NBL star Dirk Nowitzki was able to witness his first live FC Dallas match on Tuesday and although it was a 3-0 CONCACAF Champions League loss to Toronto FC, he was still a proud fan.
The Dallas Mavericks power forward appeared on a video for MLSsoccer.com kitted out in a red and white Dallas shirt and spoke about promising talent Brek Shea, good friend Steve Nash (of the Phoenix Suns) who co-owns Vancouver Whitecaps and the appointment of fellow German Juergen Klinsmann as the USA national team boss.
On Shea he said: "He's pretty good. He's got a nice left (foot), he's pretty fast for his size, he can cross nice balls in. I have watched him on TV before and I think he's an interesting talent and hopefully he can make it all the way through."
In regards to Nash, Nowitzki said it is not unusual for him to be heavily involved in soccer considering his upbringing.
"I know that Steve grew up around soccer. His dad was a soccer pro in England, he's a huge Tottenham fan and his brother Marty Nash used to play for the Whitecaps and the Canadian national team so Steve basically grew up with soccer and so did I. In Germany everybody played soccer. I never really played for a club but you're always having kicks on the street. I was just too tall for it I guess but I can kick a bit. Soccer is just a fun atmosphere, you see the fans over in Europe how they go crazy."
And as for Klinsmann, the 2011 NBA championship winner is confident it is a good move by US Soccer.
"I was excited. I think Juergen did a great job for us (German team) in the '06 World Cup where we came third. There was a lot of hype going on and I just think it's a good fit. He knows the game, he's ben living in the US for a long time so he obviously watches MLS games and knows the players and knows the system so hopefully they can pick it up. Once the players get to know his system I think it will be ok."
