wicky
On Connor Sparrow’s performance in his first start…
“Look, I think we told him, just play your game. Don't overthink. Try to enjoy. And I think he started well. He started well with that big save after two or three minutes. I think that gives him confidence, and we also told him, look, if you feel like you have to play long, then go long. It's your first game. New York City is a team who presses, so I think he took many times good decisions, and all the rest I have to see and speak with the goalkeeper coach. I think the big save in the first two minutes gave him some confidence, and that's good.”
On the team’s performance…
“I think especially first off, I saw -- again, we know New York City, they are a good team. They are always creating. I think we saw a good 45 minutes where we created quite a lot of chances again, but we have to be clinical. It was good that we came back just before halftime, but we could have scored minimum one, if not two before, and yeah, those are -- again, those are the key moments. But I think the first 45, we had very good moments in possession where we created and we let them move as well. We knew they are a good team. They like possession -- if you can move as well, you can create.”
“We concede 2-1 which is an easy goal again. Maybe I have to watch it again. Maybe Connor can do a little bit better, but we are not going to start blaming one player, because it's too easy he gets a shot there. But there's a key moment, the game -- the key moment I think is a chance for Elliot. Elliot has this big chance to equalize, and the other side, we concede the 3-1, and then to be fair, with the 3-1, I think our legs are getting heavier, heavier, we tried to make some stops. We have very young subs coming in. So, it is what it is. The end of the day, we have to take the positive, which is we create a lot and we talk again about the same thing. We gave up too many easy goals.”
On what New York City FC did in the second half to take control of the game…
“Well, I think they were a little bit better in possession. They kept the ball better. We were not as aggressive as we were the first half and then obviously we concede quite quickly the second goal, which in these temperatures, with traveling the same day and all of that, it's not easy when you concede them.”
“But like I said, I mean what did they do better I think at the end of the game, you always have key moments. And for me, the key moments for me is we don't equalize that big chance from Elliot, and then on the other side, I think right directly, or a little moment like today, they scored their chance. I think that's the big difference. And then they kept the ball, and then like I said before, our legs were heavy and it was difficult to move together and pressure them together because if you don't pressure them, if you just give them the ball, New York City is a very good team.”
On the impact of CJ Sapong’s absence on the team’s offensive options…
“Yeah, look, that's a personal -- obviously CJ is gone for personal reasons and we fully support him there.”
“Yeah, it's a big impact. CJ is a proven goal scorer in this league, a veteran who we all know is quality. Of course we miss CJ. Like I always say, I'm trying to focus on the players who are here, but of course we miss CJ, of course.”
Chicago Fire FC Defender Mauricio Pineda
On his goal…
“Yeah, I think it was a corner kick that we've worked on a lot. I find myself in that same spot often. Just have to be ready for when that flick on the first post comes in, and luckily Calvo got ahead of the defender and got that flick into that back post spot, and I was just there to tap it in.”
On the conversation within the team regarding the protests for social justice…
“I think we talked about it a lot as a team. I think the leadership group kind of took charge of that, and discussing that as a team and what we wanted to do together.”
On NYCFC’s opening goal…
“Yeah, I think that first goal was on me. I tried to kind of step up a little bit and get him to be offside. I probably should have just kept running with him. Yeah, I took the blame for that first goal and I should have done better on that.”
On the challenges of playing with a different keeper from one week to another…
“I don't think it changes too much. I think every goalkeeper that's stepped up has been pretty consistent, so it makes it easier for us as a back line to rely on whoever is in goal, whether it's Kenny (Kronholm), Bobby (Shuttleworth) or Connor (Sparrow) today. I think they have all been really good and consistent, prepared to play when they had to step up. They make it pretty easy for us, I would say.”
Chicago Fire FC Forward Ignacio Aliseda
On stepping up and becoming a bigger part of the team…
“Yes, I really feel like I've become a greater part of the team. My teammates have really helped me and brought me into the group a little bit more, and the technical staff has shown a lot of confidence in me, so I think I really feel like we're coming together as a group and it was just the couple details that had made us lose the game today.”
On the adjustment period since moving to Chicago…
“Yeah, at first it was very difficult. You know, you're coming into a new country without knowing the language, without knowing the traditions or the customs of the country. It was hard to be around people where not a lot of people spoke the same language I did. And it was hard for me, I think even in Orlando it was hard for me. But then I came back here and I put my head down and got it into my mind that I was going to try my best to be better for the Club and work hard for the Club, and I think that's where putting my head down is what's going to help me and what is going to be better for the Club.”
On his preferred position on the field…
“Yeah, I like to be in the midfield better, in the middle. I feel like I'm more involved in the game. I think I'm more comfortable in the middle, and I feel like I can give more to the team. I can bring more than being on the right or the left wing.”
On forming a good on-field relationship with Robert Berić despite both being new to the team and the language barrier…
“It is a little bit difficult not speaking the same language, because you're trying to figure things out on the field and give indications and figure out what they are trying to tell you, and knowing what he's trying to tell me. It's not the same as being able to understand your teammate when he's giving you directions. But I think it's been pretty easy because we are both good players, and definitely I need to learn more English so that I can understand what he's telling me and we can continue to develop that relationship on the field.”
