CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

May 16, 2026

Gregg Berhalter

Press Conference

Chicago Fire 2, CF Montreal 0

THE MODERATOR: We will go ahead and hear from Coach Berhalter with opening statements about the game.

GREGG BERHALTER: Thank you. I thought it was a great effort by the guys. You know, obviously playing two away games in four days, you have heavy legs and you're fatigued, and it was going to be a mental battle for the most part.

We knew we were putting guys on the field that were out of position at times, that have had a lot of game time in the last week. So really proud of the effort of the group.

I think it's a really momentum builder to get that win and get the shutout. It showed that the guys can grind, and really happy for the effort. Thank you.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Congrats on the win. I have to ask about the midfield. Mauricio and Joel, it looked like they slid in perfectly as partners. How impressed were you with the load they had to take on today?

GREGG BERHALTER: No, I thought they did an excellent job. You know, it wasn't easy. We were under some pressure. They had to hang in there.

Joel, you think about the physical output of a midfielder, it's a lot different than a center back, so he had to grind. I think he played there for Montreal before, but never for us.

Mauricio, again, he hadn't played 90 minutes in a while. He goes against DC, and now he has to turn around and do it again on Saturday. Same thing, he hung in there and grinded.

So happy with the whole group. I think it shows the strong mentality of the team.

Q. How much flexibility does having two starting capable left backs available do you for you guys?

GREGG BERHALTER: I think it's important. We want competition in the team. To have two left backs healthy and able to compete for position is important.

Q. When Mauricio was getting the concussion check, what was going through your head considering he was the only midfielder on the field?

GREGG BERHALTER: It's a good question. We had prepared for Poreba or Sandmeyer or Robin. We had three scenarios that we pre-planned before the game in case of an injury. Thankfully we didn't have to use them.

Q. And Hugo gets ten straight games on goal. Now he's still leading the league in goals. You saw the graphic up there, Messi (indiscernible), all that. How long do you think he can keep this going?

GREGG BERHALTER: Well, if you look at the fact that each game is a new opportunity, and we know Hugo is a top striker, he should have -- every game opportunity is a score. So in theory, I think he should be able to keep it up forever.

Q. In this game it looked like the best chance creation was going through the wings. Is it a concern to you that not so much was going through the middle, or do you think that's more of a limitation based on the personnel?

GREGG BERHALTER: Yeah, I think what we want -- we knew their wingers were pressing, so the first goal was an exact copy of what we prepared for.

You know, the winger is going to jump. The center back, we're going to have space for the fullback, and we need to exploit that space. That was a really good identification by Jack to find the free play, and then we advanced the ball and got into a good position.

Q. Hugo Cuypers is in excellent form, and today Robert Lewandowski announced that is he leaving Barcelona. Could we see them playing together in Chicago after the World Cup?

GREGG BERHALTER: Yeah, you know, I think it's no secret that we've been in communication with Robert. We think he's a fantastic player. We think that they would be a great pairing, a top pairing in this league.

So you never know. I think there's a lot still to be done, but you know, we admire Robert, and we think he's a fantastic player. One of the best strikers ever.

Q. Gregg, had to ask about the goalkeeper who kept his sixth clean sheet of the year with six saves. Just Chris, again, growing and being confident in this pressure-filled situation. How do you feel he's done?

GREGG BERHALTER: Yeah, I thought today was one of his better games, if not the best game of the season, just for his calmness and his poise and then the fact that he bailed us out with some great saves when he needed to.

Really happy with his performance. It comes at a great moment for the team.