Peter Knezic is a retired American

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 who played professionally in the Major Indoor Soccer League, American Soccer League,

United Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a Association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues curren ...

and

American Indoor Soccer League The American Indoor Soccer League was a semi-professional indoor soccer league founded in 2002 and folded in 2008. History Founded in 2002, the AISL's headquarters were in West Springfield, Massachusetts, but the media relations office was in C ...

. He coached at the professional, collegiate and youth soccer level where he is currently the coaching director at Milwaukee Kickers Soccer Club.

Youth

Knezic grew up in

Cudahy, Wisconsin Cudahy () is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 18,204 at the 2020 census. History Originally known as the Buckhorn Settlement, it was renamed in the late 1800s when Patrick Cudahy purchased of land in the ...

where in 1967 he began playing youth soccer with the Milwaukee Serbians. He moved up the club ranks and eventually played for their senior team where he was part of three Wisconsin Major Division and two Wisconsin Challenge Cup championships. He attended the

University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a public urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and a member of the University of Wiscons ...

where he was a 1979 Honorable Mention (third team) All American soccer player.

Professional

In 1980, both the Chicago Sting of 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 ...

and the

Chicago Horizons The Chicago Horizons was a member of the original Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992), Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) for only the 1980–81 season. It was the first of two professional sports league organization, franchises that represented ...

of the Major Indoor Soccer League drafted Knezic. He signed with the Horizons and played one season with them before the team folded. In 1982, he signed with the

Oklahoma City Slickers The Oklahoma City Slickers was the name given to two different American soccer clubs based in Oklahoma City. The first team competed in the second American Soccer League in 1982 and 1983, and as the Oklahoma City Stampede in the United Soccer Le ...

of the American Soccer League. He remained with the Slickers through the 1983 season. When both the team and the league collapsed, he moved to the Oklahoma City Stampede of the newly established

. In 1985, he moved to the

Tulsa Tornados The Tulsa Tornados were a professional soccer team from Tulsa, Oklahoma. They played for one season (1985) in the USL. The 1985 season only lasted six games as the league folded halfway through. Established by David Fraser during the spring of 19 ...

, but the team and league collapsed six games into the season. In the fall of 1985, he signed with the

Milwaukee Wave The Milwaukee Wave is an American professional indoor soccer team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded in 1984, they have been the oldest continuously operating professional soccer team in the United States and are seven-time league champions, m ...

of the American Indoor Soccer Association. He was selected for the All Star game that season. Knezic suffered from back problems during the 1986-1987 season and when not playing, served as the team's assistant coach and general manager for player personnel. He continued to play for the Wave through the 1989-1990 season. In March 1992, the Wave retired his playing number - #5. In 1989, Knezic was hired to coach the

UW–Milwaukee Panthers The Milwaukee Panthers are the athletic teams of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. A total of 13 Panthers athletic teams compete in NCAA Division I. The Panthers have won the James J. McCafferty Trophy as the Horizon League's all-sports ch ...

women's soccer team. Over two seasons, he compiled a 17-17-4 record and resigned on March 13, 1991. He was inducted into the Wisconsin Soccer Hall of Fame in 2007.2007 Wisconsin Soccer Hall of Fame
/ref>

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knezic, Peter 1959 births Living people American Indoor Soccer Association coaches American Indoor Soccer Association players American soccer coaches American soccer players American Soccer League (1933–1983) players Chicago Horizons players Chicago Sting (MISL) players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Milwaukee Wave players Oklahoma City Slickers (ASL) players Oklahoma City Stampede players Tulsa Tornados players United Soccer League (1984–85) players Milwaukee Panthers men's soccer players Soccer players from Wisconsin Association football defenders People from Cudahy, Wisconsin Player-coaches Association football midfielders