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A piece of his mind Bulgarian star Stoitchkov holds nothing back from teammatesPosted: Thursday April 05, 2001 6:59 PMUpdated: Wednesday March 13, 2002 10:56 AM
By Michael Lewis, CNNSI.com Ask MLS coaches who their favorite is to win MLS Cup or to reach the final and the Chicago Fire is invariably mentioned. That's how stacked the Fire are. Even coach Bob Bradley has high hopes and great expectations for the 2000 MLS Cup runners-up. "We believe we do have a good team," he said. "We come into the season wanting to compete to win the regular and do well in the Open Cup. We set our sights on winning some cups and winning some championships because we think that's what the best teams are able to do." It will be difficult to argue with Bradley's assessment. The team has very few holes. It has stars -- or solid players, at worst -- at every position, and some depth, a rare commodity in MLS.
In fact, that depth will be tested early on since cagey veterans Hristo Stoitchkov (left ankle sprain), 35, the main man up front, and Peter Nowak (strained left hamstring), 36, the midfield general who missed most of spring training, are listed as week-to-week. Nowak could be lost to the club for as long as a month. Still, Bradley has liked what he has seen, mostly due to team chemistry, familiarity and awareness. "I think we have a good group," he said. "A lot of us have been together for some time. We work well together. We enjoy the environment that we created. We have a good blend between experienced players, young players, skillful players and hard-working players. I think there's good balance in it." The attack starts and ends with Bulgarian legend Stoitchkov, who accrued nine goals and seven assists in only 18 appearances last season. While it might not be realistic to expect a full season from the one-time World Cup star, there is little doubt that the more he plays, the more dangerous the Fire will be. Nowak (14 assists) has been a constant for the team since Day One. When he is in the lineup, the Fire are more organized and have a better chance of winning. Another key player who performed in only half the matches last season is U.S. Soccer player of the year Chris Armas, who, day in and day out, is the best defensive midfielder this country has produced. Depending on who's healthy, playing well and on national-team commitments, Bradley can use a number of other combinations in the other midfield spot, including Ukrainian native Sergi Daniv, reliable left-footer Diego Gutierrez, dangerous Dema Kovalenko (10 goals), versatile Jesse Marsch and prospect DaMarcus Beasley, who turns only 19 on May 24. Up front, all eyes are on Josh Wolff, who emerged at the 2000 Olympics and as the offensive star of the United States 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Mexico in February. He is expected to have a career season (after a mediocre seven-goal season) now that Ante Razov is plying his trade in Spain. "We realize it's the right time for Josh to have a new challenge as the main forward who's responsible for scoring goals, who has to be there every game," Bradley said. "We all think he's ready... He and Hristo have developed a very good understanding on the field. His ability to see openings and make runs and his speed and quickness to get to places at the right time is a tremendous complement to Hristo's ability to put the ball in those spots." Which player Wolff will be paired with will depend on who's hot and who's healthy. Bradley can call upon Beasley, Kovalenko or John Wolyniec, who looked so good during the MLS Spring Training tournament. While it doesn't get the spotlight as much as the attack, the Fire's backline is promising, so promising that they were able to deal veteran Lubos Kubik to the Dallas Burn for Daniv. Forming the back core are C.J. Brown, Carlos Bocanegra (last year's rookie of the year), Evan Whitfield and Andrew Lewis, who missed a good deal of the preseason due to ankle surgery and left calf contusion. Gutierrez can play there as well. Kubik will be missed. "Lubos Kubik was a very important player on and off the field," Bradley said. "Without him, we're a little different defensively. We're not good with the ball in the back, because obviously he is a special player with the ball. I don't know if there's anyone else in the league who is as skillful coming out of the back." Zach Thornton, a middle linebacker wearing goalkeeper's clothing, is rock solid in the nets (1.28 goals-against average, third in the league) in more ways than one. During Thornton's absence due to injuries at the beginning of last season, the Fire were less than ordinary. So, can the Fire win MLS Cup? Sure, as long as the team stays away from injuries.
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