CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

June 23, 2021

Raphael Wicky

Press Conference

Cincinnati 1, Chicago Fire 0

Q. (Off mic.)

RAPHAEL WICKY: That's out of my control. Obviously a late push here, my staff with the players, I know we are going to have results but this question you have to ask not to me. There's always pressure and obviously, yeah, there's no arguments. The only thing I can say is that I'm a here, 100 percent committed. I go every day to work hard. We work hard for our staff and yeah, that's all I can say.

Q. Towards the end of the game, there were fans cheering --

RAPHAEL WICKY: I appreciate all the fans who support the team who push the team to good performances and they come over many years, and I know how this works. I've been playing and coaching 15 years -- I know the results. I don't have arguments. I am responsible for this so there is not much I can say to that. I just say thanks to the fans who always come to the ga,e and who came to support the team.

Q. How do you feel about your players? Are they still buying into what you're saying? Are still listening to you? Are they still behind you?

RAPHAEL WICKY: I see the second half, I still believe that. I believe that. I think the second half was much better. It was -- second half we had a lot of chances and I think the players fought until the end. We can see that. So yes, I think first half we were not good. The confidence level was low and you could see that. But their reaction in the second half was much better.

Q. It just seems that there's this very unlucky combination of heartbreak with the goals being called back and mistakes being made and the ball not going in the net is unexplainable at times. Have you ever gone through this type of, for lack of a better term, a dry spell as a manager?

RAPHAEL WICKY: No, I have not.

Q. On Saturday you were questioning the team's passion and urgency; how concerning is it that that could maybe be becoming a trend?

RAPHAEL WICKY: Well, I don't think in the first half we were -- or had a lack of passion. We gave up a lot of easy goals. I think after the first one, two mistakes, we could see that the confidence level of the players drops and we still wanted to play football, which means, yes, we play out of the back because that's what we do since I'm here but then we had way too many mistakes and then the confidence level -- when you are in a bad place, players are humans and they start doubting. I think that's the reason why the first half we couldn't create anything and we gave up so many chances. But it's not today lack of passion.

Q. There are many games with the rotations you did, if the rotations are because some players are tired?

RAPHAEL WICKY: For me right now -- this is not the moment to be tired. We are just starting to have a game on Saturday and then today and on Saturday. If that happens for many, many weeks -- we have players who are tired. Right now there is no reason for that. You should be able to -- and you have to as an athlete to be able to perform three games in a week.

Q. I know it's hard hearing from a couple of the players here, how do you look forward and how do you change something like this if there's a way to do it as you look forward to Philadelphia, what's the next step?

RAPHAEL WICKY: Like I said, right now it's all in the head. It's the confidence level. So part of my job is to give instruction on how to play. We have seen a good second half. You have seen loads of chances. Right now my job and the job of my staff is to lift them up and give them confidence and show that we believe in them. Right now when they are on the bottom and on the ground, they are feeling bad. They don't need to hit anything. That's part of my job. It's a short turnaround on Saturday and there's recovery and play again and you have to lift them up and prepare for the next game.