A season ago, Ante Razov played a pivotal role in Chivas USA's push for the Western Conference title, with his successful partnership with newcomer Maykel Galindo helping propel the upstart club towards the conference regular season crown.
But the season ended on a sour note for the experienced forward, as he injured his left knee in a late-season match against FC Dallas, and was forced to be a mere spectator as the Western Conference's top seed was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Kansas City.
"It was very hard to watch the team when I felt like I could have helped," Razov said.
Now, Razov is healthy again and looking to come back strong, while leading Chivas USA to even bigger heights in 2008. While he hasn't found the net since scoring in Chivas USA's opening two preseason matches, the 34-year-old striker is already at the point in this year's preparations where he is fit to play a full match, as he did Wednesday in Chivas USA's 2-1 loss in a scrimmage with D.C. United at the Texas Pro Soccer Fest.
"We felt like it was a good season, but it ended on a sour note. We're going to be hungry, and expectations are pretty high again," he said.
Razov has had soccer in his blood since he was young, and fortunately for him, the end of his time in college coincided with the beginning of Major League Soccer.
"It was just always inside of me. I just always loved soccer, and I always had a ball in my hand. Back then, there wasn't a lot of it on TV, but whenever it would come on, I would watch it all the time, and I was just fascinated by the whole thing," Razov said. "Luckily, MLS came along right about the right time for me."
Save for a one-season spell in the Spanish second division, Razov has been in the league since its inception, when he was taken by the L.A. Galaxy in the inaugural MLS draft out of UCLA. He's had some down moments, but the successes far outweigh the negatives. Razov won the MLS Cup with Chicago in 1998 and is the league's second-leading all-time scorer, behind D.C.'s Jaime Moreno.
Now 34, Razov is one of the four remaining MLS originals to begin the season who have played part of every season. But the fire still burns as it did when he was young.
"I still like the competition, to feed the fire," he said. "Hopefully the body holds up, but the fire's still burning inside, definitely."
Razov has faced -- and beaten -- many talented defenders in his time in MLS and playing for the U.S. national team. He rates one of his former international teammates as the toughest defender he's ever faced, in the recently retired Eddie Pope.
"He played very tough, and physically, he was hard to deal with," Razov said. "He was very long, lengthy, strong, fast and he was a very smart defender."
In his first two seasons with Chivas, Razov has shown that he can still hold on his own and then some against the league's defenses and continue to play at a high level, tallying 25 goals over the last two years. If his body can follow suit with his unrelenting passion, then it's quite possible that this November could end on a much better note for both player and team than the last one did.
Personally, Razov has redemption on his mind after seeing his 2007 season come to an early end.
"I'm very motivated this year, and looking to do whatever I can to help the team go further," he said.
Eddie Griffin is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
