Patricio "Pato" Germán Margetic (born May 17, 1960, in

Avellaneda Avellaneda (, ) is a port city in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the seat of the Avellaneda Partido, whose population was 342,677 as per the . Avellaneda is located within the Greater Buenos Aires metropolitan area, and is connected ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

) is a former

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...

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 ...

. He began his career in Argentina before playing five seasons 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 ...

, as well as the Major Indoor Soccer League.

Playing career

Margetic's professional career began in 1978 for Club Atletico San Telmo from the Isla Maciel district of Avellaneda. He came to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

to play for the

Detroit Express The Detroit Express was a soccer team based in suburban Detroit that played in the now defunct North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1978 to 1980. Its home field was the Pontiac Silverdome. The Express were co-owned by Jimmy Hill, Roger Fa ...

in 1979 and then moved on to the

Chicago Sting The Chicago Sting (1974–1988) was an American professional soccer team representing Chicago. The Sting played in the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1984 and in the Major Indoor Soccer League in the 1982–83 season and again from 1 ...

in 1981, where he went on to win NASL Soccer Bowls in 1981 and 1984. He was a first team all star in 1983, a second team selection in 1982 and 1984, and an honorable mention in 1981. While playing for the Sting he earned the nickname "Magic Man". Margetic played in 130 NASL games, scoring 42 goals and 59 assists for 143 points, which ranks him 34th all-time in the league. Margetic scored the last goal in the history of the NASL in the 82nd minute of game two of the 1984 Soccer Bowl series. After the end of the NASL, Margetic played six seasons in the Major Indoor Soccer League for the Chicago Sting, Kansas City Comets,

Cleveland Crunch The Cleveland Crunch are an American professional indoor soccer club located in Cleveland, Ohio competing in as a charter member of the Major League Indoor Soccer (MLIS). The rebranded Crunch returned to indoor play as a member of the MASL 2 in ...

and Tacoma Stars, and nine seasons in the National Professional Soccer League for the

Chicago Power The Chicago Power were an indoor soccer club based in Chicago, Illinois that competed in the American Indoor Soccer Association and National Professional Soccer League. After the 1995–96 season, the team was sold to Peter Pocklington, moved ...

and

Detroit Rockers The Detroit Rockers were an indoor soccer team in the National Professional Soccer League from 1990 to 2001. They played in Joe Louis Arena and Cobo Arena in downtown Detroit, Michigan as well as The Palace of Auburn Hills and Compuware Sports A ...

. He also appeared briefly for

Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional footb ...

in 1988–89.

Coaching

He has spent the past several years running Pato's Magic Soccer, a

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

promoting youth soccer affiliated with the Michigan Youth Soccer League and the Michigan State Premier Soccer Program. He also does recruiting for the Chicago Fire. He now coaches and heads the Magic Soccer Club in Michigan. Pato and Magic Soccer Club partner with camps and classes running through the Rochester Avon Recreation Authority (RARA) in Rochester, MI. RARA is the recreation department for Rochester and Rochester Hills, Michigan.

References

External links

NASL/MISL stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Margetic, Pato 1960 births Living people American Indoor Soccer Association players Argentine expatriate footballers Argentine footballers Argentine people of Croatian descent Borussia Dortmund players Bundesliga players Chicago Power (AISA) players Chicago Power (NPSL) players Chicago Sting (MISL) players Chicago Sting (NASL) players Cleveland Crunch (original MISL) players Detroit Express players Detroit Rockers players Expatriate footballers in Germany Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Germany Expatriate soccer players in the United States Argentine expatriate sportspeople in the United States Association football forwards Kansas City Comets (original MISL) players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Sportspeople from Avellaneda Tacoma Stars players