CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

May 17, 2025

Philip Zinckernagel

Press Conference

Chicago Fire FC 4, Charlotte FC 1

Q. What does it do for this group to get a four-goal win on the road? That's the first time Charlotte has ever conceded four in the regular season at home. What does it do for this group to get that result?

PHILIP ZINCKERNAGEL: Okay, wow, I didn't know that. Well, obviously it gives us a lot of confidence, and yeah, hopefully we can bring this momentum into the Cup and keep going. I think we've been playing really well lately but maybe have not gotten all the results we've deserved. But today we got a potent away win.

Q. When you see Jo get the strike that he does, what do you think that does for his confidence to see him get that goal early on?

PHILIP ZINCKERNAGEL: Amazing goal. I think the whole group is so happy for him that he gets a goal like this, and like you say if it can get his confidence up and get more goals from his side, we'll be really a dangerous team. Yeah, really nice, and I think everyone is so happy.

Q. A goal for yourself, looked like a nice pass. Walk us through that.

PHILIP ZINCKERNAGEL: He tried to find me already a couple of times early in the game and this one was perfect. This one was just an easy tap-in, so, nice.

Q. I want to ask a little bit about Guti because he got two goals and assists today. What are your impressions of him this season and what can this do for him going forward?

PHILIP ZINCKERNAGEL: Obviously Guti is a very talented young player and has a lot of qualities. Today it's really nice to see that he gets two goals, and he shows what he can do and his potential, how big it is. I guess there's a reason for the rumors for big clubs around him.

Today he kind of showed that, and yeah, it's been great playing with him.

Q. You've been taking on defenders, going on one-on-one, 1v2, and your dribbling skills, I didn't know your game was that good. Is that something you've been working on or trying to incorporate more? You're consistently beating guys off the dribble.

PHILIP ZINCKERNAGEL: I mean, it's always been a part of my play, I guess. Recently, last couple of years, I played a little more as a number ten and you don't get as many 1v1s and dribbles as you do on the side.

But I like to take on players, and in this league you get opportunities to do that. The way we played, with the freedom, great gifts the front players allow us to do, yeah, stuff we like and stuff we are good at. It's always been something that I really like and enjoy.

So yeah, nothing new, but I mean, it's just fun. I'm happy you notice it.

Q. Four games now without a loss, the team has responded to giving up seven goals and you've showed a commitment to playing on both sides of the ball. Talk about your role in the locker room as a leader convincing everybody to getting on the same page with defending when they need to regardless of what their position is and everything else.

PHILIP ZINCKERNAGEL: I think some of the stuff we've been working on since the Nashville game -- we obviously want to be a team that dominates a lot and want to be good with the ball and Gregg wants us to take risks, and sometimes we lose the ball in areas that could be dangerous.

One of the things we've really improved on the last couple of weeks has been that recovery, that re-pressure, the defenders from the back stepping up. So closing the spaces once we lose it, and it's given us, I think, more stable way of defending because we don't give away as many chances on counters, and we have kind of been a little bit structural better the last couple of games.

The way we want to play, it's tough to not give up sometimes chances because we play with risk and we play between the lines. So it's really been important the way Jack and Sam and Cupps, for that matter, has been playing those. Like, when they are watching us, they are still ready to go and win the ball, and the way they are positioning themselves has been really important.

Just like today, you see when they lose it and they play straight to striker, Sam or Jack is there straightaway and slowing them down. That's definitely been something we are working on. Because we are a team that goes high and stay high with the ball. So if we lose it, there will be some space in behind. But working on stuff like this has definitely improved the way we defend.

Q. You talked about a little bit, next game, already on Tuesday, Open Cup game against New England. We talked to great about it and we know how much importance he places on the Cup. But in training and the training room, how crucial is the Open Cup to the players? How big of a focus are you placing on the Cup compared to the League?

PHILIP ZINCKERNAGEL: I feel like it's as important as the league for us right now. It's a good way to get a trophy. It's the easiest way to get a trophy. It's a good way to build confidence. This week we obviously have a good opponent from the same league, and it's going to be a tougher game than last time. But it's also a good way to use the whole squad and get everyone in play.

I think Cup games more important for clubs and teams than fans sometimes expect, because you can really use everyone and make everyone in the squad feel important. Yeah, I think Gregg also wants to win trophies, so like I said, this is probably the easiest way to get a trophy.

Q. We saw you in your celebration of the goal turn to the Charlotte fans, cup your ears a little bit. Was there some sort of exchange earlier on? What's the reasoning behind that celebration?

PHILIP ZINCKERNAGEL: Yeah, I don't know, they were after me the whole game. So I thought it was calmer, you know. I like that, when fans boo at me and kind of keep me on my feet. Yeah, it gives me hunger to score and prove them wrong, and yeah, so they maybe did me a favor.