Chicago Fire striker Nemanja Nikolic is not only the front-runner to win Major League Soccer’s Golden Boot award, he also has a chance to break the league scoring record. He currently leads MLS in scoring by two goals over David Villa, and with 16 in 21 games he’s definitely on a very comfortable pace to smash the current benchmark of 27 (held jointly by Chris Wondolowski and Bradley Wright-Phillips).
“Of course, as I say a few times before, the records exist to break them and if it’s a possibility I will try to make it,” he said in media mixed zone ahead of the MLS All-Star Game tomorrow night. “But to be honest it’s not in my focus now.”
Nemanja Nikolic was voted to the MLS Fan XI, and he, along with the rest of his MLS All-Star teammates, will take on Real Madrid in Chicago, as the Fire are hosting this edition of the game. There will be a lot of wagering on a huge match such as this. For a reliable online Soccer Betting Agency, you can check out agen casino online. Most of the favored money will be on Real for this clash at Soldier Field.
He moved over from Legia Warsaw this season, and it’s truly been a massive breakout year for the Serbian born Hungarian international. Real Madrid was recently named the world’s most powerful football/soccer brand, and they are a team that Nikolic is very familiar with.
“I played against Real in group stage Champions League last year, it was an incredible feeling,” Nikolic said after a one-sided victory over Orlando City SC on June 24th. Now he’ll face Los Blancos in an exhibition international friendly. However, Nemanja does not view tomorrow night’s clash in that vein.
“I think that in soccer you don’t have friendly games,” he said at MLS All-Star Media Day.
“In every single moment that you go to the pitch you cannot think this is friendly game or this championship or champions league. I think a professional player he goes to give his maximum in every single game.
Former Fire and USMNT legend Brian McBride discussed what a big beneficiary Nemanja Nikolic has been from the signing of Bastian Schweinsteiger from Manchester United this March.
“If you look at it, when Schweinsteiger signed, people were questioning it, and you can see the difference it makes when you have someone can pick out passer and see routes,” McBride said.
“I’d be interested to see a stat on how many times Nikolic was offside before Schweinsteiger came and now how many times he’s not, after Schweinsteiger came.”
“Because he’s making the same runs, and had the same vision, it’s just that the pass didn’t come soon enough. Now you have Dax (McCarty) sitting in the whole freeing up Bastian Schweinsteiger to be a little bit more offensive, so it’s all mixed, very very well.”
For the Nemanja Nikolic mixed zone audio click below:
https://soundcloud.com/p-m-banks/nemanja-nicolic-in-the-mls-all-star-game-media-mixed-zone
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV.
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