Branimir "Branko" Šegota (born June 8, 1961) is a Canadian former professional soccer forward, starring in the original Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL), the North American Soccer League (NASL), the Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL), the National Professional Soccer League, and the Canadian Soccer League.

Club career

Born in Rijeka, then part of PR Croatia,

FPR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yu ...

, Branko Šegota moved with his family to Canada at the age of 7. Raised in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, Šegota began his pro soccer career at age 17, signing with the New York Arrows of MISL. Before he began his indoor career he played in the National Soccer League in 1978 with Montreal Castors. He was named NASL's North American player of the year in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

with the

Golden Bay Earthquakes Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershir ...

. During his 18-year pro career he also played outdoors in the NASL in 1979 and 1980 with Rochester Lancers and from 1981 to 1983 with Fort Lauderdale Strikers and several summers after that in the Canadian Soccer League with the Toronto Blizzard. Šegota played winters in the MISL with the Arrows,

San Diego Sockers San Diego Sockers may refer to: *San Diego Sockers (1978–1996) The San Diego Sockers were a soccer and indoor soccer team based in San Diego, California. The team played in the indoor and outdoor editions of the North American Soccer League ( ...

from 1984 to 1985 through 1990–91, and St. Louis Storm. He played indoors (in 1994 and 1995) for the Las Vegas Dustdevils of the CISL and as recently as 1997 for the Baltimore Spirit of the National Professional Soccer League. Šegota scored 73 goals in 147 regular season NASL games to rank 13th in the history of the league. He also scored 12 goals in 13 play-off games, including 11 in the 1981 play-offs. In the history of the original MISL he ranked second in career goal and points scoring with 463 goals and 841 points. His 378 assists ranks him third. His being nine MISL championship teams, three with the Arrows and 6 with the Sockers is also a record. He was a five-time MISL all-star.

International career

Šegota earned 20 caps for

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

including appearances as a substitute in all 3 of the country's

1986 World Cup The 1986 FIFA World Cup was the 13th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June 1986. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had ...

games. He played for Canada at the 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship, scoring twice in a 3–1 win over Portugal. He earned his first senior cap in a 1–1 World Cup qualifying draw against

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

in 1980. Šegota scored three goals in his 20 appearances. His final cap came in a 3–2 win over Guatemala in a World Cup qualifier in 1988. He was inducted into the

Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame The Canada Soccer Hall of Fame honours people and institutions for their contributions to Canadian soccer. It was founded in 1997 by the Ontario Soccer Association and was originally located in Vaughan, Ontario. As of 2019, the Canada Soccer Ha ...

in 2002.

International goals

:''Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first.''

Coaching career

Šegota served as an assistant coach with the

Cleveland Internationals Cleveland Internationals was an American soccer team based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Founded in 2004, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Great Lakes Division ...

of the Premier Development League in 2004 after coaching their youth program for 6 years. He has three children, Ashley, Toni, and Emma, with his wife Ena Šegota.

References

External links

* * / Canada Soccer Hall of Fame
NASL/MISL stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Segota, Branko 1961 births Living people Baltimore Spirit players Canada men's international soccer players Canada Soccer Hall of Fame inductees Canadian National Soccer League players Canadian Soccer League (1987–1992) players Canadian soccer players Canadian expatriate soccer players Canada men's youth international soccer players Croatian emigrants to Canada 1986 FIFA World Cup players Association football forwards Expatriate soccer players in the United States Canadian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983) players Indoor soccer players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Montreal Castors players National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players Naturalized citizens of Canada North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players New York Arrows players Soccer people from Ontario Footballers from Rijeka St. Louis Storm players Rochester Lancers (1967–1980) players San Diego Sockers (original MISL) players San Jose Earthquakes (1974–1988) players Toronto Blizzard (1986–1993) players Continental Indoor Soccer League players Las Vegas Dustdevils players Yugoslav emigrants to Canada USL League Two coaches Cleveland Internationals Canadian soccer coaches