16^th March 2000

See Fire Press Conference

15^th March 2000

Hristo Stoichkov.

One name says it all for the Chicago Fire, a team which won Major League's Soccer championship during its expansion year in 1998 and had high hopes of repeating in 1999. But a tough loss to the Dallas Burn in the playoffs sent the Fire back to the drawing board for Season No. 3, which begins this weekend. Coach Bob Bradley knew he would have to replace Roman Kosecki (retired) and Jerzy Podbrozny (who returned to Poland). But wasn't planning on landing Stoichkov, who in 1994 led Bulgaria to a third place finish in the World Cup and finished No. 2 in the balloting for World Footballer of the Year. Bradley and his boss, General Manager Peter Wilt, may have hit the jackpot. Stoichkov, who scored 37 goals in 84 game for the Bulgarian national side, would give the Fire a lethal set piece combination along with Czech Lubos Kubik, not to mention the superstar's influence on the squad both on and off the field. Stoichkov's arrival in Chicago could make Fire fans forget all about losing Kosecki and Podbrozny, who played key roles in the 1998 championship squad. "A lot has been written like we waived these players," said Bradley, "but that was not the case. Roman was still tinkering about whether or not he wanted to play again, but in his own mind he probably thought he was ready to retire. I think Jerzy thought it would make more sense to go back and finish his career in Poland. "If you watch Stoichkov, he's the type of player who likes to move from side to side and attack the flanks from both sides. That is a lot of what we allowed Roman to do. In our first year, Roman could produce a couple of plays per game that could make the different. That is clearly what Stoichkov has been about his whole career." While Stoichkov steals the preseason show for Chicago, the 42-year-old Bradley has brought in some promising young players to go with the already strong crop of prospects in the Chicago camp. The Fire picked up Manuel (Junior) Agogo on a free transfer from Sheffield Wednesday and John Wolyniec from the Long Island Rough Riders. They signed USA youth international DeMarcus Beasley and welcomed draft picks Carlos Bocanegra of UCLA and Yuri Lavrinenko of Indiana.. "We feel very good about those players," said Bradley. "Every one of them is capable of starting. Carlos, for example, is just a very good young defender -- smart, good in the air and a good passer out of the back. He plays far beyond his years and he has impressed everyone on our team. The 20-year-old Agogo -- should he continue to earn a spot in the Fire lineup, will add more speed to the Fire attack. Wolyniec, who Bradley says has come a long way in one year, scored 15 goals in 27 games for Long Island in the A-League last year, while spending time training with the USA's pre-Olympic team. Returning to the Fire is leading scorer Ante Razov (14 goals), who recently has gotten some playing time with the U.S. National Team as well as second leading scorer Josh Wolff (10 goals). Attacking midfielder Peter Nowak is back to try and regain form which made him a candidate for the league's player of the year award in 1998. "He took a lot of criticism last year," said Bradley, "but he's eager to show people that he's still among the best in the league." Kubik, the free kick specialist, likely will be even more dangerous with Stoichkov roaming around attracting defenders. "Lubos had a good year last year and I think we all know that in terms of his presence on the field and his role in organizing our defense, he is a very big part of our team," Bradley said. In midfield, the Fire have Chris Armas, who since bursting on the scene two years ago has become somewhat of a fixture with the national team. Armas is the type of player who raises the level of those around him because he does the dirty work and is always willing to play on both sides of the ball. Zach Thornton, who posted a creditable 1.09 goals-against average in a year where the Fire gave up just 36 goals, is No. 1 in the nets. He will be backed up by Greg Sutton. Will Stoichkov change how the Fire play in 2000? "He might make a bit of a difference on how we put players on the field," said Bradley, "but again, we always try to put players out there based on their strengths. I'd be hard pressed to tell you what our system was in the past. Roman would play with Ante up front, and Peter in midfield with Jerzy. Whether you call that playing with two or three forwards, I don't know." All in all, Bradley is pleased with the Fire's preparation for the season. "I think the best part of our camp is that a number of our returning players who have been with us a year or two -- Jesse Marsch, Diego Gutierrez and Andrew Lewis -- have played well. And Dema Kavalenko and Tommy Soehn, who is a real professional, have done a good job." Bradley feels the league has not been given enough credit for its role in raising the level of play for Americans. "The league is definitely better because so many young American players have had the opportunity to become professionals," he said. "It is apparent by the fact that there are decent players in the field a couple of years ago who today would find it difficult to make it onto the field."