Bronxville, NY- Forward Stefan Dimitrov (Bulgaria) has signed a contract to join the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer after a brilliant career at Concordia College.

Dimitrov led the nation throughout in scoring the season and finished the 2008 regular season with the most goals in the nation (23). Dimitrov was voted to the 2008 Daktronics NCAA Division II Men's Soccer All-America Second Team and finished the year ranked No. 1 in goals per game (1.35) and No. 2 in points per game (2.76).

In his three year career at Concordia College, Dimitrov has amassed a total of 37 goals and 6 assists for a total of 80 career points and a 1.70 points per game career average.

Dimitrov was also named the East Coast Conference 2008 Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Year and to the 2008 East Coast Conference Scholar Athlete Honor Roll.

The Chicago Fire is a part of Major League Soccer (MLS), a 15-team league that spans across the United States and Canada. MLS will be adding 3 teams to the League within the next two seasons. The Fire finished 13-10-7 last season and in 2nd place in the Eastern Conference, eventually falling in the Eastern Conference Championship to the MLS Cup winner Columbus Crew 2-1.

Questions & Answers with Dimitrov

Courtesy of Chicago Fire and Major League Soccer

Dimitrov joins the Fire after three years at Concordia College. He scored the most goals in the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer 2008 regular season with 23 and add one assist in 17 games played. Through his senior season he logged seven multi-goal games scoring at least one goal in 13 of 17 games played. Dimitrov was voted to the 2008 Daktronics NCAA Division II Men's Soccer All-America Second Team and named the 2008 East Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Dimitrov holds permanent residency.

Q: Talk about the surroundings in which you grew up in Bulgaria, and the first time you came into contact with soccer.

A: Well I grew up in a small sized city compared to the size of some American cities. I started playing soccer at the age of seven...maybe close to eight. It was just passion and I have really strong feelings for it. I remember my mom used to wake up and not let me go to practices. She wanted me to become some kind of doctor or some scientist - somebody smart; but I was just thinking about the ball... kicking it around and chasing it. That was basically my childhood.

I went through the academy of Etar, that's my hometown team. They used to be first division champions in 1991. They are a very popular club. Many good players came out of this academy. At age 16, I got picked by the senior team and I played four seasons with the first team before I came to the United States.

Q: Who/What inspired you to play soccer?

A: When I was in second grade, in primary school. The PE teacher saw me playing on the playground and her husband was a very famous coach of the academy team. She basically pulled me out and said, "Why don't you go see how you feel playing with the academy kids?"

Q: Why did you come to the United States? Talk about the process and how did you ultimately decide to come to that conclusion...

A: My father won the green card lottery so he asked me if I would make that decision and move to the States. I just felt like I needed to move on. I didn't feel appreciated back home with our team. So I said to myself, it is the right moment to move on... when you get new challenges you get this totally different type of energy.

Q: How did it all happen with Concordia?

A: I worked for a year and half throughout New York City just swapping jobs. In the meantime I was playing for this amateur Bulgarian team in Queens, NY and enjoying my Sundays when I was off from work. This friend of mine that I played with was an assistant on the Concordia College team and came up to me and said, "Listen, you can come help the team and still get your education too." I thought, I don't have anything to lose. And that's how I went to Concordia College.

Q: How did you first get in contact with the Fire? How did you try out for them?

A: I got a call from Denis Hamlett. He basically said why don't you come over and see what you have and we'll take it from there.

Q: You were able to get a lot of playing time during preseason and contribute right away with your performance on the field. Talk about the whole preseason experience and your impressions of your new team.

A: At first when I was traveling to Florida I was pretty anxious about the team and how I would perform. The minute I stepped onto the field I saw how good of a team they are. It's almost like friends playing together; it made me feel comfortable, feel confident, and I just showed them my best. The coaches liked what they saw and I signed a one year contract.

Q: What are some of your personal goals for this upcoming season?

A: First is to win the championship with the team. As for individually, it's to keep improving my skills and stay away from injuries...stay healthy. Get some playing time, continue to get more and more playing time and eventually start. I'm very ambitious. I know that I can do it.

-Provided by Concordia Sports Information department.