Bad day for Hristo! Loses job, loses the lawsuit...maybe he "quit" the job to claim that he couldn't pay the lawsuit ;)

Goff, is this the DCU/MLS news that you spoke of?

For the record, he did say "perhaps."

Wow... Check out the old-school picture they dug up for the article. Hristo and El Diablo. Looks like a legends match... sheesh. They were both great players in their prime, but looking at them in that photo--Wow, what was United thinking? Talk about transitioning from the old guard to the new. Amazing Jaime is still around and playing in good form.

They were thinking Stoichkov would help them find hidden gems in the Bulgarian league, like Galin Ivanov.

Geez, maybe Ronnie O'Brien will sign up next for some quick legally induced luv....

You step on the pitch in a competitive match and stuff happens. If you felt Hristo was a menace, you should avoid playing against him. It is not as if his reputation did not precede him....

I hope Mr. Llerena is ok, but c'mon.

What's next, suits about emotional distress when one team beats another?

I watched this game - There was no reason to ruin Llerena's career. Stoichkov deserves the
most severe penalty possible.
Stuff does happen but this was a totally illegal challenge during a scrimmage -c'mon Stoichkov - ruin a kid because you were mad the kid was schooling you...

i remember hearing about that incident through the virginia college soccer circles. i heard it was just a nasty pay-back tackle by stoichkov and that everyone knew it. people thought he should have been arrested.

I was actually at that game, and I think it has been hyped up on both sides - it wasn't that vicious, nor was it naive of the kid. At the end of the day, in my opinion, it was a perfect example of the risk of putting professionals in against college players. Stoichkov wasn't getting schooled, but he didn't like a particular call, so he was playing his usual way. A professional player may have reacted more quickly to the play and protected his leg from that kind of injury.

I heard, but cannot verify, that as a result of this MLS teams will not scrimmage college teams anymore.

I wonder what the conditions of the settlement are, and whether they include sealing of the transcripts of any depositions that were take of eyewitnesses, of which I believe Insider was one. From what I have read and heard (see BobF above) this was borderline criminal. "Stuff happens" my a*s -- how many times have you seen a player's leg destroyed (deliberately ?) to the point of a compound fracture in match, friendly or otherwise? You can be cynical all you want about the US legal system; in Bulgaria the remedy might have been an axe handle across both of Stoichkov's kneecaps, and from what I've read, that might have been more just than an out-of-court $$ settlement.

"You step on the pitch in a competitive match and stuff happens"

Not to be picky about facts and things of that nature, but it wasnt really a competitive match. It was a scrimmage.

"Legal system cynic"'s comments are way off--it wasn't an ultimate fighting match, it was soccer and a scrimage game at that. The expectation of a compund fracture from a deliberate attempt to hurt someone is not a part of the game. Stoichkov is a hothead and a dangerous player who ruined a college kid's soccer career. He retaliated in frustration and should pay the full penalty for losing control of his emotions and assaulting someone. I hope Hristo pays out the ying yang for his irresponsibility and is thankful that he wasn't arrested.

Todd West the head coach at AU is a good friend of mine. He told me it was the most sickening sound he's ever heard on a soccer field. Players from both teams were visibly shaken. Even Stoichkov turned pale after he had seen what he'd done. I hope this kid got the amount he was looking for. An accidental 1 v 1 challenge is one thing. A full blown retaliation with intent to harm is something completely different. I hope Stoichkov paid thru the nose.

Interesting that news of the settlement comes right after Stoichkov becomes available to coach... hmmm...