Quote Sheet:
Chicago Fire 2 – 2 Club Santos Laguna
Toyota Park – Sept. 8, 2012
Chicago Fire Head Coach Frank Klopas
Thoughts on the match…
“Obviously I was happy. I wanted to get certain things out of the game and obviously you walk away and the good thing is a lot of guys got some valuable minutes which is good. Showed me where certain guys are at this point and obviously it was a good second half for the group. We played a very good team and scored two goals so what I wanted to see and what we wanted to get out of the game was good. So I think we got what we wanted; we walked away with no injuries guys, got valuable minutes to play and it’s good to see guys being sharp. Obviously good to see Corben [Bone], the way he played this game and obviously scored a very good goal and I think that’s important for guys that haven’t gotten enough minutes to see that they’re in good form and ready to step in and help the team.”
On the aggressive second half and on Alex’s injury…
“Yeah, it was just a cramp. The second half was better. A lot of guys that haven’t played as much, I think getting the first 45 minutes under their feet and they got more into the game. A lot of guys that haven’t played together and I think it took a little bit of time. But in the second half I thought we were aggressive and it was good obviously to score two goals the way that we did but also we had some good moments in the game that we played well.”
On the performance of the younger players…
“It was good for those guys to get minutes and to play. Obviously I know where they are at this point. When you don’t play it’s very difficult. We were playing a very good team. The speed of the game was very fast. You’re playing against a good team with technical players so I think it was good. I thought that those guys did well for players that haven’t played a lot during the season. It’s never easy. Training and playing games is two different things but I think they guys gave everything they had.”
On experimenting with the positioning of different players…
“I think we had players that have the flexibility to play in different roles. I wanted to make sure that I was able to rest certain guys today. I think we moved guys around a little bit from the first half to the second half. We do have players that have the flexibility to play in different spots which is a good thing.”
On the fitness level of MacDonald…
“I think it was important for him to play at least 45 minutes and to continue because he hasn’t had a pre-season and he’s behind the rest of the guys so for him, he needed to play. We wanted to get 45 minutes out of him and certain guys we needed to push more. I think it was good. He’s going through a period right now, you can see from the last game that he was a little bit tired which is normal because he’s getting the fatigue out of his body and the continuity is important and it’ll help him.”
Corben Bone, Chicago Fire Midfielder
On the importance of performing well in the second half…
“It was our first 45 for guys who haven’t played much so it was kind of a new experience. Training and playing in a game like that is way different. The first 45 I think was pretty eye-opening for us as a group. And as the second half came I felt like the team was more comfortable playing with each other. I think the ball moved a little better in the second half. The transition from the first half to the second half was good.”
Victor Pineda, Chicago Fire Midfielder
On starting the match…
“It was good. I felt pretty ready for it. I thought I was going to be a little more nervous than I was. I felt good. I thought the team and myself did a lot better in the second half. We started a lot slower than we wanted to in the first half and we gave up easy goals but I think it’s good that we got after it the second half and we won the second half, which was our goal.”
On the competition…
“It’s definitely not something we’re used to. It’s a different style of play. They’re a lot more technical than the teams we play here. It was a great competition.”
Michael Videira, Chicago Fire Defender
Thoughts on the game and the level of play on the field…
“They’re definitely a great team. They brought a lot of energy to the game. They’re a very skillful group of guys. It was interesting to play them compared to MLS teams. Their movements are very involved. It took us a little time to adjust to what they were doing, especially for me and the other defenders. During the first half I think we were getting accustomed to the way they were playing against us and their tactics. By the second half we figured them out better and were able to press a little more, and with that came some chances and we put them away.”
Tony Walls, Chicago Fire Defender/Midfielder
On the defensive strategy against Santos Laguna…
“We knew they were going to be good with the ball and it was important to stay compact defensively and stay tight and I think we did that.”
On the difference in playing defense versus playing in the midfield…
“It’s a little different because in the midfield you get the ball with your back to goal and a guy coming on, but in terms of my mentality, it’s not really any different. I’m just coming out and every time I get on the field it’s an opportunity, so I just try to make the most of it.”
Club Santos Laguna Head Coach Benjamín Galindo
On what it meant to play against the Chicago Fire…
“It was a very intense game. There were not 3 points in play but Santos always goes to the field with the same mentality. We came to Chicago with the intention of winning the game and I am sure that the people that came saw a great match.”
On the performances of his team and of the Fire…
“We knew that the Fire had good and experience players and I think the performance of my team was more than fine. We played with a young team with guys that are pushing real hard for a spot in the first team and it was good to give them playing minutes.”
Thoughts on the Fire players…
”They have players that although they didn’t play the whole game were very interesting players.”
His expectations for Santos this season…
“We want to win the championship once again.”
Daniel Ludueña, Club Santos Laguna Midfielder
Thoughts on playing against the Fire…
“I thought it was good. We knew that we were not coming with the complete roster but it was good for the team because it helped us to continue to be active in this week without official soccer. We had a few young teammates that were able to play and I think it was a very entertaining game and both teams gave a good show for the people in the stands.”
On how he felt physically during the match…
“Fine. It is important to remain active in a competitive way. So I am happy that I was able to play some minutes.”
On his expectations for Santos after their championship season…
“The same. Santos doesn’t have any other way to play or to compete. At minimum, it is expected that we fight for a spot in the playoffs and try to get a back-to-back championship. The last one was not easy and we are not expecting that this one will be any different. We are looking forward to see what will happen this season.”
