Chicago Fire 1:1 New York City FC
Quote Sheet
Recap
Veljko Paunovic, Chicago Fire Head Coach
On Michael de Leeuw’s injury
“First of all, Michael’s injury doesn’t look good so the whole locker room is actually feeling for that situation right now. It’s not good, Michael will have to do an MRI tomorrow to see what the diagnosis of his injury but it doesn’t look good, so everyone is a little concerned.”
On how the team feels tonight compared to the result against the Red Bulls on Sept. 9
“We never said, however long ago it was, that we celebrated the tie against Red Bull’s as a victory. So that’s not correct. Today obviously we don’t feel good about the tie. We think we played a good game but Michael’s injury was very hard moment in the game for us and we couldn’t adjust to what we needed for the rest of the game which was pace and everything that he was doing. I also think we pushed hard, the guys did a great job in showing the fantastic character today in front of our crowd. However, we are not happy obviously with the point. But we have to move forward, we have two weeks to prepare for the match against Philadelphia. We have two more games now and we will first recover and look to winning all six points. That’s easy to say but not easy to do, but were a confident team especially with this momentum that were building for the next two games and then the playoffs.”
On Bastian Schweinsteiger’s return from injury
“I think we earned a good point and he did well when he came in. I think it was very important for him to get minutes today and we will work the next couple of weeks to improve his fitness so he’s ready to start and we are very confident that he’s progressing well.”
On David Accam’s performance
“Well, David wasn’t planned to play the full game, not even the minutes he had. Especially when we made the decision to substitute him. He didn’t do anything wrong I think he pushed hard like the rest of the guys. But, we had a plan that we had to adjust the playing time for him. We wanted to give him some time to recover and rest and get ready for the coming games and the playoff push so we just have to stick to our plan. Obviously, Michael’s injury changed our plans a little bit but I think we could manage properly you know at the end of the game make the substitutions we needed in order to keep our team balanced and competitive.”
On the performance of Nemanja Nikolic
“Of course, for goal scorers it’s important to score goals but you just have to see how he’s working for the team, that’s what makes me happy. When you have both of those things on the same page that’s the performance you need and what the team needs. We’re looking to build off this moment, I may sound a little disappointed but for me the most difficult thing right now is Michael’s injury. But we have to know the Chicago Fire are in a good spot, we have to be proud of this group and the achievement of getting into the playoffs. We also know we haven’t done anything yet but, haven’t won, but that’s our goal, to build our momentum. Today it was a little hard luck but it’s a very good moment for the club and the team. The team is building the momentum we need for the playoffs.”
On starting Matt Lampson in goal after utilizing Richard Sanchez against San Jose
“Well first yes, we want to give Lampson a moment to rest and prepare for this game. I think he did fantastic today. We also wanted to give the opportunity to Richard and he is very good during the time he’s been with us. He hasn’t been with us long but we felt that was a great opportunity for him. I think it worked very well and we will see from now. Obviously it helps the team to know that we have Richard who’s ready if the team needs him to step in. It helps the team to have guys like Campbell, Drew Conner, whoever is coming from not playing or whoever gets the opportunity. From now on we’re going to evaluate what’s the best thing for the team and how everyone is performing during the week like we did always and we will make the decision. It is very important that we have that competitiveness within our team.”
Luis Solignac, Chicago Fire Forward
On the performance
"I think overall we did a smart game, a good game. We knew it was going to be a tough game and everybody saw it. Maybe it was worrying in some parts of the game because both of the teams weren't sharp in the last third. At least they did not take the three points at home, we still have chances to get to the second and third place in the table, so we'll keep fighting for that."
On the upcoming international break
"I think we have learned from the last break that when we came back, we weren't sharp enough; we lost so many games in a row, so I think everybody now understands the situation, the urgency. I think we're going to be training harder, sharper because now it is very important not only the two games, but we are already in the playoff and we focus also on that."
On relaxing after clinching a playoff spot
"I don't think so. I could say we are relaxed the day they come here and we score three goals. I think we fought until the end, we showed that we were ready. As I said before, maybe we missed in the final third, but also three days in a row it wasn't easy so we are tired, both of us, maybe why we weren't sharp enough making decisions, especially at the end. But I don't think we were relaxed at all."
On improvements to be made before the playoffs
"I think we have to get back into the game we did in San Jose, it was a perfect example to build on. We sharpen with a killer instinct in the final third, take the chances, I think that's our focus. Keep it organized and keep our minds in the right way, that it's win these two games to get in the best shape to the playoffs."
Bastian Schweinsteiger, Chicago Fire Midfielder
On entering the game as a second half substitute
"Weird because I was not used to it. I actually only trained once with the team. But I felt okay, and now we have two weeks until the next game so it's perfect to get back into rhythm. It was a great reception from the stands. Thank you to all the people who came tonight."
On his match fitness
"My last game was three weeks ago against Montreal and I was not training so much in between because I still had the injury with the calf, a little bit tight over there. I can't say exactly where I am but not 100% because for that I need more training sessions and that's why it's good to have two weeks where I can really go for it and train very intense, and to get ready for the last two matches and also the playoffs."
On the overall performance
"I think we were actually the better team. We had very good chances in the first half. Obviously New York City is also a good team; when we played over there, they were very strong. Definitely one of the best teams in the league and let's see if we're going to play against them again."
On looking ahead to the playoffs
"When we play actually that kind of game which our coach wants us to play, we can win against any team. It's possible, we have a very good squad. Every player wants to play, every player is ready to go for it and we believe in ourselves. I think we are also very excited to play playoffs, I think last time was seven years ago. I never had actually in my life playoffs. If you call it in the Champions League playoffs, then I played it quite a lot, but it's the first time here so I'm looking forward to it."
On Michael de Leeuw's injury
"It's very sad. You could see that it was a big injury, it was quite bad. I wish him all the best, he wasn't in good shape, he's always working very, very hard for the team and we need this kind of attitude in our game. It's hard for us, we only can wish him all the best."
