Pat Noonan Press Conference
March 2, 2024: Post-Match at Chicago Fire FC
Pat Noonan on the result.
"Was really pleased with the performance I thought you know coming in here with their home opener
and you know a team that's improving to get our first win in the way we did, I was certainly pleased with
a pretty strong first half. Had a couple of really decent looks couple on set pieces that you know just
missed the mark. Obviously lost a little momentum before the break with the PK but came out in a good
way and I thought had a really good defensive showing in the second half and still created some good
looks."
Pat Noonan On Luca Orellano.
"Yeah, I won't share too much, you know, maybe let the player when the time's right speak on that. But
obviously, it was a really sad news. You know, I think it's public now that Luca lost his father the day
before and is back with his family where he should be. Really sorry for him and their family and friends
for the loss and can just be here to support him. It's a tricky situation with a new player in a new country
and you're establishing all these relationships and trying to build chemistry, so it's important that we can
just show him as much support as possible in a very difficult time."
Pat Noonan On Miles Robinson
"He's a top player. You could see it in certainly how he defends. I thought in space in a couple of
dangerous moments and when they played direct he was on the mark with some of those defensive
moments in one v one isolation, I thought the recognition of how he was getting pressure, releasing off
the line to be able to challenge some of the balls with attackers coming under, you know, in front of the
backline, I thought he did a really good job in those moments. Good footwork, keeping plays in front of
them at the right time. And then obviously, he's an asset on set pieces. He's, you know, already gotten
on the end of in the first four games, you know, three or four, which could have been goals. So we'll try
to continue to find ways to free him up so he can find goals in that way. But yeah, he had, you know,
one of the top performances of the day for me."
Pat Noonan On the wing back position
"Yeah if you just look at Yuya, Alvas and Bret, you know, Yuya we shifted to the left. And Alvas, that
was a decision to bring him in. And, you know, the bigger concern is just a recovery in the turnaround
for Alvas. But you know, as far as the output of the Cavalier game, it wasn't something where we felt it
was a risk. So I thought, defensively, he had a decent game, I have to see on the PK that we conceded,
you know, we can do better there. But you know, certainly some of the moments where he penetrates
with the ball to break pressure and find passes, that part of his game was good tonight, it's just the final
third crosses getting cut out, passes, recognizing the right moment. So I thought Yuya on the left side,
while there might not have been final third moments where he's in a good spot to finish off plays or get
assists. I thought the work rate and just the understanding of the position is something he's continuing
to show progress with. And on the defensive side of the ball, you know, the moments where he has to
defend in isolation, I think that's improving. And then Bret coming in at the end, you know, I thought he
could have done better with his minutes. There was a couple plays, passes, how to pressure the ball,
you know, where we could have been better, he could have been better. So, I'd say that was my
assessment on the three guys."
Pat Noonan on the backline
"We anticipated that. I think Miles is a strong player, you know, we can see that. So inserting him into
the backline I think, you know, you can see, we haven't lost much in terms of the way we defend.
Whether it's higher up the field, whether it's defending the box, you know, he stepped right in and been
a presence for us. You know, I've been certainly pleased with the wing back position, because in
certain moments, you're going to need those guys to defend the back post, you're going to need them
to defend in transition, you're going to need them to defend inside. And I think those guys have done a
pretty good job of helping us be tough to break down. So I wouldn't say I'm surprised but you know, you
don't want to rely consistently on having to defend for long stretches. And I think tonight, for the most
part, there was a good balance of not just absorbing and taking on pressure. And certainly in the
second half, I thought we were we were really strong and didn't concede too much."
Pat Noonan on players stepping up in rotation.
"That's the expectation. But it's also, you get answers from performances, individual performances and
finding your Best XI. So defensively, it's been strong. We have obviously a ways to go in some of the
attacking ideas. I still think the chance creation has been, you know, fairly decent over the course of the
four games. But based on how we performed in the first leg against Cavalier in Jamaica, it allowed us,
you know, to move some guys around and rotate some guys to try to be as fresh as possible, knowing
that we were confident in the group that was going into the second leg, and then having a group out
there tonight that was fresh and not playing with fatigue. So I think through the first four games, I'm
pleased with what we've seen, and you know, we go into the next four games stretch and we're going
to need to be very mindful of the recovery in how we make our rotations when the time's right."
Pat Noonan on the importance of the response after drawing Toronto.
"It's important to win games early on, I say it all the time, and you don't want too many games to go by
where you're searching, you know, and chasing that first win. So I think that's just important for the
confidence of the group. You know, going on the road, we were a strong road team last year, and we
talked about what got us to that point to be able to win games and at times, you know, struggle, but
have the right mentality during those stretches, and I think tonight was a really strong road performance
and hopefully something that will propel us moving forward in terms of just progress from the first two
league games, as well as combining those Champions Cup games."
Pat Noonan on set pieces.
"Yeah, each game is different in how we look at the set piece aspect of the game. And there were two
things that we looked at that we thought maybe we could exploit with those with those corners, and I
wouldn't say that the goal that we scored was by design in terms of the trajectory of the service, but it
was an area that we were trying to free up Miles in. So again, that goes to the work that you know,
[Assistant Coach] Dom [Kinnear] did this particular game, and what [Assistant Coach] Kenny [Arena]
does it, just the structure of it. I thought Lucho's delivery in this game was more consistent and it's
something we need to continue to improve because he has ability to put the ball where you need and I
think he can be even more dangerous, you know, from set plays."
Pat Noonan on the Penalty Kick.
"Yeah mixed bag on our side of, you know, people who thought it wasn't and people who thought it
was. From the tactical cam that we have, it didn't look like it was, but that's the only view. I've heard that
there was TV views that showed that it was a penalty, so I can't really say with any certainty that the
call was right or wrong, but what I was pleased about is the way the guys responded from it. I know
they were initially very frustrated. So you know, it's part of it and they moved on in a good way."
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