CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

April 17, 2025

Carlos Teran

Press Conference

Q. Curious, you played a full 90 against Miami and put up a very good performance. How can you use that to springboard your season into having the type of season you want to have?

CARLOS TERÁN: Well, Miami is -- it was a different game. It was a different game because Miami played a little bit different than other teams in the MLS. It was a more concentration game than performance. But yeah, I think we worked -- if we play very well, everything is not only Miami because MLS we don't have easy games.

So it's normally for us, play well with Miami or with Cincinnati or any team because we are working, on the field, we play our game.

Q. So far at Soldier Field this season, the team has three could draws, undefeated but no wins. How important is it on Saturday to try to get that first win in front of the home crowd and the fans?

CARLOS TERÁN: Yeah, especially for the fans and for us, don't win in Soldier Field this year because it's our home and we prepare for Soldier Field. It's been difficult, we don't do well at home but now we have a new game and when we win -- because it's our home -- it's our fans.

So we are working for that -- we have a lot of motivation for playing in Chicago because we know now the team is very well performing. We play good. We want to win every game, not only Soldier Field but in all the stadiums because you win in the MLS, you want to win every game. But especially in our home, we need more strong.

Because normally, it's the other team come to Chicago and win one point, that isn't normal for us.

This Saturday, we need to do our best for the fans because they try to go to the games, they help the team with their support. We need to win Saturday because it's very important for us and for our confidence and for the fans.

Q. After having such a tough great game against Inter Miami, how did you keep that motivation to keep trying every game and what did you talk about with Messi? During the game you guys were talking ask going at it but after it seem like everything was great.

CARLOS TERÁN: For us, we are very intense. We are a very intense group and that's very important for us. That's important from Gregg. He demands a lot of us and he demands us to be focused and intense throughout the games and throughout the season. We've shown that on the field and off the field. We've shown that we have to keep that intensity because we gain results from it.

And the game against Miami was a good one because that was our first shutout. So we were able to stop them from scoring goals and as I defense that's really good for us. That's our goal. Everybody on the field has goals and the forwards try to score as many goals as we can.

And the defenders, we try to stop them and keep the score at zero as much as possible. So we work on that, and he with want to get that shutout not only against Miami and Messi but against every team that we face.

So that's my job. That's what I need to do as a defender and that makes me happy because we always want to do that whether it's on training, whether it's in the games, that's my job.

And about Messi, it was a very interesting game because you have a lot of respect for him. He's the best player in the world, well, for some people he is. For other people, he isn't.

During the game, there's always going to be like little things here or there. You're going hard, and you respect him outside of the game. But on the field you have to try to be better for him. At least for me, I had to try to beat him and be better than him because that's what we're out there to do.

At the end of the day, we're all human and what you leave on the field, you also have to respect each other as human beings outside of the field because we really enjoy what we do.

So we have to treat everyone with the respect that they deserve, not just Messi but everyone who is around you, the people on the street and the people at work.

So you don't say like bad things but you do have to recognize that you're enjoying what you do, and keep doing that moving forward and enjoy the whole spectacle of it.

Q. Obviously a new addition to the center back this season is Jack Elliott. What have you learned as a defender getting to play next to him, especially these last couple weeks, being in the starting lineup next to him?

CARLOS TERÁN: Oh, Jack is amazing. He is amazing. He's very good, very good person. Are he helped -- he doesn't speak a lot -- he's a little bit -- his attitude, you feel he wants to help you. Because normally, it's not -- he is not like the person, they say, oh, do this, do that.

He do the work. Yesterday, he said, do that like I do. So he's a good person, good player, very good player, good captain. Yeah, not only me, we love, everybody, love him. He's a very smart guy. He's a very good person. With his experience, we told him, you have it all because he is very funny every time. We have a very good person in this team. We have a very good person. We understand -- everybody understand what he want about him.

So not only Jack, we have a good person in the defense. We are more friends than teammates.

Q. We saw you with a Colombian singer on the weekend. I want to know if you know, you were voted the most dressed up last year. You have some competition this year with Kellyn and Maren. I don't know if you noticed that.

CARLOS TERÁN: No, no, they are models. I said in the broadcast, they are models. They have very good style. I don't want to be in competition with that because I don't mind how to use -- for me, it's okay, t-shirt and shorts. I don't want that competition because I'm going to lose.

But he's a good person. We had that opportunity with Guti, speak with his teammates and they are very good person. They are from Columbia. In Columbia, everybody is the same. Everybody the same. Everybody has a good energy, good vibe for speak with the people.

I enjoy the music normally. I'm from Columbia, too. I listen her music. I like it.

Yeah, it's a good week. We won points on Soldier Field. This is soccer, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose and sometimes you tie. And the opportunity we tie, we can't cry about the past.

After the game, it was fun. Had a little bit of demonstration -- because you when play with Messi, you will have attention every game. Yeah, it was good. It was a good week, and enjoy the work, enjoy my life, because the life is good, I'm happy in Chicago, in the city, in the team. I love this team. I love the idea. It was for me, it was very important, but the idea we come to Chicago, see Chicago Fire, and for us, it's very good.