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Hristo:We must prove we are a much better team than the MetroStars. Our
objective is to always play well and win. We have to take this mentality to
New York now, so we can finish the series there.
Hristo:It will be a totally different game against
the MetroStars. But fortunately
we have home-field advantage. I think
we're clearly the favorites to win this
next series.
Hristo:As always, I just hope to
help out.The entire team proved why we're the
best team in MLS.
Hristo:I think that equals to the fact that Chicago has a very solid team. A great team can score these many goals. Our entire team tonight proved
why we are among the best teams in the league.
Dema Kovalenko:It was a great ball from Stoitchkov. I don't know who passed it to him, but as soon as it
landed at his feet, I knew it was coming for me, so I started running. It was an unbelievable
pass. Stoitchkov is a great player. We respect everything he says. You have to. He has
incredible experience.
Bradley said of Stoitchkov:I think he's playing well right now. His track record certainly indicates that when the games get bigger, he rises to the occasion.
Coach Fernando Clavijo told the Boston Globe of Stoitchkov:I'm excited to face a player of his caliber.It can only raise the level of the game. This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, a chance to play against a great player.
The famous TV commentator Bill Harvey:Now after Stoitchkov's return we can easily foresee, that Bob Bradley's team will calmly enter the play-offs, where it can difficultly be stopped.
Tribune's Bob Foltman:Fire specifically works on finishing during their
training sessions. What they usually do is play scrimmages on a shortened field so players have to make decisions quicker. It seems easy, but if scoring were easy, there would be a lot more goals in the sport all over the world. That' what separates the players like Ronaldo and Stoitchkov from the rest of the forwards.
Hristo Stoitchkov chatted LIVE on the Chicago Fire Web Site on the 6th of July, only fans, who had previously signed for the 'Fire Insider' knew about that chat. That is why very little people knew about the event and it was not announced on 'The Site For All Things Stoitchkov!'.
Fire+Monitor:Thank you for joining us tonight and please welcome this month's
guest, Hristo Stoitchkov. Hristo will be chatting live with us until 7 PM CST tonight and is answering your questions through an interpreter doing the typing. Hristo will attempt to answer as many of your questions as he can during the hour. We apologize if he is unable to respond to yours directly.
Hristo:Does anyone have a question for me?
kkulev:Hello, Hristo; How long until we see you back?
Hristo:I am very pleased with the way this is coming along....I've been in Spain
for some time with the doctors and I'm happy with the way my therapy is
coming. Our trainer Rich and the rest of the staff have been helping me a lot.
araz%2B:Hristo do you plan on finishing your career in Chicago once you come
back from your injury?
Hristo:I would like to stay in Chicago as long as possible. I want to reach the
championship wholeheartedly and I would like to help out in some capacity.
bill:How much longer do you plan on playing before you retire?
Hristo:I am thinking about retiring,,,and I want to do it in Chicago. It's a great
team, a big team. The players, coaches and Peter Wilt have made me feel at
home since I arrived and this is how I want to end my career, very happy.
kkulev:Hristo, now that you have played on three continents, what differences
and similarities are most striking when you compare players and fans in
Western Europe, Japan and the US?
Hristo:I still need to play in another continent?! Each country has its style. In
Europe, soccer is played much more aggressively, you need to be physically
and mentally sharp. In Asia, you run a lot, but when it's time to play, it still
misses something. In five or six years, the US can compete with much more
competitive national teams.
zenmaster:Hristo, with soccer finally catching on in U.S., how long do you think
it will take the U.S. to catch up to the rest of the world?
Hristo:The U.S. has a great future ahead...it has many talented players. I'm
proud that the Fire has four national team players, because they are extremely
talented. It's true that the US needs to improve a little bit, but with the proper
trainers and players, there's no reason why the US can't compete with the rest
of the world.
araz%2B:Hristo you say you want to finish your career in Chicago but you also
said recently you could return to Barcelona as part of the club's coaching
staff...is it still the case...
kkulev:Is it true that you'll return to Spain to coach junior teams?
Hristo:I have recently opened a soccer school in Barcelona. It's an honor for
me to teach, especially the little ones. I have this passion of teaching, but it's
important that they learn everything the right way. I love teaching.
Fire+Monitor:The Chicago Fire's next home game will be on Saturday, July 8 at
7:00 p.m. We will be giving away Chicago Fire trading cards on that night. For
tickets call TicketMaster at 312-555-1212.
kkulev:Do you see yourself involved with soccer in Bulgaria in any capacity
later on, Hristo?
Hristo:I have my contract with chicago and this is where I am right now. I'd
like to take things one thing at a time. I'll say again, I want to stay in Chicago.
kkulev:Who were your favorite soccer players when you were young? Did you
try to follow anyone's style; who did you look up to?
Hristo:When I was a child, I had few soccer heroes. Cruyff and Maradona, to
name a couple.
K:When Is Hristo Going to Be Back in the Field?
Hristo:I would love to return to play soon, perhaps ...Tammy, Linda and Rich,
our therapists who spend many hours with me so I can recover completely, say
that it will be still a couple of weeks before I can join the team on the field. I am
anxious for that moment.
araz%2B:How big of a disappointement has it been for you not being able to
contribute to the Fire after your injury? How are u living it ?
Hristo:Well, I'm a professional player, and I have a bit of a temperament at
times, it's true, and at first I didn't take my injury lightly, I wanted to play. But I
know that the only way I can get back on the field is by undergoing this therapy,
and I'm giving it 110% so I can come back.
ag:Hristo, MLS currently has a problem attracting fans. Do you think it would
be a good idea for MLS to seek out young players, from the junior teams of
places like Barcelona or Mexico on loan for a season? Would this attaract more
fans?
Hristo:MLS is well aware of the diversity in this country. It's crucial that we
bring in well-known players. but that's not all, we also need to educate this
country, soccerwise.
soccer1131:When did you start playing soccer?
Hristo:I started playing when I was 8. I liked it from the beginning. All my
family played it, soccer is in my vains!!!
jk:Be sure to get your tickets for the Fire's games against Columbus on 7/8,
against Chivas on 7/13 and against Tampa Bay on 7/15.
jk:We apologize for any delays in responding to questions but each question
answer must be translated.
bill:Don't worry, wouldn't miss a home game!
sloan:How has your family adjusted to life in America?
Hristo:My family is extremely happy. We've had huge support from many
Americans who have made us feel very much at home. I appreciate all their
support through all of this.
Fire+Monitor:Thank you for joining us tonight and please welcome this month's
guest, Hristo Stoitchkov. Hristo will be chatting live with us until 7 PM CST
tonight and is answering your questions through an interpreter doing the typing.
Hristo will attempt to answer as many of your questions as he can during the
hour. We apologize if he is unable to respond to yours directly.
arse:Hello Hristo, can't wait to see you back again
Hristo:Well I hope that we win on my first day back with the team!
iabernathy:I'm glad that you're with Chicago, but would the Fire be your first
choice of MLS teams to play for, and would Chicago be your first choice of US
cities to live in?
Fanaddict:All I can say is you are the type of player people want to watch one
who is passionate about wanting to win and having the skill few have. In the
games you have played you have shown the passing and Finishing skills we
need. Thanks for coming to the Fire.
Hristo:I came to Chicago because this was the first team to approach me. That
means a lot to me. I was firm with coach Bradley and our GM Peter Wilt about
my great desire to be here.
kkulev:Hristo what do you think is at the fundamental reason for certain
countries like Italy or Germany can keep a steady flow of soccer talent, while
others like Portugal and Bulgaria for example, even France have to go through
those cycles of alternating "golden generations" and "quiet spells"?
Hristo:Germany and Bulgaria are very close to each other. I have a lot of
respect for German players. soccerwise, it's first-class in everything. I respect
them a lot.
Arse:Who was your favourite player to play with?
Hristo:I've enjoyed the company of many players....Kooman, Romario were
great teammates. Zola, Baggio in Parma were also wonderful.
pedro:How would you compare Bob Bradley to other coaches you have had?
Hristo:Bob is a great person, not only as a couch, but as a person. I had a
similar coach-player relationship with Cruyff. Bob does his best everyday at
training to help the team and almost always stays longer, after the session, to
help us out.
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http://www.chicago-fire.com/insider/index.asp.
iabernathy:Hristo, have you made it out to enjoy Chicago beyond the tourist
attractions? If so, do you recommend any nightlife or other activities?
Fanaddict:Any particular parts of chicago that you have visited that you or
your family enjoyed. Have you been to the Zoo or Navy Pier. Is it strange to you
to be out in public and not mobbed or are you bothered.
firelover:Hristo what do you do when you can't play?
Hristo:I am a very outgoing person. I enjoy spending time with my family and
kids. My wife and I enjoy our time together. I'm a family man and I'm always
looking for ways to make my family happy. I'm not a club person, though.
kkulev:Hristo, have you had a chance to get familiar with other US cities?
Which one do you like most?
Hristo:I've been in New York, LA and Miami, Dallas, Houston. They're all
beautiful! I don't have a favorite city, I love all of them, but I'm very excited to
be in Chicago.
zenmaster:Hristo, with the opening of your school in Spain, do you plan on
moving there after your retire or are you going to stay in the U.S.?
Hristo:I will stay here in the US as long as possible. My school in Barcelona
has everything right now, we have a head coach and many other coaches there.
We have five or six buses for the kids, so that the parents of these children
don't have to worry about taking them to the school.
Fanaddict:Do you think the Fire needs a new stadium built for soccer only?
Hristo:It would be nice to have a stadium exclusively for the Fire.
zenmaster:Hristo, What do you think the fire's chances are of winning it this
year?
