The Chicago Fire fell to reigning MLS Cup champs NYCFC on Sunday at Citi Field, 1-0.
Hear from head coach Ezra Hendrickson and forward Kacper Przybyłko:
Chicago Fire FC Head Coach Ezra Hendrickson
On the team’s performance today…
“Well, I didn't think this was one of our better performances this year. Normally, even in our losses, our previous losses, I thought, you know, we were in the game a bit. But I thought tonight, we just -- we turned the ball over a lot and we were forced to defend a lot and that's very difficult to do, and in these conditions, that type of hot weather, it becomes difficult for you. So I thought we suffered from that.”
On what he thought of the hand ball…
“I haven't seen it yet. So I can't really comment on it but it's a difficult one. What I do think is that he got pushed in the back a little bit, and when you get pushed like that, your body just naturally, your arms go up like that and I don't think he was trying to put his hand up to stop the ball from going towards the goal. But the call was made and here we are.”
On how Gabriel Slonina responded to his last couple of games and what the situation was with Xherdan Shaqiri and Sean Johnson after the match…
“I thought Gaga responded well. He was called upon a couple times and he had some good saves, but we expected that. He's just 18 and we know that he's a very good goalkeeper and we expected that he would rebound this way.
“As far as Sean and Shaq, I don't really know what was happening. I just saw them kind of jarring at each other, so I just went over there to try to break it up. I'm not sure what transpired or why they were going at each other.”
Chicago Fire FC Forward Kacper Przybyłko
On what the team can do to get the attack going again…
“For right now, it's mental, I think right now. I think it feels like we lose a little bit of confidence. So we need to push each other, like, for the next week, you know, be more positive with each other. But yeah, today was not a good game. I think we need to move a little bit more of the ball. We need, obviously, also more movement without the ball. But right now, think it's a mental thing.”
On what it will take to beat Toronto on Saturday…
“That's a very good question. First of all, I think we need to analyze the game. We are going to do that in the next days and then we need to analyze, also, Toronto. I haven't watched many games from Toronto.
But like I said, mentally think and need to stay still positive because we are better than that, I know that for sure. It was a tough loss again, with this one penalty call. Other than that, yeah, we will work on that.”
On how the team fends off negativity when the results haven’t been there…
“Just like I said, we need to turn over, we need to think and talk to each other and be very honest, I think that's the most important.
Right now it seems like everyone is defending himself. We are a team. We have to go through it together and it starts in the back and goes up to the front, to me. Today was not good enough from everyone. So we need to be first of all honest with each other. You know, get our confidence back because we really are not doing, like, that bad. So I think right now we need to have, like, a big talk and be honest with each other, and then stay positive and then work our ass off because it's not good enough, you know, from everyone, and especially we have to work our asses off for the team and for the Club.”
