Slobodan "Slobo" Ilijevski (
Cyrillic
, bg, кирилица , mk, кирилица , russian: кириллица , sr, ћирилица, uk, кирилиця
, fam1 = Egyptian hieroglyphs
, fam2 = Proto-Sinaitic
, fam3 = Phoenician
, fam4 = G ...
: Слободан Илијевски Слобо) (October 24, 1949 in
Skopje,
Yugoslavia – July 14, 2008 in
Bellingham, Washington) was a
Yugoslav and
Macedonian
Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia.
Macedonian(s) may specifically refer to:
People Modern
* Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North M ...
football (soccer) goalkeeper who played in the
North American Soccer League and
Major Indoor Soccer League.
Club career
In 1977, Ilijevski moved to the United States and settled with extended family (Duško Krstovski/Detroit Vardar SC) in
Detroit,
Michigan. In 1978, he signed with the
Detroit Express of the
North American Soccer League. After two seasons with the Express, Ilijevski moved to the
Atlanta Chiefs
The Atlanta Chiefs were an American professional soccer team based in Atlanta, Georgia. The team competed in the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) in 1967 and the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1968 to 1973 and again from 19 ...
for one season before moving to the indoor game with the
St. Louis Steamers of the
Major Indoor Soccer League in the fall of 1980. He would spend the rest of his professional career playing indoor soccer. He played seven seasons with the Steamers and was named the 1982 and 1984 MISL Goalkeeper of the Year. The Steamers folded after the 1987–1988 season and Ilijevski moved to the
Baltimore Blast for one season before returning to St. Louis to sign with the
St. Louis Storm The St. Louis Storm was a soccer team based out of St. Louis that played in the Major Indoor Soccer League. They played from 1989 to 1992. Their home arena was the St. Louis Arena. The mascot for the St. Louis Storm was named “Colt Flash” (1990 ...
in August 1989. In 1992, he moved to the
St. Louis Ambush of the
National Professional Soccer League. After his retirement from professional soccer, Ilijevski continued to play amateur soccer with
St. Louis Kutis S.C.
St. Louis Kutis Soccer Club, better known as St. Louis Kutis, is an amateur American soccer club in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1947 as the "St. Louis Raiders", the club was known as "Paul Schulte" during the 1948–49 season, "McMahon's" duri ...
Personal life
In December 1990, Ilijevski became an American citizen.
Death
On July 13, 2008, Ilijevski ruptured his
aorta while playing goalkeeper for
St. Louis Kutis
St. Louis Kutis Soccer Club, better known as St. Louis Kutis, is an amateur American soccer club in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1947 as the "St. Louis Raiders", the club was known as "Paul Schulte" during the 1948–49 season, "McMahon's" duri ...
in a game in
Seattle, Washington. He died after thirteen hours of surgery. On March 12, 2014 it was announced that he would be a 2014 inductee into the Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame.
References
External links
NASL stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ilijevski, Slobo
1949 births
2008 deaths
Footballers from Skopje
Yugoslav emigrants to the United States
American people of Macedonian descent
Association football goalkeepers
Yugoslav footballers
Macedonian footballers
American soccer players
Detroit Express players
Atlanta Chiefs players
St. Louis Steamers (original MISL) players
Baltimore Blast (original MISL) players
St. Louis Storm players
St. Louis Ambush (1992–2000) players
St. Louis Kutis players
Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players
North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players
Macedonian expatriate footballers
Yugoslav expatriate footballers
Expatriate soccer players in the United States
Sports deaths in Washington (state)
Association football players who died while playing