CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

March 27, 2024

Fabian Herbers

Press Conference

Q. You guys are playing on turf for the second straight game, and I think that's the first time in four years the Fire have done that. What kind of test is that for a soccer player's body to have to go possibly 180 minutes in eight days on an artificial turf surface?

FABIAN HERBERS: I mean, the teams that play it, do it week-in and week-out. I don't think it's too much of a load or too much of a difference to be honest.

Yes, it's a little bit different but I think especially Atlanta, and New England had a fairly new turf as well. I think turf fields are pretty good these days; that they are not as hard and as bad as they used to be in the past.

So I think on the body, it's an okay load. You know, but I don't think it differs too much as if you were to play on grass for 80 minutes.

Q. What's the worst turf field you ever played on, and what was that like?

FABIAN HERBERS: There's been some bad ones in Germany back in the days. I mean, it feels like you're playing on concrete. They just build on top of a parking lot or whatever. You know, it's not great. It's just super hard, and it doesn't really go deep. And then it's not great on your body. But when you're younger, you can still kind of manage it, when you about you're getting older as I am, it's not as nice.

Q. Luckily it sounds like the turf fields are better now.

FABIAN HERBERS: For sure.

Q. You get the captain's armband over the week. I'm just curious how that felt, how you felt you did as a leader on and off the pitch and preparation, and the emotions that go around with it because you've been with this club for a while.

FABIAN HERBERS: Yeah, that's true. I've been around quite a bit now. It felt good. It feels good to get the confidence from the coaching staff to lead the team.

Obviously for me, I didn't really do too much different. I try to lead by example out on the field. I try to, yeah, run and work hard every game and then try to play my game and try to direct the players in certain ways when it's depressing or when we do have the ball to find the gaps and find open passes.

So in terms of preparation or you know going about the game, I didn't really do too much different. But obviously it's an honor to be captain for this team, and you know, unfortunately we couldn't get the win but it was all right.

Q. Last game we saw you as a number ten. We've seen you in pretty much every position on the field except for center back and goalie. At this point in time, and I know we've asked this in the past, but at this point in time what would you say is your best and favorite position?

FABIAN HERBERS: Probably in the moment, it's the eight, you know, where I can work both ways, you know, defensively, offensively, and I think as an eight, you have a little bit more space to operate.

I'm a guy that obviously works hard defensively but also likes to play and have the ball, and I think the eight, it's a good position for me to represent what.

When I'm at the ten, I'm a little bit higher up the field, so you don't really go backwards as far or defend as much. You try to press on the high line. But then when the balls pass, you don't really comeback too much.

Yeah, I think the eight I like the most at the moment, but again if the coach needs me somewhere else, I'm always happy to help out and go about my business and try to help the team.

Q. Continuing on the last question, playing as an eight, you've most likely done that this season playing next to Kellyn Acosta so far. How does playing with Kellyn make your job in that role easier and how would you describe just the experience of playing next to him in that pivot?

FABIAN HERBERS: He's a great player. I think he's a guy that works hard both ways as well but he's a guy that's really good and comfortable with the ball. He can get the first pass from the center backs, you know, to help the team build up, and then my job is to then get -- try to find the second ball or when the ball goes vertical to the striker or to the ten to come underneath and then help out.

And I think Kellyn is a very experienced guy, super humble, and you know, just class on the ball and defensively as well, he helps the team a lot. I think he's a really good player and I think we complement each other pretty well in that position because he comes, like I said, he's the first man available for the center backs to pass the ball to, and I'm then kind of the second option once the ball goes up.

Q. You are one of the players who at least on pitch looks like has really started to connect well with Hugo. Curious how having that kind of goal-scorer, clinical finisher is helping you, because you would have had a second assist already on the year if the one in Columbus is two inches further to the right and doesn't bounce off the post. Curious how that's been and with the goal you assisted him with last weekend?

FABIAN HERBERS: Yeah, we had a good sort of counterattack. It was a transition where Haile-Selassie played me through, and I saw him wide open in the box. And yeah, he had a clean finish, so that was good. He's a finisher. He has a good track record scoring goals.

So you know, I trust and we as a team have to trust that he puts the ball in the back of the net, and I think he's starting to do that which obviously helps us as a team. And hopefully he can score many more goals and try to have a lot of those clean finishes to get more wins and more points down the road.