Mike Stankovic (born November 11, 1956) is a retired

Serbian-American Serbian Americans ( sr, / ) or American Serbs (), are Americans of Serb ethnic ancestry. As of 2013, there were about 190,000 American citizens who identified as having Serb ancestry. However, the number may be significantly higher, as there w ...

soccer defender who played professionally in the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

, Major Indoor Soccer League and National Professional Soccer League.

Biography

In 1980, he moved to the United States where he signed with the

Memphis Rogues The Memphis Rogues were a professional soccer team in the former North American Soccer League. They operated in the 1978, 1979, and 1980 seasons and played their home games in Memphis' Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. They also played indoor ...

of the

., where he was voted Most Valuable Player but missed their run at the 1979–80 NASL Indoor season finals through suspension after receiving a red card in the Division Finals against the

Minnesota Kicks The Minnesota Kicks were a professional soccer team that played at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota, from 1976 to 1981. The team was a member of the now defunct North American Soccer League (NASL). Initia ...

. He moved to the Dallas Tornado in the fall of 1980 and played for the Tornado during the 1980-1981 NASL indoor season. He played the 1981 outdoor season with the Tornado, then moved indoors permanently when he signed with the

Baltimore Blast The Baltimore Blast is an American professional indoor soccer team based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The team is a part of the Major Arena Soccer League. The team has won 10 championships since it was founded in 1980. Beginning with ...

of the Major Indoor Soccer League. In August 1987, he signed as a free agent with the

Wichita Wings The Wichita Wings were a professional indoor soccer franchise based in Wichita, Kansas. The Wings were admitted to the Major Indoor Soccer League as an expansion team on August 21, 1979.

. During his six seasons with the Blast, Stankovic was a five time All Star. On January 20, 1989, the Wings traded Stankovic and Peter Ward to the Blast in exchange for Keder and David Byrne. After retiring from pro soccer he founded the "Mike Stankovic Pro Soccer Academy". In 2010, Stankovic served as an assistant to

Milovan Rajevac Milovan Rajevac (Serbian: Милован Рајевац; born 2 January 1954) is a Serbian football manager and former professional player who is currently the technical director of Muangthong United. Playing career Born in Čajetina, Rajevac ...

on the Ghana national football team at the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

. After the cup, Rajevac and Stankovic moved to manage the

Qatar national football team The Qatar national football team ( ar, منتخب قطر لكرة القدم) represents Qatar in international football, and is controlled by the Qatar Football Association and AFC. The team has appeared in ten Asian Cup tournaments and won ...

. In March 2013, Stankovic was one of six men named to the 2013 class of the Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame. The other inductees are

Gordon Jago Gordon Harold Jago (born 22 October 1932) is an English former football player and manager, and the former director of the Dr. Pepper Dallas Cup international youth tournament. Playing career Born in Poplar, London, Jago began his profession ...

, Preki,

Kai Haaskivi Kai Haaskivi (born 28 December 1955 in Lahti) is a retired Finnish soccer player. He starred in the North American Soccer League, playing outdoor as well as indoor soccer. He also played for the Finland national football team. He now coaches ...

, Zoltán Tóth, and Brian Quinn. In 2023, the

retired jersey #5 to honor Stankovic and

Denison Cabral Denison Cabral is a retired Brazilian-American soccer forward /midfielder who played professionally in the Continental Indoor Soccer League, NPSL II, National Professional Soccer League and USISL. He played three games for the United States nation ...

Awards and honors

*MISL All-Star Team: 1985 *MISL 10th Year Anniversary All Decade Team *Voted Memphis Rogues Most Valuable Player: 1980 * 1983–84 Major Indoor Soccer League Champion

References

External links

NASL/MISL stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stankovic, Mike 1956 births Living people Baltimore Blast (1980–1992) players Baltimore Spirit players Dallas Tornado players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) coaches Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Memphis Rogues players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) coaches National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Yugoslav men's footballers Yugoslav expatriate men's footballers Wichita Wings (MISL) players Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Yugoslav expatriates in the United States Men's association football defenders