MARKO MARIĆ
Marko Marić signed with MLS side Chicago Fire on March 2nd after a thus far average career in Europe. The 27 year-old Croatian midfielder comes to the MLS after failed stints with Greek club Skoda Xanthi and French side Lille. He began his career with hometown team NK Zagreb in 2003 where he earned 35 caps. Marić then moved to Greece in 2005 to play for Egaleo FC in 41 matches. Will Marić be able to revive his career in the Windy City and become a viable signing with the Fire this season? The Chicago Fire kickoff 2011 festivities on the road against FC Dallas on March 19th.
JOSIP MIKULIĆUnlike fellow Croatian counterpart Marko Marić, 24 year-old Josip Mikulić will be entering his rookie season in the MLS directly from NK Zagreb. Mikulić signed with the Fire as a free agent in January of 2011. The Croatian centerback played in 49 matches for Zagreb from 2005-2010. Mikulić began his career in Dinamo Zagreb’s youth academy and was even capped by Croatia’s U-19 side six times. What can the two Croatians bring to Chicago this season?
For you Croatians in the Chicago area, will these two transfers cause you to go to more Fire games?
I grew up in Chicago during the 60's, 70's and early 80's when the community was very strong – from St.Jerome Church to the Adria club house on 97th and Commercial – it was very well connected. The two soccer clubs, RWB Adria and Croatan also kicked ass, both indoor and outdoor. Hajduk Split came to play an allstar team (mostly Croatians) from the Chicago ethnic league in Soldier Field during the 70's and lost.
@Franjo,
I agree. Rex seems like a nice guy. I mean if you think about it, Petrovic is coached by a former NBA player at a mediocre school. Not a bad gig.
No reply from USF media. Oh well.
Denis, nice followup.
I like how Rex Walters didn't throw anybody under the bus when the media asked him about what happened. Most coaches wouldn't have handled it the way he did.
I'm out since Saturday with my fiancee and I miss all of these glorious posts after my own? Tragic.
Well I finally found my answer:
SN article
"It was obvious to anyone with vision that the timeout had been requested by a bench player — let’s call him “Don” — leaping to his feet and pressing his hands together in the customary “T” gesture. It's also possible San Francisco guard Rashad Green, who made the steal with the team down three points and was seated on the floor as he gathered it, asked for a timeout."
"the current “anybody-at-any-point” allowance for time to be called."
Anyone can call timeout.
Referee pointed to the USF bench and looked at Petrovic. Who knows if anyone else said anything.
A lesson learned
Hot off the wire from Marko Petrovic….
"Je rekao je da nema timeouta ali smo mi igraci zajebali"
straight from the horses mouth.
I still want to know if a player from the bench can call a timeout.
@Franjo,
I shot Petrovic another email. We will get to the bottom of this.
Besides #32, everyone else seemed like nothing happened.
1st question: Is it possible for a bench player to call timeout?
Rex Walters didnt look too pissed off after the time out was called. It just looked like Walters didnt stress "no timeouts" in the huddle right before the inbounds play.
Also, if he did stress "no time outs" I just dont see Petro calling time out. It just doesnt make sense.
Rex Walters looked like he wanted to get away. Any other coach that just stressed "no time outs" 30 seconds before they imbounded the ball… and someone called timeout… his blood pressure would go through the roof.
Lets see how Marko replies. 🙂
Denis, Marko left out the fact that he was also calling the timeout 🙂
It's plausible that the player on the ground with the ball and Marko both called timeout at the same time. However, the video shows Rex Walters repeatedly asking "who called the timeout?". The camera cuts to the ref who is calling the technical and the next cut goes to Walters telling Petrovic that they had no timeout. If the player on the ground (Rashad) called the timeout, then why isn't Walters yelling at him instead when the camera goes back to the action?
Also, the players do seem to be aware that they don't have a timeout. Watch #32's reaction once he finds out that the team will get a technical. How did he know?
For whatever it's worth, the possession arrow was for Gonzaga, so they would have gotten the ball back anyway 🙂
Petrovic called the time out.
Trust me, the coaches knew they had no TOs left. It is the job of one of the assistants on every team to let the players know how many TOs they have left. Look at the replay, Petrovic is the only one calling for a TO. Kid had a brain freeze which makes me think he lacks basketball IQ.
@Franjo,
thanks for the link. Yes it did look like Walters approached Petrovic in the end. Here is what Marko said in an email:
"Hvala ti puno prijatelju…na kraju mi nismo imali timeout I kad je rashad ukrao loptu zvao je timeout I kak nismo imali gonzaga je dobila 2 bacanja."
For those of you that dont speak Croatian… He basically said that Rashad called the timeout.
Petrovic wouldnt say if the coaches mentioned anything about not having a timeout during the timeout. From the reaction on Rex Walters face, it looked like he didn't know himself. Also, I dont believe anyone mentioned anything about a timeout in the huddle.
Petro has a good grasp of the English language. No way he would have called a timeout if he knew they were out of time outs. I blame the coaches on this one.
Denis, apparently you can. Below is a link of the play with video. He's clearly the only player on San Francisco calling for a timeout and the referee motions to him. You then see coach Rex Walters approach him with a "what are you doing" look.
Maybe a language barrier issue since they told the team they had no timeouts left? Although in the interview video on this website, it seems like he has a good grasp of the English language.
Ironically, Drazen and Rex Walters were almost teammates. Drazen passed away in June of 1993, the same month Rex Walters was drafted with the NJ Nets #1 pick in the 1st round of the NBA draft.
http://www.ballinisahabit.net/2011/03/video-san-francisco-has-their-chris.html
@Franjo,
First, its "Denis" not "dennis", might confuse me with Dennis Fistonich :).
Was Petrovic credited with calling the time out? From what I know, a player from the bench can not call a time out. Is this true?
Petrovic should get the start next season.
Dennis,
Thanks for pointing out that Petrovic was playing last night as I would not have not have known otherwise.
A typical Freshman game….a 3-pointer and a nice steal for a basket. Unfortunately, he called a timeout near the end of the game when they didn't have any. Ironically, he played against John Stockton's son. The bloodlines of two legends.
@ Ziva
It's too bad that usually I agree with you on most topics but there you go again bashing on my city. Jebi se.
Yeah, the community here in Chicago isn't exactly where some of us Hrvati would like it to be. There are many reasons for that, too many to list. Believe me. But a zero you say?? Like Boris said, announce your next visit here. This isn't the place to make enemies.
As for the question at hand, I WILL attend more Fire games this season. I went to 4 last season so I estimate that I'll probably double that number. Toyota Park isn't exactly the easiest place to get to during rush hour traffic so I hope these new guys make it worth it.
I'm a Croatian youth in Chicago. The Croatian community is decent, there are some nice people and assholes, like any other community.
As for soccer, I play everyday, but I started too late, so I have no chance of playing at higher levels. I have two friends that love soccer, but we have many problems like joining club teams costs thousands of dollars and their single parent mom cant afford it, we are stuck playing in parking lots because of gangs in parks (not to mention that we would be playing on baseball fields where the grass is up to the middle of our shins and full of holes and dog shit). Also, majority of kids here are lazy fucks, sometimes on the weekends we have time to drive to a soccer field, but all the other Croatian kids want to do is play guza. Also, no one near us plays soccer, and high school teams are a joke. My friend was the best player on his team and sat on the bench because the coach was Mexican and a family friend of some Mexican kid that was horrible, who started over him. Even the kid admitted he shouldn't start over my friend and didn't even want to that position. So, my friend quit the team, and the coach got fired at the end of the year because the team did horrible and half the team quit because of him, but it was my friend's senior year, so no college scholarship for him unless he can prove himself at some college tryouts he is going to go to.
Other sports in the USA are pushed much more, and you have to have pretty rich parents if you want to get decent training in soccer. And, the kids that can afford to play on club teams do, but spend much more time playing xbox. Thus, don't expect many stars from here soon.
Marko Petrovic on ESPN2 tonight at 7pm PT, 10ET as USF takes on Gonzaga in the semis of the West Coast Conference Tourney in Las Vegas. A win today and tomorrow guarantees USF a tournament spot.
@dukic:
I disagree with your assessment that the MLS is superior to HNL. Although, there is no way to prove it, I feel that Hajduk or Dinamo are superior to any MLS team regardless of "designated players". However, they are both feeder leagues, as almost all players in both leagues have aspirations of playing abroad. Numerous comments have appeared on this site about pay or lack there of in the HNL. It can not be any worse than MLS. A P.E. teacher in the NYC area can easily double the salary of a Red Bulls player.
http://www.mlsplayers.org/salary_info.html
Karlo,
I think everyone has already given you great answers. The only thing I don't think that has been mentioned is the fact that there are a million youth sports here in the States that kids can choose from. It's not limited to 2 or 3 as in most other countries.
@ Karlo: America has a population of 300 million, and Australia has a population of 20 million. Hence, a similar sized Croatian community can have a greater impact on the overall population. In addition, Australia's overall immigration policy allowed Greeks, Serbs, Italians etc. (with similar views on soccer) to become Australian citizens. Many Americans of Croatian ancestry are separated from Croatia by four or more generations and consequently know very little about soccer or Croatia. Italian, Irish and other Europeans followed similar immigration trends in the U.S.. I have family in Australia, and it is my understanding that soccer is increasing in popularity, and Australian Rules Football is regionally popular.
interesting points there Jack
"The problem is that soccer is a third rate sport in this country. Growing up, soccer was treated with derision or apathy."
That's a description for soccer in Australia as well, yet down here the Croatian community has had a profound legacy on soccer down here.
Ziva, it may be crap but at least the Croatian community in Canada has actually had a large impact on the soccer scene there. The Croatian community in America cannot say the same. Clearly there are some kind of obstacles that have made this the case
I don't think the problem is with Croatian American youth. The problem is that soccer is a third rate sport in this country. Growing up, soccer was treated with derision or apathy. My high school coach was the wrestling coach who focused on running, because he was not knowledgeable enough to teach or practice even the most rudimentary set pieces. Personally, I can recommend NJSA04 / Tab Ramos in New Jersey, however it is not cheap to play completive youth soccer at an elite level. Hence, it is children of upper middle class and upper class families who have access to decent training.
After reading this article, I am curios to find out who CSR readers think would be a good Croatian "designated player" in the MLS. I think Petric or Olic could squeeze out a couple of MLS years at the tail ends of their careers.
"pijandure"….hahaha… havent heard that word in a long time.
@Karlo….Canadian soccer is crap…..I would hope so that some hrvati would make a name for themselves up there. Its not like there is much competition up there. Hockey first, the scraps play soccer.
@ Anonymous…..the only thing hrvati in Cleveland know how to do is drink. A bunch of "pijandure" in that city.
@ ziva istina
I was talking specifically about the USA, not Canada. I think if you compare the two the Canadians have a far better track record. From what I’m aware of there have been 5 Croats that represented in Canada; Zeljko Bilecki, Nick Dasovic, Ante Jazic, John Sulentic, Branko Segota (perhaps others?). While with the States there is only Razov that I’m aware of. The Croatian community in Canada has had enormous success with their clubs, in particular Toronto Croatia, as well as Hamilton Croatia and to a lesser extent Vancouver Croatia. Many Croatian have played at a decent level within the Canadian domestic soccer pyramid. The same can’t be said for Croats in America. Even a small Croatian community in New Zealand has had a better track record. It’s very strange to me as an outsider looking in.
A lot of the reason given by people here such as laziness, parents not caring, generational issues, money etc, these are not problems that are unique to the USA. So I think the issue must be somewhere else. Perhaps the weakness of Croatian backed soccer clubs in America and what they are able to provide in development of young players, as well as very few pathways in the youth soccer system in America?
For those interested, last year we had an American Croat Tomislav Skara play for Melbourne Croatia. A great defender, won our player of the year award. He has returned to the States now.
CLEVELAND Hrvati < LA Hrvati. Let's get real Cleveland, the last thing you had was Lebron. (This is a challenge)
I would love to know who anonymous is by the way. One of the zuzic brothers?
@Karlo
1. Money- Most parents want their kids to get a good education. Most of our parents came here so that they and their kids could have a better life. Since most of them didn't go to college, they pass that dream onto us.
2. Laziness- I deal with the first hand everyday. The hrvati I play pickup games with during the weekend, are not willing to even sign up for a league. I just don't get it(Kvartuc, Govic, etc etc.)
3. Generational- The generation above us brought out some great talent. There was a couple hrvati out here(both guys and girl) that did pretty well in college. The reason they were so good, is that they had their parents to introduce them to the game and push them. Nowadays parents are so busy with work and other stuff, they don't want to waste their time with teaching their kids the sport.
Cleveland Croatia is where its at. Strong team with majority of the players being croatian and each year at the turnir they compete with ease. as for the signing of these two hrvati I wish them all the best and hope they can prosper in this league.
@Karlo
Here in the States, youth soccer has become a huge money maker. If you want your kid to play on a higher level club team or academy team, you have to be willing to cough up the money. I know that Croatian-Americans in the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut area are pretty frugal (some are cheap and others can't afford it) and they're not going to cough up a few thousand a year on an academy team where their kid will have a better chance to get noticed. Instead, they play high school soccer and college soccer, which is a joke here.
@Allen19
Your friend does realize that this is John Rooney and not Wayne Rooney, correct 🙂
I might go check them out if they come to Red Bulls this year otherwise I will pass. If I do go, it's because my friends want to see John Rooney and Marquez ( I personally hate Henry and have no interest in seeing him play, hopefully he doesn't play).
Why no american or canadian-croat players making it into the pros????? No talent. Razov and Jazic are the only ones and all they really did was play in MLS. Razov tried going overseas, but all he had was a short spell in the 2nd division of Spain.
It starts with talent, work rate/dedication, and coaching. Kids here in the US/Canada are lazy. Too much play station/xbox, weed, tv and not enough athletic activity. Look where all the talent comes from basketball, baseball and football. The majority of athletic players come from the ghetto and low-income families. They have the fight and desire to get out and that translate into their athletic makeup. Same thing for soccer players across the world. The best players come from poor backgrounds. Every now and then there is a player that comes froma rich background (Kaka), but for the most part they all come from low-income families and they have the heart, talent and desire to make it. Sadly, croatian kids in N. America do not, plus you add on the laziness they have……and there is your answer.
So when is the Croatian community in America going to start producing players of their own? It's pretty sad that only one player of note has come out of your community, that being Ante Razov. You guys are so far behind the rest of the other major Croatian diaspora communities. Why is this? Would be interesting to hear the thoughts of you American Croats as to why you believe this is the case
MILAN LUCIC is a serb man. not a crnogorac.
going from the worst league in the world HNL to the second worst league in the world MLS. both leagues kickball at its best. a jebiga. ides dije novac.
I think Maric and Mikulic will be overjoyed to be signing for Chicago Fire on those contracts as they basically were struggling to get themselves a new club. Mikulic wasn't a standard player in Zagreb and i think Maric has not even played 10 games in 4 years.
Its amusing how Chicago were going for all these Croatians .. i seriously have to ask if they were looking on my free agent page on my blog cos i also heard Ivan Bosnjak and Marko Babic were mentioned. Lets leave Babic aside for moment cos at least he had the credibility to go back to Osijek and could yet have one last harrah, but guys like Bosnjak, Maric and Mikulic have been struggling to get any offer. The standard of MLS can't be great.
If your on the back end of your career and you don't have an offer i don't see why any Croatian would look any further than the Croatian leagues .. there are countless examples of guys who have gone home and revived themselves – Nenad Bjelica, Milan Rapaic, Ivan Leko, Ogjen Vukojevic, Kruno Lovrek .. it makes sense to go home for 5 months and then move back out abroad that way… If Ivan Bosnjak had any brain rather than sending CD's out to a MLS side he'd have got tied up to a Croatian club for 6 months.
Oh and I forgot, Chicago has one of my favorite halls because they have a picture of Ante Pavelic up. I know Cleveland, Toronto and San Jose do too.
Boris,
I asked myself the same question and the guy is a crnogorac. There's a guy here in San Jose who plays for Sharks, Vlasic, and he's whitewash, prob thinks Croatia is food or a power drink. One thing about Lucic, despite being a crnogorac, he can throw down.
My most memorable Chicago memory was when the italians jumped the hall down at st jeromes about 12-15 years ago. They came with bats after some of our guys beat them up.
CAA…..had it heyday in 90's….Nothing anymore.
most of the croatians in Chicago i can judge from visiting and from what is seen at the annual soccer tournament, or rather the lack of them. You mentioned the two croatian soccer clubs…..funny, because everything i hear and have seen is more mujos play than hrvati….so your zajednica is all about being with the yugos……..and judging by what is sent to the annual tourney, there might be 2-3 hrvati on each roster with the 3 or 4 fans you bring.
My assault was on the cro youth in the city….the 35 and under crowd, the first generation. Should have been more clear……
either way, did not mean for it to be an attack just an observation, an accurate observation.
@ goldenchild
he was saying chicago is a "big zero" overall, to which i disagree. i think we agree that in terms of soccer support…not a lot of hrvati come out to watch games. that doesn't change the fact that both clubs are very competitive in one of the best amateur leagues in the US.
btw, anyone know if milan lucic is croatian? his latest goal was talked about on PTI.
http://bruins.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8473473&view=bio
@Ante
Razov's last year in MLS was in 2009.
There is one other Croat in MLS, Ante Jazic, with Chivas USA. Jazic was born in Canada, but has played for teams like Hajduk.
@Jersey Cro
Joel Lindpere of the Red Bulls is not a good example, because he has made numerous appearances for the Estonian National Team. I would say he was the best player on the team last year.
The two Croats the Fire signed weren't even regulars on their own CLUB teams. I would rather we don't have guys like this sign in MLS (Croat or not) and give these roster spots to American players.
@ Boris
"chicago croats already have two croatian clubs to follow in chicago, and no one really goes to their games, which are free."
Aren't you just affirming ziva's point here? (at least when it comes to not caring about sports)
@Ziva
Why so much hate? I notice you rip and tear on Chicago,not all the time, but more than any other city. The communities down here aren't the strongest either, but hey, we work with what we got. Just wondering.
@ ziva
no zajednica? with such a vast authoritative experience in chicago, how id you miss that there are 5 croatian parishes in the chicagoland area, numerous tambura/kolo groups, an active radio club, a croatian franciscan monestary and library, the croatian cultural center, 2 croatian soccer clubs, active branches of Hrvatska Zena, Napredak, and many more cro cultural and academic organizations. chicago is the main hub for the CAA which was the first grass roots croatian lobby organization in the US. Gotovina's attorney is a product of the chicago cro 'zajednica' that you say doesn't exist.
chicago isn't like hamilton where all the croatians live within a 5 min drive of each other. chicago is too big for the 'zajednica' to meet up all at the same place. it has many little zajednica's.
btw, next time your in chicago, go to Pure Cafe.
Don't forget about Ante Razov. Is he still playing for Chivas?
there have been Croatians in the MLS before: Saric (Toronto) and Bisaku (Columbus)
I support the Red Bulls and they brought in some Estonian player who was a journeyman (played in leagues like Norway and Bulgaria) and he turned out to be one of the better players on the team. So you never know, these guys can be a hit, more than likely not but is possible
Broad statement, but an accuate statement. More than just a crazy rodjak to rely on. Plenty of hrvati from Chicago say the same thing about their own community. Been to Chicago a milion times, so I can speak from authority. Compared to the croatian communities that have a decent population in N. America: NYC, Cleveland, Toronto, London, Windsor, Hamilton, LA….(those are the places I have been to and interacted with hrvati) and Chicago, by far, is the worst. There is no "zajednica", no nothing.
@ ziva
that's a pretty broad statement about chicago hrvati. do you know any? ever been there? the whole 'my rodjak told me' line isn't a credible source. every croatian i know seems to have an idiot rodjak somewhere that tells them some bullshit about something or someplace neither of them really knows anything about, and now i'm supposed to believe they are both experts? keep talking shit about chicago hrvati and you might end up knifed like jose mourinho (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12651240), but chicago style 😉
also, calling something a "big zero" is an oxymoron.
as for these two croat signings at the Fire, i agree…i doubt that many chicago croats will go see them play. maybe a few. chicago croats already have two croatian clubs to follow in chicago, and no one really goes to their games, which are free. either mikulic or maric, or both, will probably be sought by both clubs to play for them in MLS off-season if they don't go back to Cro. both names sound like they are from hercegovina, so these guys probably have some rodjak that's a janitor in chicago already.
Add harden to this list as well. USA is improving their soccer players. A lot of kids are still focusing on tricks and ball handling, but you are seeing more and more incorporate that with a vision of the field. Things are getting better here, but it has 4 other sports to go against.
It's not going to beat baseball, football, or basketball anytime soon. Hockey might be a market that it can overcome down the road, but it's got a ways to go. Also, radio and (tv) need to get behind it. And that doesn't look like it's happening anytime soon either. So many radio personalities hate soccer with such a passion it's sickening.
It's gonna take sites like this, and a grassroots movement to get it where it needs to be. In the end though, most of the USA's good players are going to move onto Europe. Europe's soccer is our football, and that's not going to change anytime soon either.
So yes, talents getting better. The league should be getting better, but I'm expecting more of the same atrocious play this coming up season. WORK IN PROGRESS
Good luck to the new guys. I'm specifically buying a ticket to the FIRE game if they come to LA this year. Gotta make them feel at home, and make sure they make a good name for hrvati. Razov and Jazic did a pretty good job at keeping the Croatian name solid in the MLS
I will be cheering on the boys from Section 8 Fire supporters section!
I know I'm going to go check them out when they come out to SJ against the Quakes. Boli me kurac za koga igraju, Hrvati su
Those 4 are a great example and I do agree with you on some of your points. The thing with MLS they play with there own Americanized format. They want to expand before they ever even have a market of viewers big enough. They will probably want to go down the 32 team rout or something around that…east west…playoffs finals…sure they have 2nd leagues but as it stands there is no relegation or awarding those below you.
As a football fan I doubt i will ever switch to watch MLS over any top european league in my lifetime. The MLS should be 12 teams at most with the current talent within the teams as you say…
I'll disagree with the above statement that MLS does not know how to brred their own talent. I think they do. More and more americans are leaving MLS every year and going to Europe. Looks at the strides the men's national team has made. Much of that success is due to MLS offering a start for players and then they can go to Europe. Plus, MLS is not a money-making business yet. Claiming they make money is wrong.
The problem with MLS is the lack of players that can play for all the teams they know have. The league will soon be at 20 teams. There are not enough american players to support such a big league, at least not yet.
The best players on the US national team all got their start with MLS. Howard, Donovan, Dempsey, Bradley….all have had success at the international level and all were developed with MLS.
I will support them for the fact that they are Croatian but in all honesty this shows what level the MLS is at and its below the HNL. They have more money but have no idea how to home breed there own talent. They have better resources but no personnel who have the quality to teach the American youngsters.
To me with all the chaos going on in Croatia its nice to see that we at least keeping bringing decent talent on a consistent basis for we are a small country. Outside of US goalkeepers from their first choice howard to there last choice in depth I would take them all over our keepers but even Dempsey and Donovan would have a hard time displacing any of our starting midfielders.
Soldo would not have been a "legit" player at that age. it would have been more proof that MLS is a retirement league for euro players looking for one last payday.
MLS is probably good for players like Mikulic and Maric. They will get paid, which is not the case in Croatia or some other small club in Europe. Now, how much are they getting paid??? I doubt either one of them will be making six figures. I wish them luck because they are hrvati, but they are no-names.
Croatians in Chicago won't turn out to watch for two reasons. One, neither one of these two guys are stars or have name recognition. Do people in Zagreb turn out to watch Cibona because they pick up some random American crnac. The answer is NO. The second reason hrvati in Chicago won't show up is because the croatian community in Chicago is a joke. I have friends and family in throughout the US and Canada and Chicago hrvati are a big ZERO.
Both guys have played very little for their past teams, so I don't know what the Chicago Fire see in them.
It would be nice if we had a "legit" Croatian player in MLS. Zvonimir Soldo was actually going to come for a "tryout" for the MetroStars (before they became the Red Bulls) about six years ago, but it never happened since Coach Mo Johnston was fired.