Nikolic Scoring Nets Second on All-Time Fire Scoring List, Fire Getting Closer to Playoffs.
BRIDGEVIEW, IL—Nemanja Nikolic is back to scoring goals lately and the Chicago Fire has won three of its last four matches which has put the club into a playoff push with six matches remaining on its schedule.
Nikolic scored a pair of goals as Chicago shutout visiting Philadelphia Union, 2-0, on Saturday night at SeatGeek Stadium. He now has scored five goals over the last four matches and has 11 on the season.
It’s been a big change for Nikolic since the start of the season.
“It wasn’t as much fun when I wasn’t scoring at the beginning of the season,” Nikolic said. “I’ve had opportunities almost in every game, but at that time the ball didn’t want to go into the back of the net. Sometimes, you have good years that the ball goes in and sometimes you have a good year where nothing goes inside the net.”
Nikolic has carried a strong belief in his game and with the help of others, he has found his scoring potential once again.
“You just have to believe in yourself,” Nikolic added. “If you don’t believe in yourself, then you won’t have your teammates with support to believe in you. You need to work hard, wait for the dedication and reaction for the ball to have the opportunities to score again. In these kind of moments, I knew that I was able to score goals again. I feel that everybody believes in me from the coaches to my teammates.”
By getting a pair of goals on Saturday night, Nikolic has reached 50 goals with the Fire in league play and it puts him in the second spot in Chicago Fire history in his two in a half years of service. The top goal scorer for the Chicago Fire is Anti Razov with 76 goals.
“I am very proud of that number,” Nikolic said. “I have learned that these kinds of numbers give me hope that things that I do here are good. I just need to work hard and appreciate every single goal and opportunity that I have. My goal is also to help the team with these goals and to achieve the playoffs.”
Praise is good when it comes from his head coach Veljko Paunovic, which Nikolic has been leading with some great results for the club in recent matches.
“He has to get the number one, that’s the thing. I believe that he will achieve it,” Paunovic said. “I strongly believe in everyone in that locker room. I think (Nemanja Nikolić) proved that in our history of our club, not only was he reliable, he was very, very productive. All these goals matter a lot to the team first, and of course to his good reputation of a great goal scorer. He’s bringing to the team an amazing spirit, selfless, he’s the guy that always gives his best to the team. He also has a hunger of scoring goals. He’s always there where he needs to be. He always practice the penalties. He always wants to know the opposition and he learns from every game. He learns from every session. Amazing professional and somebody that influences the youngsters in our locker room in the best possible way.”
If Nikolic keeps finding ways of scoring along with the support of a few others on the Fire. Who knows how far this team can go with the playoffs in mind over the coming weeks.
Editor’s Note: All Photos Are Courtesy of Amanda Cortese
