CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

July 8, 2025

Jack Elliott

Press Conference

Minnesota 3, Chicago Fire 1

Q. When you guys go down to 10 in the 25th minute, what can you take away from this performance when it was such a tough thing to overcome as you guys get a lead and have to defend and defend and defend?

JACK ELLIOTT: Yeah, I think it shows the fight we have to be able to take it to the final minutes.

Obviously it's tough. We've been in this situation a few times this season. So draw a little bit from that. I feel we didn't give up too much chances for them in that time.

But obviously in the end, I think after playing on the weekend and going into extra time, it starts to wear. It was a good effort. I'm proud of everyone.

Q. What did you see from your guys over those final few minutes that gave you that push at the end?

JACK ELLIOTT: Yeah, I think last five before that, we were definitely looking dangerous and looking like we wanted to show who we are.

Unfortunately the penalty finished us off, not too sure about that, but it happens, and it shows that we can fight till the very end, and we're going to do that.

Q. There's already a lot of talk about the second goal from Minnesota where Dje wasn't allowed back on the field. Curious what you saw in that sequence from your viewpoint.

JACK ELLIOTT: Yeah, I didn't really feel like that we should have been playing with nine men. I don't know why he wasn't allowed to come back on the field. That's as much as I can say about it.

Obviously you've got an extra, extra advantage when you're playing 11 against nine. But its the ref's decision and that's how it went.

Q. 120 grueling minutes you've played in playoff games and stuff like that. How much do you think this experience can help this group as they look to make the playoffs for the first time in a long time?

JACK ELLIOTT: Yeah, I think it shows that regardless of the game and the situation that we've got the fight and the determination to be able to push and next step is finding the wins in these sorts of games. But I think it's a very good showing of the determination this team's got.

Q. Obviously you have Omar who is a veteran on the team. Anyone who knows him knows he's not a dirty player. As a veteran, do you talk to him after a game and get his hopes up higher if he's down, feeling that it might be his fault that the team had to struggle with a man down? Do you make that, as a captain, on yourself to talk to a guy like Omar vet to get to get his spirits up and rally around him?

JACK ELLIOTT: Yeah, obviously he was disappointed. Again, I think it's a very interesting red card. I don't think that he should have been sent off for that really but it happens, and he's obviously disappointed and feels like he's lets down.

But at the end of the day, it's just an unfortunate event, and you know, it showed something in us for the rest of the game. But you know, obviously he's going to be disappointed and he's been around long enough. You know, I can say a few words and just make sure that he knows it's not his fault, and obviously it isn't.

Q. I know it's not ideal that you guys have had this situation to be down to ten men for long stretches a few times this season, but admist the other difficulties that brings, from your perspective, how has that helped the defensive unit over the course of the season maybe feel some cohesion with having to fight together through these stretches and having to be that extra bit dependent on knowing where each other is and fighting for that extra space and defending that little bit more desperately?

JACK ELLIOTT: I think it makes us a bit more versatile as well. In those circumstances, we usually change to back five and gives us a different look and, eventually maybe if it's needed in regular games, either we've done it also in Orlando and when our backs are against the wall. Gives us experience in that regard to know as a back four and midfield that we can play that system and be able to limit teams chances.