ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Growing up in his native Bulgaria, Tampa Bay Rowdies forward Georgi Hristov’s future was in part formed on the asphalt of his neighborhood’s streets.

“We were very social as kids,” Hristov said this week. “We spent a lot of time together, even seven, eight, nine years old we would be out in the streets and our mothers would get mad because we wouldn’t go back home until late at night, just playing with the soccer balls on the streets, on the cement, that’s how I spent most of my time.”

Those memories, and the relationships that were forged, are the reason Hristov returns regularly to see friends and family. While the west coast of Florida may have become his home in recent years, the sense of place that has helped Hristov remained grounded throughout his career on both sides of the Atlantic remains special.

“It’s always great to go back,” Hristov added. “I spent so many years there. I miss my family, my friends, when you grow up in a different culture it stays with you all the time, and there were certain things I was missing a lot, so it was good to go back there.”