Chicago Fire 2:1 San Jose Earthquakes
RECAP
Veljko Paunović – Head Coach, Chicago Fire
If the team can make a push into a playoff spot:
“Like I said before we suffered and we are going to continue suffering in the next month or so. We still have to recover some players and that’s going to be helpful but definitely have a stretch of games that are coming one after the other. That’s going to be challenging for us. However, on the other hand I think we have sufficiency in all our minds still. The major challenge is going to be recovering our guys from game to game and hopefully not losing anyone, as we just mentioned McLain just got hurt and well see how long it’s going to be. In my eyes it doesn’t look good so we’ll see.
On the performance of Aleksandar Katai:
“I did see better from him but I also see lack of consistency in his game. Fantastic goal today but still I think he has more to give. I’m not happy with the performance, I’m not happy with the result. Especially with that play we conceded the goal. I’m not happy with how we treated our opponent and the outcome, the lack of seriousness, lack of professionalism. I told the guys and I’ll speak with them Monday, especially individuals will hear me out. I’m a competitor and if I see that someone is not competing in that locker room, you better change or you’re not going to be here. I’m very serious about this. What I saw in the last 15-20 minutes, I was sick, I was really sick. If that happens again, I’m not going to be here or somebody won’t be here. I’m saying this very, very clearly and they will hear from me.”
On the contributions of Alan Gordon:
“I’m very, very happy with his performance, he’s a fantastic professional, very direct and clear. We ask what he needs, he tells us ‘that’s fine, I need more, I need less, I don’t need anything.’ That’s how a veteran player and professional works. On the other hand, not only on the field and not only in his performance he’s playing his role as a veteran of the field. Guiding the youngsters and being an example and also giving his input on what we can do better and that’s something that I think we missed in the past but now we have it and we have to take care of it.”
Alan Gordon – Forward, Chicago Fire
On the win:
"Tonight, I thought we were a lot more aggressive and that's a big step in the right direction. Getting numbers forward is always important for us, so I like seeing that. Katai has been, in my opinion, he's been very, very good, and he's very dangerous; he adds a different dynamic to our offense, it's been nice to have him. Lucho coming in gives a lot of energy. Brandt Bronico tonight and last game has filled in and done a tremendous job. We've got a lot of guys contributing even with hurt bodies and that's a really good sign."
On scoring his first goal at Toyota Park:
"It's my first goal at home; it's special when you score at home, it gets the crowd involved. They were behind us tonight and that was important for us to close out the game."
Brandt Bronico – Midfielder, Chicago Fire
On his recent performances:
"I think they were good. Like I advertise, it's that 'grindset' that I advertise on Instagram and Twitter. But I just go out there and play my game; I play instinctively, I follow the strategy that Pauno gives us and stick to the game plan."
On the team's tenacity:
"I think the team showed a lot of character tonight. I know we were up 2-0 and them scoring the goal was kind of a letdown a little bit. But I thought we defended our box well and like I said, the team showed a lot of character to pull out the 2-1 win and huge three points for us."
On the consecutive starts:
"It says a lot. We just try to be ready, we train hard, we train with intensity, we just wait for our shot. I think it's important that we have a deep squad where guys like us can step in and we can still get the job done. It's extremely important to winning games."
