Perica "Peri" Marošević (born May 5, 1989) is an American former

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player.

Early life

Marošević was born to a

Croat The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, Ge ...

father and a

Serb The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...

mother in

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

prior to the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...

, and initially moved to

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

, Germany with his parents as a young child to escape the conflict, before eventually settling in

Rockford, Illinois Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, located in the far northern part of the state. Situated on the banks of the Rock River, Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County (a small portion of the city is located in Ogle County). ...

Career

Youth and college

Marošević attended Guilford High School in Rockford, IL and Edison High School in Bradenton, FL, played club soccer with the

Rockford Raptors The Rockford Raptors were an American soccer team based in Rockford, Illinois. The team began in the USISL and moved to the USISL Pro League in 1995. In 1999, the team was relegated to the Premier Development League. The Raptors are now a so ...

and

Chicago Sockers The Chicago Sockers were an American soccer team that were founded in 1995 as the Chicago Stingers. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues (USL) and played at the professional level in the USISL Pro League, USISL Select League and ...

, and played

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United Kingd ...

at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, where he was named to the CoSida Academic All-District First Team in 2007, was a two-time All-Big Ten Second Team nominee and a one-time All-Big Ten First Team nominee, scoring 24 goals and registering seven assists becoming the team's leading scorer 2 out of his 3 seasons. During his college years he also played with

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 ...

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 ...

Professional

Marošević was drafted in the first round (fifth overall) by

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise be ...

in the

2009 MLS SuperDraft The 2009 MLS SuperDraft took place on January 15, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. It was the tenth annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft. The first selection was owned by the expansion Seattle Sounders FC. Unlike previous years, the SuperDraft wa ...

, and signed to a

Generation Adidas Generation Adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young professional soccer talent in the United States. The program, sponsored by Adidas, offers professional-ready players in the U.S. ...

contract. He made his professional debut on March 29, 2009 in a Dallas's game against

Chivas USA Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club played from 2005 to 2014 in Major League Soccer (MLS) and was a subsidiary of Mexican club C.D. Guada ...

. In April 2009, Peri appeared alongside 14 other

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

Players on Cosmogirl.com's "Hottest Soccer Guys". In June 2010, having found it increasingly difficult to break into the

first team, Marošević was loaned to USSF-D2 side

Austin Aztex The Austin Aztex were a soccer team based in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 2011 as a member of the Premier Development League, the team played the 2015 season in the United Soccer League, the second tier of the United States soccer pyr ...

. He made his debut for the Aztex on June 19, coming on as a substitute against

Miami FC The Miami FC is an American professional soccer team based in Miami, Florida that competes in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The club began play in the North American Soccer League (NASL) in the 2016 se ...

. Marošević scored a hat-trick for the Aztex in a second round

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in men's Soccer in the United States, soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing nati ...

game against

Arizona Sahuaros Sporting Arizona FC is an American association football, soccer team based in Arizona. Founded in 1989, Sporting Arizona FC is Arizona's professional development club. The foundation of Sporting's development model is to bring international talen ...

on June 22, 2010. The young striker ended his month-long loan deal tallying four goals in four games. Marošević was signed by

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BMO ...

on July 28, 2011, after asking to be released from FC Dallas. Two days later Marošević made his debut for Toronto as a second half sub for

Nick Soolsma Nick Soolsma (born 7 January 1988) is a Dutch footballer. Club career Netherlands Soolsma began his career in the youth ranks of Dutch side FC Volendam. During the 2007 season he played for FC Volendam's Under-19 side. He left Volendam at the ...

against

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at P ...

, with Toronto down 2–0. Marosevic ignited a comeback by scoring on his debut in the 63rd minute followed by a

Danny Koevermans Danny Koevermans (born 1 November 1978) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a forward. Club career Early career Born in Schiedam, Koevermans began his career with the amateurs of Excelsior'20, then went to Sparta Rotterdam ...

strike, earning a well-fought 2–2 away draw for Toronto FC. In Toronto's next league match against DC United, Peri again came in the game as a second-half substitute earning his second league goal in only two league appearances for Toronto FC. The game ended in a 3–3 draw. Marošević made his mark on the Reds season once again scoring against

UNAM Pumas Club Universidad Nacional, A.C., commonly referred to as UNAM, is a professional football club based in Ciudad Universitaria of Mexico City, Mexico. The club competes in the Liga MX, the top division in the Mexican football league system. Found ...

in the

CONCACAF Champions League The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Ameri ...

group stage, the game ended in a 1–1 home draw to the Mexican side. Marošević declined a contract offer by

in January 2012. In October 2012, he signed with NK Junak Sinj of the Croatian second division. On February 21, 2013, Marošević signed on to play for

New York Cosmos New York Cosmos may refer to * New York Cosmos (1970–1985), a team in the North American Soccer League (then the top-tier soccer league in the United States and Canada) * New York Cosmos (2010), a team playing since 2020 in the National Independ ...

in the team's inaugural year in the NASL. In July, 2014, the New York Cosmos cut ties with Marošević.

International

Marošević has been a member of the U.S. U-17, U-18, and U-20 national teams. He was a member of the squad for the United States in the 2009 U-20 FIFA World Cup, coming on as a substitute at halftime in a 3–0 loss to Korea.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Marosevic, Peri 1989 births Living people People from Brčko District Bosnia and Herzegovina emigrants to the United States Soccer players from Illinois Sportspeople from Rockford, Illinois American people of Croatian descent American people of Serbian descent Men's association football forwards Bosnia and Herzegovina men's footballers American men's soccer players United States men's under-20 international soccer players United States men's youth international soccer players Footballers at the 2007 Pan American Games Pan American Games competitors for the United States Michigan Wolverines men's soccer players Chicago Fire U-23 players Chicago Sockers players FC Dallas draft picks FC Dallas players Austin Aztex FC players Toronto FC players NK Junak Sinj players New York Cosmos (2010) players Flint City Bucks players Major League Soccer players First Football League (Croatia) players North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players USL League Two players USSF Division 2 Professional League players American expatriate men's soccer players Expatriate men's footballers in Croatia American expatriate sportspeople in Croatia Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada American expatriate sportspeople in Canada