CHICAGO FIRE MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 5, 2026

Gregg Berhalter

Press Conference

Q. I guess we'll start with Andres, new center back, he's arrived. Is he available to play tomorrow, and what have you seen from him so far?

GREGG BERHALTER: Yes, he is available to play. Obviously we have to be careful with the minutes because he just arrived after I think a long month of becoming a new father, and then working his way over here. But you know, excited have him and looking forward to his impact on the team.

Q. And what's your expectation now for the center back group, given that you have him, Jack, and BMO back as well, what are some strengths of the three?

GREGG BERHALTER: We have talked earlier about having competition in positions. We think now with the center backs, with Mbo, Jack, Andrés and Sam Rogers and with Noah Allen able to say center back, also, it's a very strong center back group and that's what we want to build within this team.

Q. Are there any minutes restrictions for Robert going into tomorrow's game?

GREGG BERHALTER: I wouldn't say there's minute restrictions. But it is about checking his status. He flew in yesterday, and just working through that.

Q. And then looking at Vancouver, obviously a team you've watched a lot of but they have dealt with a change in the midfield. Sebastian Berhalter departed -- perhaps you've heard of him. But they have managed to say at the top of the Western Conference, staying a competitive team.

GREGG BERHALTER: I think they have done a great job, a great job of adapting. They had a very, very strong core group of players and they have had to adapt a little throughout the years and that's what I think the strength of their team has been.

Jesper is a very, correct coach. They have been able to get coaches that fill holes in certain areas, and they have both filled some of their attacking positions. They have been competing in every game. It's very typical, you know, Vancouver, from what I watched over the years, good, high-pressing team. They like to turn the ball over in the opponent's half. They like to pin you in and get numbers in the penalty box. They don't spend a lot of time in low block. So a lot of good things.

Q. You have mentioned many times the importance of the team to close the games and they have improved a lot in that. What about to close the season, going forward to the postseason, how important are these coming games in terms of the points that are so close in the conference?

GREGG BERHALTER: I think that's what makes it exciting. I think it's exciting for viewers, exciting for players. When you get to this time of the year, you know, the matchups and the games have very strong implications on why you're going to finish in the table. That's the beauty of it, when you look at the fixtures we have coming up, very strong teams. Teams in form. When you look at the teams we just played, same thing.

For us, it's a great opportunity. You know, we feel confident, especially after the last win. The guys are feeling, correct, training well and now it's time to go out and compete.

Q. Are you going to have all your team for tomorrow, and regarding the players, their National Teams, or basically for next Saturday, the whole team?

GREGG BERHALTER: We'll still be missing five players from international duty, and you know, we'll have to wait until they comeback and integrate them back next Saturday.

Q. Seems like it's just tough game after tough game. Facing the top team in the West, is there added expectations on the group from yourself and inside the squad, just with facing a team that is the sort of team that you think maybe made it out of the west to the MLS Cup final with the team's eyes on the playoffs and one eye there?

GREGG BERHALTER: All these games we have been playing recently, you get a chance to see where you're at as a group. We know that we're missing players. We're shored handed. Well, sore they.

So now it's going to be about what does the rest of the group look like, and how can you put yourself in position in the table to get a, correct playoff position, to clinch playoffs, whatever it may be. But we know this is a good team in the West. We are excited about the game.

Q. Exciting to see Dithejane get his first international goal on debut yesterday. How gratifying si that for you and the staff, his growth as a player, and any chance he's back tomorrow, given that he just played yesterday?

GREGG BERHALTER: So he landed about an hour ago. So he will be back in the country. We're obviously going to have to check his -- what are you laughing about? I'm looking at the clock, he landed about an hour ago. He's going to come in this afternoon for a recovery session and see how he feels.

It's gratifying to see a player with potential and to realize that potential. With Puso, that's been the case. We see that he was like a diamond in the rough. He had areas where he needed to improve but there was so much potential there, and for him to work as hard as he has, for him to adapt as quickly as he has and then to make this impact and make his debut for the senior National Team and score on his debut speaks volumes about him and his character.

Q. Just asked Mauricio, last year at this time, you guys were really grinding it out for that last spot in the playoffs and fighting for that and went on a hot streak to get it. This year, it's a little bit different and fighting for a home field, top four seed. Is the mentality different entering the last stretch of the month, or are you just fighting for different positioning?

GREGG BERHALTER: I think you're always going to be fighting. You're always going to be competing. The beauty of it is we don't get carried away. We focus on the next game and that helps you put all your energy into this upcoming task which is Vancouver. For us, it's how do we keep playing our soccer and how do we keep developing as a team, and if we do that, we'll be in good position.

Q. It's been more than a week since the team played a last game. Does it hurt playing on a Tuesday versus a Saturday or Wednesday?

GREGG BERHALTER: I think the rhythm is a little bit different but for us, we scheduled it that we have a normal week of training and a normal lead into the fixture. It's common that you have midweek games. We're going to have a midweek game next week. It's all part of it. The boys are ready. We'll be ready to compete.

Q. Joe mentioned him earlier, but Sebastian having more experience, as a guy who now seems pretty comfortable in the CONCACAF environment, how much of did that did he learn from you?

GREGG BERHALTER: I think you need a special mentality to compete in CONCACAF. I liked the performance against México. There's always going to be ebbs and flows in the games and it's really about staying calm and taking advantages of the moments. The U.S. certainly did that by taking advantage of the goalkeeping error.

But for me, the most important thing is they competed and they made it very, very difficult for México. And then you see how in the second half, we took over and we imposed ourselves even more. Really happy for Sebastian, and really happy for the group. That was a nice win.

Q. Williams was with the first team and didn't play. Is there a chance we see him in the school district again?

GREGG BERHALTER: As we get our guys back, we have to see. Brody has been, I think -- he's definitely standing out for his tenacity, how he's good 1v1 and how he's fearless. A really, really interesting player. With Brody, it's a case of a kid who has worked hard to get to this position and to the first team, and he's worked hard. That's all you can ask from him.