CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

April 18, 2026

Hugo Cuypers

Press Conference

FC Cincinnati - 3, Chicago Fire - 3

Q. First game back after missing a couple of games. You had a big impact, had two goals. Just tell me your thoughts on your performance and what it was like being back?

HUGO CUYPERS: Yeah, it's been a tough two weeks for me being out with a head injury, but I was just really, really happy to be back. And I felt good. Had a few good training days before the game.

I think the team performance in the first half helped, the way we were able to combine (indiscernible) offensively. Unfortunately, we dropped back in the second half. But overall, it was a positive comeback.

Q. I am curious, Gregg did provide a little insight that normally the PK is your job at this point. What made you defer to Phillip before halftime?

HUGO CUYPERS: I already scored (laughter) --

Q. That's awesome.

HUGO CUYPERS: No, it's a reality. So I trusted him as well, and he scored, so ...

Q. Understood. And just looking at the result as a whole, what do you want this group to take away from a game where there really were opportunities to win this one?

HUGO CUYPERS: Not really. I think we saw in the first half, and we created a lot. I think, honestly, it was hard for me to judge in the second half what didn't go well. Obviously we wanted to defend, but we are weren't able to play -- and I don't really felt during the game what went wrong. So I'll have to see the video to have an opinion on it.

Q. Do you feel back to 100 percent, getting through 90 plus 10 minutes at the end, did it feel kind of cathartic to get through that?

HUGO CUYPERS: No, I felt normal. I think head injuries are always a bit tricky. But the only positive is you don't have a muscle that's hurt. So once you train you can go full. And when the protocol is completed, I could train hard this week. So no, just glad to be back.

Q. First time this season that the Fire have conceded three goals. That was an issue that happened last year. A lot of you guys on the squad, a lot of returning guys. You think you can take that lesson about the issues that led to the second half this evening, despite being up, and take that lesson moving forward?

HUGO CUYPERS: Yes, for sure. I think we came with a mindset to win. We scored three goals on the road, especially leading 3-1, it should be enough to take three points home.

Unfortunately, it's not, and we can see a lot of chances. So I think that's exactly something that hopefully is a one-time thing.