Nikola Vignjević (

Serbian Cyrillic The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet (, ), also known as the Serbian script, (, ), is a standardized variation of the Cyrillic script used to write the Serbian language. It originated in medieval Serbia and was significantly reformed in the 19th cen ...

: Никола Вигњевић; born March 12, 1971) is a former

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player, who currently works as Technical coach by

Alberta Golden Bears The Alberta Golden Bears and Pandas are the sports teams that represent the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Alberta athletics teams have won a total of 101 national championships, including 84 in U Sports sanctioned sports, ma ...

and the Greater St.Albert Sports Academy. While playing for the Lynx, he was commonly referred to as Niki and Nikki.

Career

Vignjević began his career with

FK Čukarički Fudbalski klub Čukarički () is a Serbian professional football club from Belgrade, more precisely from the Čukarica municipality, that currently plays in the Serbian SuperLiga, the top tier of Serbian football. Founded in 1926, the club spe ...

of the

Second League of Serbia and Montenegro The Second League of Serbia and Montenegro was the second tier of the football league system in Serbia and Montenegro, one level below the First League of Serbia and Montenegro. History Formed in 1992 after the breakup of Yugoslavia, it consiste ...

. In 1995, he went overseas to the United States to play indoor soccer with

San Jose Grizzlies The San Jose Grizzlies were a professional indoor soccer team based in San Jose, California, United States. The team was founded on November 24, 1993, and played in the Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL). After playing in the 1994 and 1995 ...

of the

Continental Indoor Soccer League The Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL) was a professional indoor soccer league that played from 1993 to 1997. History In the summer of 1989 Dr Jerry Buss, the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and California Sports, told his executive Vice ...

. The following season he signed with the

Cleveland Crunch The Cleveland Crunch is an American professional indoor soccer club located in Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1989 as an expansion team in the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL), the Crunch played a total of 16 seasons in three separate leagues unde ...

of the National Professional Soccer League where he amassed 58 goals and 35 assists as a rookie to help clinch the championship. In 1997, he returned to outdoor soccer with play with the

Rochester Raging Rhinos Rochester Rhinos, formerly known as the Rochester Raging Rhinos, was an American association football, soccer team based in Rochester, New York, United States. The club won the 1999 U.S. Open Cup, marking the only time a non-Major League Soccer ...

of the

USL A-League The USL First Division (USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It was organized by the United Soccer League as its premier league for men from 1996 to 2010, above the USL Second Di ...

. In 1998, he went north of the border to Canada to sign with division rivals the

Toronto Lynx Toronto Lynx was a Canadian soccer team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1997, the team last played in the 2014 season of the Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Great Lakes D ...

. In his debut season he received the club's Best Offensive Player award. He briefly featured with the

Richmond Kickers Richmond Kickers is an American professional soccer club based in Richmond, Virginia. The Kickers compete as a member of USL League One (USL1). The club was established in 1993, and began play that same year as a United States Interregional S ...

before being traded back to Toronto in 1999. During his first stint with Toronto he received several achievements as the club's MVP, twice named A-League Player of the Week and named to the A-League Team of the Week four times. In 2000, he helped the club clinch a postseason berth, and contributed a goal in a 1-0 victory over Richmond in the first round of the playoffs. In 1998, he continued playing indoor soccer this time with the Edmonton Drillers, where he played for the club for three seasons and finished as the club's all-time goalscorer with 103 goals. In late 2000, he was traded midway back to Cleveland. He returned to Toronto for the 2002 season. He would conclude his career in Toronto in 2003 where he finished as the club's all-time points leader including both goals and assists. At the conclusion of the 2003 season he signed with the

Metro Lions Metro may refer to: Geography * Metro City (Indonesia), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban area with high ...

of the Canadian Professional Soccer League. He made his debut for the club on September 3, 2003 in a match against

Brampton Hitmen Brampton is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario, and the regional seat of the Regional Municipality of Peel. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a lower-tier municipality within the Peel Region. The city has a populati ...

. He helped improve the club's performance on the pitch, but unfortunately the team fell short in clinching a postseason berth. In 2002, he returned to indoor soccer to play with the Kansas City Comets and Harrisburg Heat of the Major Indoor Soccer League. In 2004, he returned to Alberta to sign with expansion franchise the

Edmonton Aviators The Edmonton Aviators were a soccer club based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The club was founded in 2003 as a member of the United Soccer League's A-League and folded after playing only one season in 2004. Midway through the season, with the clu ...

where he scored 3 goals and recorded 2 assists at the end of the season he announced his retirement. He was listed on the 2008-09 roster of the Edmonton Drillers indoor team.

Coaching career

After his retirement 2009 was named as the Technical coach of the

. He also coaches for the Edmonton Warriors Youth Soccer Club.GBS.pdf 2009-10 Golden Bears soccer roster
/ref> His brother

Nebojša Nebojša (Cyrillic script: Небојша ) is a Serbian names, Serbian given name, meaning "fearless". People with the name include: In arts and entertainment *Nebojša Bradić (born 1956), Serbian theater director *Nebojša Glogovac (born 1969) ...

(former team-mate with the Lynx) is a coach.

Honors

;Cleveland Crunch *NPSL Championship: 1995-1996 *NPSL Central Division: 1996-1997 ;Edmonton Drillers *NPSL National Conference: 1998-1999

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vignjevic, Nikola 1971 births Living people Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada Men's association football midfielders Canadian Soccer League (1998–present) players Footballers from Belgrade Serbian expatriate men's footballers Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Canada Serbian men's footballers Toronto Lynx players A-League (1995–2004) players Edmonton Aviators players Brampton City United FC players FK Čukarički players Cleveland Crunch (NPSL) players Edmonton Drillers (1996–2000) players Harrisburg Heat (MISL) players Kansas City Attack players National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players San Jose Grizzlies players Rochester New York FC players Richmond Kickers players Continental Indoor Soccer League players