Joe Mihaljevic

Infobox Football biography
playername= Joe Mihaljevic
fullname = Joseph Maurice Mihaljevic
nickname =


dateofbirth = birth date and age|1960|9|19
cityofbirth = St. Louis, Missouri
countryofbirth = United States
height = height|ft=6|in=1
currentclub = Retired
clubnumber =
position = Forward
youthyears =
youthclubs = Hartwick College
years = 1982-1987
1988
1986-1987
1988
1990-1992
clubs = Pittsburgh Spirit "(indoor)"
Fort Wayne Flames "(indoor)"
San Jose Earthquakes
Miami Sharks
San Jose Oaks
caps(goals) =
12 (2)
nationalyears =
nationalteam =
nationalcaps(goals) =
manageryears = 2007-
managerclubs = Folsom High School
Rio Americano High School
Mihaljevic Soccer Club - Top Gun
pcupdate = 31 May 2006
ntupdate = 22 June 2006

Joe Mihaljevic (born September 19, 1960 in St. Louis, Missouri) is a retired soccer forward. He runs a reputable year-round soccer school in Folsom, California and most recently, in March 2008, established the Mihaljevic Soccer Club - Top Gun, a competitive youth soccer club.

Youth

His father, George Mihaljevic, a native of Croatia, played professionally in Europe before immigrating to the U.S. He eventually settled in St. Louis, Missouri where he became the first head coach of the North American Soccer League's St. Louis Stars. In 1966, George established the first soccer school in St. Louis, "Mihaljevic Soccer School", and developed many talented players. At age 8, Mihaljevic began attending his father’s school and played for its competitive team, Missouri Mules. The team won 2 back to back state championships and 2 international youth tournaments in Holland & Canada. The team went undefeated in all games.

College

After graduating from high school, Mihaljevic was sent to live with relatives in the former Yugoslavia for a year to play soccer. He turned down a 4 year contract with 1st Division Teams, Red Star and OFK Belgrade due to the country's impeding civil war. Upon returning to the United States, Mihaljevic was offered a full NCAA scholarship at Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York in 1978. In addition to playing collegiate soccer, Mihaljevic played on amateur clubs. In 1981, he was on the Anheuser-Busch Soccer Club when it won the U.S. Amateur Cup. Mihaljevic scored the winning goal.

Professional career

In 1982, the Pittsburgh Spirit of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) drafted Mihaljevic as its 2nd-round draft pick. In 1988, joined the Fort Wayne Flames of the American Indoor Soccer Association (AISA) for the Challenge Cup Playoffs.

In 1986, the San Jose Earthquakes of the Western Soccer Alliance (WSA) signed Mihaljevic. The next year, he was the Alliance’s "Leading Goal Scorer" and "United State's Leading Goal Scorer" in 1987 with seven goals and two assists. He moved east to the Miami Sharks for the 1988 American Soccer League (ASL) season, under the coaching of 1970's World Cup Captain, Carlos Alberto Torres, of Brazil where he established himself as a force on the team by scoring 5 goals in the last 25 minutes of a game, defeating the Washington Diplomats, 5-1, a record for "Most Goals Scored in a Game".

In 1990, he joined the San Jose Oaks Soccer Club and remained with the team through the 1992 season when the team took the U.S. Open Cup. Mihaljevic was voted 1992 U.S. Open Cup "Most Valuable Player" with a goal and 2 assists in the final game (3-1).

Coaching

After retiring from playing professionally, Mihaljevic opened a soccer school in Folsom, California in 2003, also named "Mihaljevic Soccer School".

In Spring 2007, Mihaljevic successfully coached his first high school soccer team with the Folsom High School Bulldogs, going undefeated, winning the Alliance League, 16-0-2. He also coached the Rio Americano High School Raiders in Sacramento, taking them to a 2nd-runner-up place finish.

March 2008, Mihaljevic expanded, creating the Mihaljevic Soccer Club - Team Top Gun, a competitive youth soccer club.

In August 2008, the MSC Top Gun-Alpha team (U9 Boys) made their first tournament & game appearance in the Joe Ribaudo-Shootout in Sacramento. The Top Gun-Alpha team went undefeated in the preliminary rounds to play in the Championship game. With only one substitute player, Top Gun-Alpha lost to the tournament host team, 3-1. Top Gun-Alpha ended the host team's 19 game shut-out streak.

Personal

Mihaljevic married in 1994 and has 4 children.

External links

* [http://www.mihaljevicsoccerschool.com/ Soccer school]