BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – New Fire midfielder Bratislav Ristic revealed this week that he received his first contract offer from the club back in June, only to have the offer fall through. Ristic wouldn’t discuss the reasons as to why the deal collapsed.
“I came here for five or six days [in June] and I trained with the team, and people from club said, 'We’re going to sign you,'" Ristic told MLSsoccer.com. "I went back to Serbia in order to get a visa, and then I came back and there were some problems."
"But now it’s good. … I want to try to do something good for the team.”
The 30-year-old Ristic, who officially signed with the Fire on Tuesday, spent much of the summer training at Toyota Park and then returned to Chicago for a second trial in early August. He’s been with the Fire ever since.
“I’m really happy to be a part of the Chicago Fire family,” Ristic said. "We still have eight games left; we have a chance to go to the playoffs. … I think we are a good team with good players.”
Ristic, who has spent time with numerous teams in multiple European countries, added that he’s ready to play immediately.
“I’m fit to play,” he said. “I play center midfield or on the left or right. I have good technique one against one, and I’m fast.”
Fire head coach Carlos de los Cobos said that he was impressed with how Ristic performed while on trial this summer.
“I think that he might have the opportunity to play shortly,” de los Cobos said. “He has a lot of experience, and I think that he [plays at] a good level, too.”
Sam Stejskal covers the Chicago Fire for MLSsoccer.com. Email him at sam.h.stejskal@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @samstejskal.
