Mount Prospect native fired up to face ManU
Telling Pari Pantazopoulos to have fun this weekend just seems kind of silly.
Seriously?
This is the kid, already as enthusiastic as they come, who six months ago was on the outer fringes of the pro soccer world.
In January, Pantazopoulos, Mount Prospect proud, beat 210 other wannabes from 19 nations in the Chicago Fire’s open tryout, earning a trip to preseason training in Florida and South Carolina.
By the time he came back north, he had earned a job.
Have fun? He’s playing soccer for a living, modest as it is at the bottom of a Major League Soccer roster. You bet he’s having a blast.
And this weekend it gets better.
Saturday he could find himself on the same field as the world’s most famous club, Manchester United, competing against some of the best athletes in the world. Guys like Wayne Rooney, Patrice Evra, Nani and Ryan Giggs.
“Shoot, I mean, in my situation this is just a dream come true,” Pantazopoulos said. “When do you ever get a chance to play with one of the best teams in the world and all these world-class players? It’s a good feeling.”
That the game will be played in front of more than 60,000 fans, and at Soldier Field, where the Fire franchise played its first few seasons, just makes the scenario all the more exciting.
“I used to go all the time,” Pantazopoulos said. “It’s so cool because I always thought, dang, I wish one day I could be on the field and see the stadium and walk in front of 60,000 people, and now I’m actually going to do it.
“God gave me this, and I’m happy to be a part of it.”
Pantazopoulos hasn’t seen the field in a MLS first-team game yet, but the 22-year-old has been listed among the 18 players available for selection for some games, he did play in the U.S. Open Cup, and he started in Tuesday’s reserve match at Kansas City. There’s no guarantee he’ll get playing time Saturday, but it helps that the international friendly matches permit each club to make up to 11 substitutions, rather than the three allowed in competitions, and dress 25 instead of 18.
“I hope, I’m praying, maybe in the second half, just a couple of minutes to get out there and see how it is to play against them,” Pantazopoulos said. “Especially in Chicago, my hometown, a lot of my family and friends are going to be there supporting me and obviously supporting the Fire, too.”
The same kind of enthusiasm that helped Pantazopoulos be voted Prospect High School homecoming king in 2006 is helping him again, just 45 minutes south of home at Toyota Park.
“I’ve improved so much,” said Pantazopoulos, now used as a left defender. “On and off the field, the guys help me out every day, teaching me. ...”
“I’m willing to do it, whatever it takes. After training or whatever, do extra work, just run, run, run. Whatever. I’ll do that. I tell myself I need to work hard, I need to be part of this team, this club. Things will come. Work hard, it pays off, that’s what I say.
“Say you don’t play and you get all bummed out. You can’t be like that. Coaches see that and obviously your performance doesn’t show as good. So stay positive, have a smile on your face, good attitude. You’re good to go. That’s all it is.”
That’s what his coaches and teammates like about him, and they say they see his positive attitude every day.
“Pari’s one of the most likable guys on this team,” said veteran left defender Gonzalo Segares. “Since the beginning he’s a guy who’s been very respectful. I remember myself and a couple of other players, that when they first come in are really quiet, try hard to earn a spot and win your teammates’ confidence, and that’s how he’s been. He works hard every day in practice since his tryouts.
“He’s a great kid. He’s definitely maturing a lot and in practice, and in games he’s going to keep improving. It’s really good to have players like that because then you know that they’re going to give everything for this team. It’s definitely nice.”
“Yeah, he’s doing well,” added interim coach/technical director Frank Klopas. “He’s a young guy. He’s in the right environment. His attitude’s been great, he’s working hard. With all these things it takes time. When he gets opportunities, whether in Open Cup play or this and that, he’s done well for us.”
Pantazopoulos hopes to get the chance to do well again Saturday.
“These guys are absolutely just amazing and talented,” Pantazopoulos said of the Manchester United players. “It’s going to be fun. I’m going to enjoy it.”
Soccer: ‘Stay positive, have a smile on your face,’ young player says
Manchester United facts
Ÿ The Reds are in town today to take on the Chicago Fire at 4 p.m. at Soldier Field.
Ÿ Manchester United claims to be the biggest football club in the U.K., fielding such soccer stars such as Ronaldo and David Beckham.
Ÿ A perennial soccer superpower, it is the defending champion of the England Premier League, one of a record 19 English League Championships it holds. It has also won the European Cup three times and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2008.
Source: Manchester United; manutd.com