Chicago Fire FC fell 1-0 on the road to the Philadelphia Union on the road on Saturday night. Following the match, Head Coach Ezra Hendrickson and forward Kacper Przybyłko recapped the performance with members of the media. Read their quotes in full below.
Chicago Fire FC Head Coach Ezra Hendrickson
On how deflating it is to lose in the 90th minute after battling so hard for so long in the second half…
“Yeah, it was very deflating. The guys put in an effort tonight. We had a game plan. We came, I thought we executed well. We took some really early yellows in the first half that really changed the game. So I thought that was a big part of the game.
I think the second yellow for Fabi [Herbers] was probably deserved because he kind of lunged in a little bit there. The game was kind of decided in the first half as far as how we're able to play. We were not able to match their intensity and their grit. We know they are a team that they like to battle, so we wanted to come here and battle with them. We didn't want to just sit down and let them push us around, but when we pushed back, I thought the ref was very uneven with his calls tonight. Take for example, Kacper betting elbowed like that, and then [Jakob] Glesnes not even getting a yellow card. And whenever we made a foul, it seemed like he was quick to pull a yellow. We talked about it at halftime. We told the guys, listen, this ref is looking for a reason to throw one of us off, so let's just be careful, and unfortunately Fabi goes in late and he gets the second yellow.
But you know, we fought, even with nine men. It's a difficult place to play and when we're a man down it becomes even more difficult. I thought the guys stuck to the game plan. We got into two blocks of four with Kei [Kamara] up top. It was just trying to, you know, weather the storm but for 30, 35 minutes, it becomes almost impossible to do.”
On the status of Xherdan Shaqiri…
“I'm not sure yet but I think he was just starting to get a little tight in the hamstring. He put in the effort tonight. We dropped him back into the middle of midfield which is not a normal position for him, and with nine men, I think he just got a little fatigued there.
We just wanted to be cautious and make sure we get him off the pitch and get some fresh legs in. But hopefully he's all right. I don't think there's anything major, but just a little fatigue.”
On the status of Gastón Giménez…
“Gastón is fine. He was scheduled to just play 60 minutes tonight because we wanted to make sure we bring him back slowly.”
On whether it’s concerning to see discipline issues cropping up early in the season…
“As far as the discipline, you know, I have to look at Kei Kamara's second yellow again before I even speak on that because I didn't really get a clear view of that. But you know, the guys, they were getting pushed. Philly plays hard. They play rough, and the guys were asked to match that intensity, match that grit, and they did. So I don't think it was any discipline issues tonight. Unfortunately for us, we were the ones getting the yellow cards.
When you come into a place like this to play, you have to roll your sleeves up and you have to battle and I thought that's what the guys did tonight. Unfortunately, we took some yellows for that and one of them ended up getting a red card. So I don't see a discipline issue right now.”
On Jonny Dean’s performance in his Major League Soccer debut…
“Yeah, I thought he did well. He came into the game in a difficult circumstance where he's asked to play right mid. He's not a right mid. But I thought he did well. He's a guy, he has a big engine, so he was able to get up and down the field and really help us solidify the two blocks of four. He's a player that we're happy we have here. He's been doing really well. So putting him in that situation was not something that we were shy about doing, it just was a tough situation for him to come into, being on the road, being a man down like that, but I thought he did well when he came in."
Chicago Fire FC Forward Kacper Przybyłko
On how deflating it is to lose in the 90th minute after battling so hard for so long with 10 men in the second half…
“It’s devastating. It’s a devastating feeling just not to come out of here with at least a point. We did such a great job in the first half, especially with the new formation. It’s just tough. But I think we just need to keep our heads up and just look forward to the next game.”
On how he is feeling after taking a hard hit to the face…
“I don’t really know what else has to happen for someone to get a yellow card for fouling me. I got kicked in my ankle, the same situation as Miguel [Navarro] had when he got a yellow. I got elbowed in my face, that’s not even a yellow. I was bleeding from both (nostrils). I just have to keep my words right now because I’m really furious about the situation, especially in the first half, how we got yellow cards and how Philly did not. It’s always not an excuse to talk about the referees but I think today was not a good day for them. I just have to be fair about that. I just wish Philly a lot of good luck. They did a good job, it was a big fight for everybody. It’s just, I think a point would have been fair for everybody.”
On why he thinks tonight the Fire got the tougher whistle than Philadelphia…
“I don’t know. I can’t tell you. I have a big question mark, too. Let’s just look forward to the next game. I just have to really keep my words right now because it could end up a little bit bad for me, too.”
On what he thought about pairing with Kei Kamara after only working together for a couple weeks…
“I think we did really well. With this new formation, the short time, we really adjusted to it. We had great days at practice for, like, two or three days. We practiced a lot, we just looked at the options that we have and we knew that we were going to Philly where it was going to be a tough game against a good opponent so we just wanted to have a little bit more pressure up front and more options up front. We did a really, really good job in the first half. I think it was also a good game for every fan to watch the game. That first half was really good for both teams. We had our chances and then, unfortunately, one situation in the second half was just against our odds. But let’s keep up our head, that’s the most important. You know, you can always say, it’s the beginning of the season, it’s just the second game. It’s still devastating to lose a point here but at the end of the day, you can’t change it right now anymore, so let’s look forward to the next game and bring three points back home.”
