Three months after the turn of the millennium, a Ballon d'Or winner stepped onto an MLS pitch for the very first time.
Twenty-five years later, legendary former Bulgarian international Hristo Stoichkov is preparing to watch eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF at this summer's expanded FIFA 2025 Club World Cup, along with returning participants Seattle Sounders FC.
How far Major League Soccer has come.
MLS pioneer
“Everything, every day, every week, every month, every three years," Stoichkov recalled his fondest memories from his three-season stint with star-studded Chicago Fire FC from 2000-02.
"I remember [head coach] Bob Bradley. I remember the whole team, because the first year [we made the MLS Cup] final [and] Chicago Fire lost the final in Kansas City, 1-0. And one week after that, [we] won the [US] Open Cup. Amazing. I'm very, very happy this [was] the team.
"Peter Nowak, the big captain, Ante Razov, Josh Wolff, Chris Armas, Jesse Marsch, DaMarcus Beasley, Carlos Bocanegra, Zach Thornton - the whole team, so unbelievable. It's not the first time I have [said] thank you, thank you very much [to] MLS. Thank you very much [to] Bob Bradley for asking me [to play] for Chicago Fire. But these three years [I will] never, never forget."
Along with his obvious talent, which earned him the 1994 Ballon d'Or award, Stoichkov added a hard-nosed mentality to a team that won the MLS Cup-U.S. Open Cup double two years prior, helping the Fire add a second USOC title to their trophy cabinet by scoring the opening goal in the 2000 final. After three years, Bradley left for New York, cuing Stoichkov to spend the final season of his legendary career with D.C. United.
Both cities still hold a special place in his heart. But as a former FC Barcelona player, Stoichkov also has a newfound connection to Inter Miami's Messi-led project that includes fellow Blaugrana alums Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
“I watch every game in Miami and I watch every game in Chicago because I have homes in Miami and Chicago. And sometimes I see games in Washington [D.C.] because I ended my career in Washington [D.C.] and I have strong affection for both Chicago Fire and D.C. United.
"Now live in Miami, so I watch a lot of games in Miami... I like watching every game. Every game, because I’m a man of soccer. I can’t go a minute without watching soccer. It’s been years since I’ve played, but I like seeing whether the younger players of today will be better than we were during my years in MLS.”
Sustained growth
When Stoichkov made the move Stateside, those young players did not have the luxury of the current U22 Initiative roster spots, nor did Designated Players exist. Back then, the best players like Stoichkov signed as allocation players with the league before being assigned to the team that would fit best.
The league infrastructure was not much different than the underdeveloped roster mechanisms. Although most Fire players lived in downtown Chicago when Stoichkov joined, the team trained nearly two hours away in Lake Forest, requiring players to sit in traffic for hours as they drove to and from practice.
Now things are different.
“[The league] has had fantastic growth. Obviously, the programs that MLS has in place to grow the game and give opportunities to young players are fantastic. I think the work Commissioner Don Garber is doing with each team, making sure each team has their own stadium and training facilities - for a player, these things are fantastic and help the game grow.
"I think MLS will grow even more. It’ll grow because, if I’m not mistaken, there are more than 250 US players currently playing in foreign countries. That’s a fantastic figure because it means that so many players don’t fit in MLS, so you have to negotiate with other teams. For me, MLS is currently one of the strongest leagues. Obviously, the greatest player of all time is playing in MLS – that would be Lionel Messi."
The world's stage
As the official host team for the Club World Cup, Inter Miami will play in the tournament's inaugural game against Egyptian side Al Ahly FC on June 14 at Hard Rock Stadium. The 2023 Leagues Cup champions and reigning MLS Supporters' Shield winners see this as a prime opportunity to further prove themselves on the global stage.
Seattle, the league's first-ever Club World Cup participant in 2022, also qualified via that year's Concacaf Champions Cup (née League) title. The Sounders will compete in Group B, along with Brazilian powerhouse Botafogo and European juggernauts Atlético Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.
Despite Seattle's daunting group-stage draw, Stoichkov insists the Rave Green have a fighting chance to reach the knockout stages.
“Go and compete. Go out and enjoy it," he said. "Soccer is very simple: win 1-0 and don’t let the opponent score a goal and tie the game. Look, for a young player on a team that’s made history in MLS, it’s about going out, enjoying yourself and competing against other players, seeing how you measure up.
"Everybody is picking their favorites to win, right? Botafogo or Paris Saint-Germain or Atlético Madrid. But the games have to be played, you have to play for 90 minutes. Seattle won’t be an easy team to play against… these teams need to be careful with them because they don’t know them."
For Stoichkov, the same could be applied to Miami, who'll face Al Ahly (Egypt), Palmeiras (Brazil) and FC Porto (Portugal) in Group A. According to the Bulgarian icon, those unfamiliar with MLS would be well advised to take the Herons and Seattle seriously this summer.
"Soccer in the United States is a lot better than many people think.”
