A year removed from being selected tenth overall in the Major League Supplemental Draft, Chicago Fire midfielder Floyd Franks earned his first MLS start on the road against D.C. United on Saturday, June 16, 2007. The five-foot, ten-inch product of the University of North Carolina-Charlotte spent his first year with the Fire coming off the bench totaling 151 minutes in nine games. On the Fire Reserves, Franks made a team best nine starts in ten appearances while finishing second on the squad with four goals. Fire Insider had a chance to talk with Franks about his soccer career and his first start after practice during the Fire's bye week.
Fire Insider: When did you start playing soccer?
Floyd Franks: I think I was six. I started playing in Hattiesburg (Mississippi). It was the first year that they actually ever had soccer. There were two teams, the Dolphins and the Sharks, and we played each other every single weekend for like ten weeks and that was my first season. I was a Dolphin. Actually, the last game of the season, we had one every single game so they put me over on the Sharks and the Sharks won the last game of the season.
FI: What other sports did you play growing up?
FF: I played baseball and I played a little flag football. My main other sport was baseball. I played until I was twelve and then we moved to Tennessee where the only thing they had was travel baseball which would take up too much time, so I just stuck with soccer.
FI: Why soccer as opposed to those sports?
FF: I was a good baseball player but I always liked soccer a lot more. That's pretty much it, I just liked soccer more.
FI: Who has most influenced your soccer career?
FF: I guess I should say my dad or something like that, right? I don't know I've moved so many different places and had so many different coaches. I'll throw my dad in there because he has supported me. My first select coach in Hattiesburg, Frank Glamser. He pretty much got me started. I don't think he played but he loved the game. I know he went to Europe a bunch of times and studied the game, how they played it and stuff. A really smart guy, he knew a lot. He actually checked me out of school one day so we could go watch the Ajax-I don't remember who they played-Champions League final in like 1995. He went over to England for a time and brought me back a Arsenal jersey and scarf. He was kind of my first guy. Then, my coach in Alabama, Stewart Fitzsimmons, he did a lot for me to get me to that next level and get me into college.
FI: What was it like getting start against D.C. United?
FF: I was glad. It was exciting. I was a little bit nervous but it felt really good. I started in like two Open Cup games last year and against Club América but to get an actual start in a regular season game is, I guess, a lot more like a relief. Waiting that long is kind of crazy for me. I never really had to wait that long. But yeah it was exciting. It kind of sucked getting (substituted) out at half but yeah it was nice. It was definitely nice.
FI: How do you feel you have developed during your one year in the MLS?
FF: I guess speed of play. You just have to be more aware at all times of who's around you and where defenders are coming from and finding space on the field because there isn't much of it so you've got to be able to find that space and once you find it you have to know where you want to go with the ball next.
FI: What happen with your no shaving superstition?
FF: Well, I started out saying, 'I'm tired of shaving I don't want to shave.' Then it grew into a 'I'm not going to shave until I actually start a game.' And it got to be a pretty long while and things weren't looking too good, so I was like 'Forget it; I'm tired of having a beard.' I shaved it and like two weeks later I got the start. Maybe it was the shaving. It was kind of a pain to have the beard.
FI: What's it like having a father who has played professionally?
FF: I guess I've benefited from the genes. He didn't really play for a long time so growing up I wasn't one of the kids who was in the locker room and that kind of stuff. But he definitely pushed me. I guess maybe that's how all dads are. If you get hurt on the field or while you are playing, he was like 'Oh, you're fine' and that kind of stuff. He was a hard worker so he always pushed me that way. He would get mad if I wasn't working hard and that kind of stuff and he always pushed me like that. He always wanted the best out of me.
FI: Any arguments with your father between soccer over football?
FF: Not really. When I started growing up, he didn't want me playing peewee (football) because sometimes you just get some crazy dad who is the coach. There is actually a story. My next-door neighbor was doing a hitting drill and he got hit and broke his collarbone. He told the coach, 'My shoulder is real messed up. I don't think I should play.' And the coach was like, 'Are you wussing out on me? Get down and do pushups.' He had a broken collarbone and he made him do pushups. You kind of run into some idiots along the way, so he (my dad) didn't want me to get caught up in that. He wanted me to wait (to start playing football) and by that time I had pretty much filled my time doing other stuff. With ODP, two seasons in club, and all this other stuff, I really never had time to play football. So no we never had an argument over playing football.
FI: Did you ever play against Justin Mapp growing up?
FF: Yeah. I moved at (the age of) twelve and I started playing travel soccer at nine, so we played each other for three years. We played his team in state and friendly games. Even back then, he was considered one of the best players in the state. We played on an ODP team together one year in one tournament. We actually weren't supposed to have an ODP team. We were supposed to wait until the next year. But a coach was like 'We'll start them a little earlier.' We didn't go to an ODP event. We just went to a tournament. So I played with him one time. After that I moved. I kind of actually kept up with and knew he was in the league and playing here. So yeah, I played against him a few times.
