CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

July 30, 2026

Gregg Berhalter

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Thank you for joining us today for a press conference with head coach Gregg Berhalter. We'll go ahead and get started with questions.

Q. Gregg, one of the stories going into the last couple games was how few days of training that team had had since Robert Lewandowski's arrival, having to prepare for three matches. What does it mean having basically the whole group minus Zinc here training?

GREGG BERHALTER: It's helpful, there's no question about it. Looking at the last two games, we're not near where we need to be right now. We need time.

This week was certainly helpful. You could see Robert is getting his legs underneath him. A credit to him, the guy's the first out on the field, the last to leave the field, doing extra sessions. Came in on Sunday to train. He's doing everything he can. It's just a race against time, in terms of he's only been training for two weeks right now.

But we're getting there. We just got to stay patient, keep working hard.

Q. As we enter August where it's at least eight fixtures for you guys, I know you've always talked about the value of top players wanting to play multiple times a week, a successful group. What does that do to have that type of fixture schedule for the next month?

GREGG BERHALTER: It's going to be a great month. Big opportunities this month. Play a couple Western Conference teams, play a couple of our own conference. We got Leagues Cup going. I think it's going to be a really good month.

It's going to give the whole squad an opportunity to get on the field, which is important. We haven't had a ton of rotation so far. We'll definitely see that in this month of August.

Q. With a completely different kind of striker coming in from what you had in the first half of the season, does it feel with two games under your belt with Robert you need to reinvent the way you attack a little bit?

GREGG BERHALTER: Absolutely. Not only attack, but defend. That's what I mean by we got a lot of work to do. Candidly we're still figuring it out. That's the reality.

But we're doing it and the guys have been working hard and been into it. So it's also kind of fun to be having to work through this and solve the puzzle. Hopefully on Saturday we'll start to see that come to fruition.

Q. A lot has happened with the signing of Robert. Now you guys are an attraction, sort of on the wavelength of Miami and LAFC by having a world star on your team. Is that something you feel sort of overseeing the team on the field, too, there's so many more eyes, visiting fans at away games coming to see Robert, or is this something organizationally where people behind the scenes have to work harder? How do you view it being in that realm now?

GREGG BERHALTER: No, I think it is what it is. There's one thing to attract a world-class talent like Robert Lewandowski, then having the infrastructure to support him. You need more security, logistics need to be in place.

But the second thing, when you mentioned Miami and LAFC, is they both won. We're not there yet. That's what we're striving to do, is create a team that can also win with a star.

For us, again, it's a work in progress. The guys are doing well. The staff is doing well. Robert is doing well. Now it's just time to keep it up and start winning games.

Q. Should we expect more activity from Chicago before the transfer deadline?

GREGG BERHALTER: We're active in the transfer market. It's no secret we have an open roster spot. I wouldn't expect us not to do it. Is that a double negative? That was confusing, right (smiling)?

Q. With 17 goals scored across the last three meetings between Chicago Fire and Charlotte, how do you plan to set up your defense knowing for the fact that you're missing Mbokazi?

GREGG BERHALTER: It's part of every game plan, right? How do we limit the opponent. After every game we evaluate what we did.

In New York we felt we were pretty unlucky. I think eight penalty box entries and scored three goals. It was not a typical game. But that's what it is. It is what it is. We have to respond from that. We weren't happy with the defensive performance in the last two games. We're trying to do better.

We're going to try to close the space, try to limit penalty box entries. If we can do that, we should be okay.

Q. I know the focus right now is on Charlotte for this Saturday. I want to ask you about the Leagues Cup. How excited are you about the Fire being back in this tournament, three games at home, and can the Fire benefit from that?

GREGG BERHALTER: I think it's great. I think it comes at really good time. Gives us an opportunity to get on the field more, play some games against some unique opponents and showcase ourselves in another tournament.

I think it's always a good tournament to potentially give other guys opportunities to get on the field. You name it. I think it's a great event. It's going to attract a lot of attention. I think there's going to be some great matchups.

Q. Beyond the tactical side, what do you expect from the group in terms of mentality during the next few matches? What message do you have for the fans currently who will be coming in on Saturday at Soldier Field?

GREGG BERHALTER: No, I think for us the mentality's everything. It's always everything. At times I've been critical of the group and the mentality.

But overall I think they've shown great response this season. They've been tough. They've been hanging in there, resilient. We've improved in a lot of areas.

The mentality from the group is good. If we just keep focused on how do we improve each and every day, if that's the mentality, we'll be fine.

In terms of the fans, we can't wait to be back home, right? It was unfortunate that the game against Vancouver got postponed. Now we get to come home and play some games. We had two tough road games against some good opponents. Now we play another good opponent at home. We hope the fans will show up and get behind us.

Q. What do you expect for this home debut this Saturday for Robert Lewandowski? It's been a long wait for him to get to Chicago. Is he going to be available to play the Leagues Cup?

GREGG BERHALTER: Yes, he will be available to play Leagues Cup. He will be available to play on Saturday. It will be his home debut. We have waited a long time. We thank the fans for their patience. But finally we get to welcome a world-class player to the city of Chicago and to our home stadium.

Q. Now you've had a week to work with the center backs without Mbokazi full week. How do you feel about the depth of that position, also Cupps scoring for the U.S., but not coming back yet?

GREGG BERHALTER: He's not back. The depth is we have three center backs right now, potentially Sandmeyer from the second team.

But the center backs have been challenged. There's no question about it. But I think they're guys that will respond.

We looked at some stuff from last game, we looked at some stuff with the Miami game. I think it's a good opportunity for our center backs, whether that be Joel, Jack, Sam, whoever it is. It's a great opportunity in this home game.

Q. Obviously it's a busy summer. Would you be able to speak to the interest you had in Leon Goretzka, if that's a possibility?

GREGG BERHALTER: I would not be able to speak on that (smiling).

Q. Losing Mbokazi, who is so mobile as a center back, that also puts additional pressure on the midfield. Talk about the challenge of that group to respond defensively when you guys lose the ball.

GREGG BERHALTER: It's a team game. Defending is a team game. Some of the luxury we had with Mbokazi was putting out fires, right? If you lose some of that, and the other center backs are extremely capable, but if we lose some of that, now it's about the margins are a little bit smaller. We just have to be good, we have to be balanced, we have to be in the right position.

If you look at the third goal we gave up against MIC, we pressed when we didn't need to press. We should have just came back, come together, make the field small. It's those fine I think details that can make the difference between winning and losing. We'll keep improving on that.

Thank you.