CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 2, 2020

Bobby Shuttleworth

Press Conference

Q. Starting tomorrow, you have a lot of games in not all that much time. What kind of a challenge is that for the team in general and what kind of challenge is that for you personally?

BOBBY SHUTTLEWORTH: It's a difficult stretch. Like you said it's a lot of games in a very short period of time. That being said, that's why you have a full squad and why you have a whole team of players, and you know, we are going to try to take it one game at a time and continue to try to move up the table and ensure that we are in those playoff spots and not look past Montreal at the moment, and after that game, hopefully get points there and then take it from there.

Q. How do you approach this game with Montreal? Does it feel like a normal road game or a neutral site game to you?

BOBBY SHUTTLEWORTH: I think it's going to be a difficult game. I think it does feel like a road game just because of the travel and all that stuff, especially traveling on the day of the game. I think it does feel like a road game and I think they present a lot of problems. They have a lot of good attacking pieces.

I think we are going to have to be locked in and keep a good shape and try to communicate well and limit their chances as much as possible and hopefully put in a good performance that results in us getting points.

Q. I'm sure you saw the news that Mason Toye has joined Montreal. He's a guy that you spent time with playing together in Minnesota what challenge does he present for forwards and for defense and you as goalkeeper?

BOBBY SHUTTLEWORTH: I think spent a lot of time with him, and I think he grew as player and a person in just a very short period of time. He works hard and I think he's got pace, he's physical, he's willing to put his body there and he can pick up good spots. He's good with both feet.

So yeah, I think he's got a bright future in front of him, and if he continues to work hard, obviously he's in a great place there now, and you know, I'm not sure if he's going to be part of the squad or play whatever, but if he is, obviously we have to -- like I said, communicate well and pick up good spots and try to win our chances.

Q. From a player's perspective, how comfortable are you guys with the aspect of same-day travel, especially with three of your next four being on the road?

BOBBY SHUTTLEWORTH: It's something we are semi-used to now. It's not ideal for anyone but every team in the league is having to do this and it's not just us, so it's not an excuse for anyone, really. It's something you've got to just kind of get beyond and get your mind around, and once the game starts, all that kind of stuff has to go away and the biggest focus is trying to put in a performance that gets you points. That's it at the end of the day.

Q. The club announced today that the option to be picked up for Calvo, among the rest of the group, you and he go back to Minnesota. What is it like with him and the locker room as captain?

BOBBY SHUTTLEWORTH: I can't say enough good things about Francisco. I think he's a great leader. He's obviously a very good player. I think he's the type of guy that he leads with a good attitude, but also he's willing to listen and he learns and you know, if you try to have a conversation with him, he's going to listen and take it all in, and I think that is big for someone who is taking up a leadership role in this locker room and important for especially younger players to see that kind of attitude and see the work that he puts in.

I mean, he's a Costa Rican International, and he is one of the guys coming in and training every day and is working the hardest. So I think that kind of says a lot, and that kind of stuff is contagious throughout a locker room that this guy, he has played in this amount of games and played in a World Cup and coming in and training every day and grinding, you don't really have a choice: You're either grinding or you're not going to play.

I think it's important for the club that he continues to be here and yeah, like I said, I can't say enough good things about him.

Q. Just to go back a little bit to my first question, all these games in a short amount of time what challenge is that for a goalie specifically in a short amount of time?

BOBBY SHUTTLEWORTH: Yeah, it's tough for everyone. It's a lot of games in a short period of time and it's play a game and then you have one would or three days later, so it's kind of, for me personally, being 33 years old, it's making sure my body is in a good place where I feel physically able to do my job the best that I can.

So I think for me personally in this stretch of games, I want to put in a good playoff and then recover and maintain and do all the maintenance that I need to do physically in order to keep myself physically prepared in order to be locked in for a game two or three days later, which isn't too dissimilar to what a lot of these players have to do.

It's just as an older guy, you have to really, really maintain focus on that kind of stuff because if you fall behind, then it's difficult to physically get yourself in a position where you feel fully ready to try to put in a top, top performance.