CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 4, 2025

Gregg Berhalter

Press Conference

Q. Curious, this weekend you've got New England after a two-week break. Curious how this two-week break has helped you guys, obviously training throughout that, and just expectations for a Caleb Porter squad you'll be going up against twice in a month?

GREGG BERHALTER: Yeah, it's been a good couple weeks of training. The key was I think raising intensity from the Philly game in training sessions and apply ourselves. I think the group did that really well. I look at the loads we've had in the last two weeks and it's been really good. Guys have been working hard.

For us, seven games left in the season. We want to qualify for the playoffs so we know this is a big game. Caleb has been there before. He gets his teams ready to play. They have a good attacking group in their team, like to get their full backs forward.

It will be a good test for us. We just have to be ready to play and focused. But I like what they've been doing. Got good win against Columbus, so dangerous team.

Q. So one of the changes that they made over the summer was bringing back Matt Turner. He's been statistically excellent for them the four games he's had, about a quarter goal ahead of expected in the four matches. How much of a difference do you think that's going to make in terms of how challenging the Revs can be knowing they have skilled players on the other side as well, but just having a goalie that they know well that has been in the past one of the top in the league performing who you also know well?

GREGG BERHALTER: Yeah, Matt at his best is difficult to beat. He comes up with big saves time and time again, covers a lot of the goal, and can intimidate the strikers that shoot against him.

I know him really well. Quality goalkeeper. It's really nice to see him getting regular football again. He's definitely helped New England.

Q. Gregg, obviously you get Joel Waterman into training for a bit. Gets to meet the guys, gets to work with you guys a bit, and the next thing you know he's gone. What kind of contact are you having with him over the international break? What are you and your staff doing to try to maximize his ability when comes back in in ten days to hit the ground running again and not feel like he lost the progress he made in his first few days with the team?

GREGG BERHALTER: Yeah, he's still in a situation where's he training with high-level players, playing high-level games with the Canadian National Team. He was with us all last week training. Friday we had really good session that he was able to take part in.

So for us, it's really about letting him focus on Canada right now, and when he gets back, I know he's itching to help the team and he'll be ready.

Q. This dichotomy of goals scored, goals conceded. I just looked, only four teams in MLS have scored more goals, but seven teams have conceded -- only seven have conceded more. Wondering how, and if you think it's important, how do you strike a better balance in that area?

GREGG BERHALTER: Well, you know, I think it's more about there is two outlier games when you look at Philly and Nashville, right? That hurt us. We also had the D.C. where we won 7-1.

What I would say is defensively we haven't been good enough this entire year. That's why you're seeing that number. I don't think the number lies, right? What it what it is.

We want to improve defensively. It's one of the reasons we brought Joel in. It's the reason we brought another left back in, to have some more depth.

We've had a number of injuries throughout the year which has made continuity very difficult for our defensive group, but we know it's an area we know we need to improve.

It's a record we're not proud of, but we still want to stay positive and keep working together and improve in that area.

Q. Now with the final stretch of the season and being in that playoff race, do you sort of lean on a more veteran lineup? Does that change your decision making on maybe playing some of the more promising younger players less and maybe leaning on veterans, or does the playoff race and sort of final stretch doesn't change your mentality in regards to who plays week in and week out for the remainder of the season?

GREGG BERHALTER: We've been playing young players all year. That's our MO. I think U22 minutes we're probably No. 1 and 2 in the league. Could we have confirmation of that? Anyone? No, but we're really high in that category.

So that's who we are. We are a younger team. It doesn't necessarily mean that there is not competition for spots and we're not going to play who we're most comfortable winning just to go young. But we have a young group. That's part of this -- the makeup of this group, and we're going to put guys on the field that we think can help us win the game.

Q. The other international absence in this window is Leo Barroso who is back with the Portugal U21s. I know we've talked a lot this year about the club never wanting to stand in a player's way from international opportunities, which we've seen then be -- run the gamut from Christopher Cupps playing U17 ball, which you thought at the time might not have been the best use of his talents and minutes, to guys going on full international duty. For Barroso, Portugal is a high-level program. What do you hope he's getting out of the experience of a couple weeks in that program with that team and working with those coaches over this international break and hopefully future ones?

GREGG BERHALTER: It says a lot about his quality and how they rate him that they selected him for the team. U21 for Portugal is very competitive, very difficult group to break into. And Leo being a part of that is an accomplishment for him and for the club. We know that he's developed this year and it's nice to see all his effort get rewarded.

Q. So you talked about the club's playing young players. One of the young players Brian Gutierrez, who has had some of his best performances of the season in the last few matches. That is also an area of the pitch where the Fire brought in another more veteran player in Andre Franco. He made a cameo but haven't really seen the two of them being able to play together. How do you view Franco being in the lineup for the rest of the season as being complementary or is it more a case of pushing him for minutes? How does that complicate the challenge of getting the best 11 on the pitch?

GREGG BERHALTER: I think it's a case of we bring in quality to help move this group forward. Whether that's raising the level of training, more competition for spots, whether that's on the field. Andre is a smart player, experienced player, and we think can help this group.

For us, it's really looking at how do we get the combinations right and how do we get Andre fit that he can play 90 minutes, and at the same time maintain continuity and perform well.

Q. (No microphone.) Are you surprised at how much you rely on a guy that took a little bit to get...(indiscernible.)

GREGG BERHALTER: You know, with Johnny, it has to do with his mindset and his competitiveness. He's a competitor. He showed us from day one in preseason that he was here to compete for minutes. He's done a great job in that.

It's not a surprise. He's a guy we would want to keep around because of his veteran presence, but also because of his worth ethic and what he brings each and every day to training. We are confident when he is in the field, and it's good he gets games like this to maintain his fitness and be able to continue to help the group.

Q. (Regarding Seattle Sounders beating Miami.) That's a model Fire have been trying to embrace. Can talk about whether you thought that was validated to what the team is trying to accomplish here in a way, and also just any comments on the team's announcement to give players a three-year pipeline? What you think that will bring the process going forward?

GREGG BERHALTER: Yeah, I think that what we want to do is focus on development. We want to be able to challenge the kids but support the young players. We know there is a lot of pressure on them at a young age, and we think by giving a three-year commitment we can really start to work with them and keep moving them forward.

For the parents, it puts them at ease that it's not going to be another commitment and next year they have to look for another team. I think we do a good job on the front end selecting that group. Once we select them, it's about sticking with them and working hard to develop them. Whether that's with individual development plans, with team coaching, individual coaching, really focusing on how do we keep moving the kids forward.

But in regards to Seattle, I think it's just a pleasant surprise to see Seattle be that steady over such a long period of time. They've done a great job in winning titles and playing homegrowns and having international all-stars. You name it, Seattle has done it. It was great to see good performance in the final.

Q. Two home games the next couple weeks, but not coming without variables. Final SeatGeek game of the regular season scheduled this weekend, then you go back to Soldier Field, but for the first time that will be the first game that the grass is coming off; you know, football being played on it this weekend. In what is probably the most important ten-day period of the season to this point, how do you and your staff iron out what might be the uncertainties or the changes on a day-to-day basis?

GREGG BERHALTER: Yeah, I think it's like everything. We have to embrace it, embrace the challenges. It's never a smooth road. There is always obstacles in your way. We have to have a positive mindset going into it.

No matter what the conditions are, they will be same for both teams. So for us, it's about how mentally strong are we to overcome that.

Q. (Regarding Columbus/Akron.) Curious what you've seen from him as a coach not only from that time when you guys (indiscernible), just as he's evolved?

GREGG BERHALTER: I think Caleb is a coach that sets his teams up to compete to win, right? At Akron he did a great job. In Portland, unfortunately they beat us in the MLS Cup final. And just watching him, he gave Sebastien his debut for the Columbus crew. Just watching him and how he sets his teams up and how he gets his teams to compete is always something I've admired from afar.

You know, you know when you play Caleb's teams you're in for a fight and it's going to be competitive. You know he also in the meantime is able to set his teams up that they can cause you problems. So he's done a good job; won two MLS Cups and is a good coach in this league.