CHICAGO (June 15, 2023) – Chicago Fire FC II (4-5-4-0) shut out Orlando City B (7-5-2-1) 1-0 Thursday night at SeatGeek Stadium. A lone header by Charlie Ostrem was enough for the Fire in a stalwart defensive effort. The result pushed Chicago up to ninth place in the Eastern Conference with action yet to follow in the weekend.
Following the conclusion of the match, Chicago Fire FC II Head Coach Ludovic Taillandier, defender Charlie Ostrem and goalkeeper Jeff Gal shared their thoughts on the clean sheet victory.
Chicago Fire FC II Head Coach Ludovic Taillandier
On the difference between two halves…
“It's a full performance but it's two very different halves. We felt we had a little more control in the first half. Maybe a little bit of, I would not say, panic, but when you are about to win, you can get a little bit anxious. The players lost a little bit of control in the second half, especially, we were not able to possess the ball enough to deal and to manage the rhythm of the game. Then it became some waves. But we were able to suffer together and that's a very good adjustment, I would say, compared to a few games ago. We were not always able to do those things, to be able to defend our half, to be driving and to get the results.
I'm very happy for the players, they deserve that. We put together good games in general and we were not always rewarded with some points. This time, we have the three points, we are very happy.”
On the improved discipline displayed by the team…
“Oh, yeah, no, that's great. There were maybe some moments where we could have been carded. But again, it's always the same, you want your players to control their emotions, of course, but you also want your players to fight very hard. And it's never too easy to find the happy medium here. But I think the worst would be a team that doesn't commit. Our players commit; they need to learn how to stay on the bright side and to not fall over the edge in terms of losing control of their emotions. And I think today, it was, on this aspect, better than the last games."
On maintaining a high press against Orlando…"Yeah, we wanted to press very high on the field because we knew that they would try to break our pressing from their box – you know, they build from the back pretty well. Then it was a challenge, their build-up against our press. In general, I think their players are players– I mean, there were some turnovers in the first half, we could have used them a little better to finalize and maybe score a little more in the first half. And after, it's the capacity of the players to, like you said, to press up there but to be able to recover and to defend also with numbers in our half. On the physical side of things, I felt we were pretty sharp."
Chicago Fire FC II Defender Charlie Ostrem
On his performance and if he is playing with a new confidence…
“Yeah, it feels like it's all coming together but, another game in two days so we gotta get back on it and win another game. I mean, that's the goal..”
On the physical battle and mentality to never give up…
“Yeah, we train really hard every week and it's not just the physical component, it's the mental component to know that you can do it and that's hard to build early in the year but as the season goes on, you get more confident in your fitness and your body gets easier.”
On how he was able to find a goal…
“Yeah, I had a similar chance against Orlando last year that I totally missed. So, this year getting that in, it felt great. Jonny played a beautiful ball. And we talked about before the game, if one of us crosses it, we have to get to the back post as an outside back .”
On what he’s learned playing alongside Jonathan Dean …
“I really respect Johnny. He's a great player, he's grinded throughout his career. And it's not given to all of us, if you work hard, you see what happens.”
On how he is feeling and how he is building his confidence…
“Yeah I feel great. My family from Hawaii is in town too. So getting a goal for them felt really good.”
Chicago Fire FC II Goalkeeper Jeff Gal
On his thoughts about the team's performance and registering a clean sheet…
“A good performance from the boys ,much needed. So hopefully this is a good stepping stone to build off of.”
On being able to grind out a result and get three points…
“No, I'm really proud of the guys. I thought we defended really well. They had a few chances in the second half but like you said, grinding it out to win. It's not easy, getting pushed back at times, but I thought the guys came out with a lot of energy today and they performed well.”
On how the result can help build onto the road game against Philadelphia Union II…
“I think it does a lot for us, especially with a clean sheet. Guys will come into the next game wanting more and that's the way it should be.”
