Nikola Katic (born June 1, 1986 in

Makarska Makarska (; it, Macarsca, ; german: Macharscha) is a town on the Adriatic coastline of Croatia, about southeast of Split (city), Split and northwest of Dubrovnik, in the Split-Dalmatia County. Makarska is a prominent regional tourist center, ...

) is a former

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who currently is the assistant head coach for

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC is an American professional soccer team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1999 and beginning play in 1999, the club plays in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American so ...

in the

USL The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...

Career

College

Katic came to the United States from his native Croatia in 2005 to attend

Illinois Central College Illinois Central College (ICC) is a public community college with its main campus in East Peoria, Illinois. It is part of the Illinois Community College System and its district, Illinois Community College District 514, is a area covering most of ...

, where he majored in marketing and was a two year starter and captain. In 2006, he was honored as an NJCAA All American after he scored five goals and had eight assists. In 2007, he transferred to

Western Illinois University Western Illinois University (WIU) is a public university in Macomb, Illinois. It was founded in 1899 as Western Illinois State Normal School. As the normal school grew, it became Western Illinois State Teachers College. History Western Illin ...

, where he was selected to the Comfort Inn & Suites All-Tournament Team, and was named the team’s newcomer of the year. In 2008, Katic was named to the Country Inn Green Bay Nike Soccer Classic All Tournament team. He was also selected to the All-Summit League Second Team, named to the All-Summit league All-Tournament Team and to the NSCAA/Adidas All-Midwest Region Team. During his college years Katic also played in the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syste ...

with both

Chicago Fire Premier Chicago Fire U-23 was an American soccer team based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 2001, the team last played in the PDL, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. They last played in 2016, choosing to leave the PDL. Th ...

and

Springfield Demize Saint Louis FC U23 were an American soccer team based in Fenton, Missouri, United States. Founded in 2006, the team played in the Premier Development League (PDL), now USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Heartla ...

Professional

Katic turned professional in 2009 when he signed with the

Pittsburgh Riverhounds Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC is an American professional soccer team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1999 and beginning play in 1999, the club plays in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American so ...

upon their return to the

USL Second Division The USL Second Division (commonly referred to as USL-2) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, operated by United Soccer Leagues (USL). It was at the third tier of soccer in the United States, behind Major League Soccer ( ...

. He made his professional debut on May 30, 2009 in a 3-1 win over the

Wilmington Hammerheads Wilmington Hammerheads FC was a semi-professional American soccer team based in Wilmington, North Carolina. Founded in 1996, the team last competed in the Premier Development League, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid in 2017. History ...

References

External links

Riverhounds bioWestern Illinois bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Katic, Nikola 1986 births Living people People from Makarska Men's association football defenders Croatian men's footballers Western Illinois Leathernecks men's soccer players Chicago Fire U-23 players Springfield Demize players Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC players USL League Two players USL Second Division players USL Championship players Croatian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Croatian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Croatian football managers Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC coaches Croatian expatriate football managers Expatriate soccer coaches in the United States