Marko Mitrović (

Serbian Cyrillic The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet (, ), also known as the Serbian script, (, ), is a standardized variation of the Cyrillic script used to write the Serbian language. It originated in medieval Serbia and was significantly reformed in the 19th cen ...

: Марко Митровић; born 8 July 1978) is a Serbian

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

coach. A versatile midfielder, he could operate as a holding midfielder or a box to box player and spent most of his professional career in Serbia where he represented eight clubs. Other than in his own country, Mitrović also played professionally in Hungary, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan. He is the head coach of the United States U20 national team. 423A0265

Playing career

Club

Mitrović was a member of the

Red Star Belgrade Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club), commonly referred to as Crvena zvezda () and colloquially referred to as Red Star Belgrade in anglophone media, is a ...

academy for several years, before signing his first professional contract with the club. He made his professional debut for Red Star Belgrade on 6 April 1996 against

Novi Sad Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...

in a second game of the

FR Yugoslavia Cup The Serbia and Montenegro Cup was an association football knockout cup tournament of Serbia and Montenegro played between 1992 and 2006, after which Serbia and Montenegro became separate nations. The competition was the continuation of the old ...

semifinals at the age of 17. The next three seasons he spent on loan at

FK Voždovac Fudbalski klub Voždovac () is a professional football club based in Voždovac, Belgrade, Serbia, which competes in the Serbian First League, the second tier. Nicknamed "The Dragons", they experienced little success in the Yugoslavian era, but h ...

FK Budućnost Valjevo FK Budućnost Valjevo () is a defunct football club based in Valjevo, Serbia. History The original club was founded as SK Sloga in 1920. They were, however, banned by the authorities after just a year. In 1925, the club continued its activities a ...

and

FK Milicionar FK Milicionar () is a defunct Association football, football club based in Makiš, Belgrade, Serbia. History Founded in 1946, the club was operated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Serbia), Ministry of Internal Affairs. They won the Second L ...

. With FK Milicionar, he got promoted to the Super League during the 1997–98 season. After leaving Red Star in summer 1999 he played for

FK Zemun Fudbalski klub Zemun (Serbian Cyrillic: Фудбалски клуб Земун) is a Serbian professional football club based in Zemun, Belgrade, that competes in the Serbian First League. History Immediately after the end of the Second Wor ...

for 6 months. His next station was

FK Radnički Kragujevac FK or fk may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Flyer Killer, fictional automated robots in the ''Terminator'' film franchise * Fox Kids, a former American children's television programming block * Funky Kong, a video game character Place * F ...

where he spent the 2000–01 season before he moved to

Vasas SC Vasas SC () is a Hungarian sports club based in Budapest. Members of the ''Hungarian Union of Iron Workers'' founded the club as ''Vas- és Fémmunkások Sport Clubja'', the "Sport Club of Iron and Metal Workers", on 16 March 1911. The club ...

, in the Hungarian Premier League, where he spent the 2001–02 season. In 2002–03 he was signed by

FK Budućnost Banatski Dvor FK Budućnost Banatski Dvor () was a football club based in Banatski Dvor, Vojvodina, Serbia. They competed in the First League of Serbia and Montenegro for two seasons in 2003–04 and 2005–06. The club also reached the final of the 2003� ...

. The club won the Second League in his first year and got promoted to the First League. In 2003–04 they played the Cup Final vs Red Star. They lost 0–1 but the club qualified for

UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...

. In summer 2005 he moved to Olimpik Baku,

Azerbaijan Premier League The Azerbaijan Premier League (), also known as Misli Premyer Liqası for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Azerbaijan and the highest level of the Azerbaijani football league system. It is contested by twelve ...

, where he spent one year, from 2005 to 2006. In July 2006 he joined Banat Zrenjanin for another 18 months. In January 2008 he signed for

FC Atyrau Football Club Atyrau () is a professional football club based in Atyrau, who last played in the Kazakhstan Premier League, the highest level of Kazakh football. The club's home ground is the 8,900-seat Munaishy Stadium, where they have played sin ...

. After 6 months he got transferred to

FC Megasport Football Club Megasport (, ''«Megasport» Fýtbol Klýby'') were a Kazakh professional football club based in Almaty. The club was founded in 2005. In 2007, they Secured promotion to the Kazakhstan Premier League. At the end of 2008, they merge ...

. They were members of the

Kazakhstan Premier League The Kazakhstan Professional Football League (, ''Qazaqstan Premier Ligasy''), commonly referred to as the Kazakh Premier League or simply the Premier League, is a professional association football league in Kazakhstan and the highest level of the ...

. At the end of 2008, they merged with Alma-Ata to form Lokomotiv Astana (today known as

FC Astana Astana Football Club () is a professional Association football, football club based in Astana. They play in the Kazakhstan Premier League, the highest level of Football in Kazakhstan, Kazakh football. The club's home ground is the 30,000-seat As ...

). In December 2009 he left the club based on the league's new rules that foreigners older than 30 years old cannot be signed by Kazakhstan Premier League Clubs. Spring 2010 he spent with

Smederevo Smederevo ( sr-Cyrl, Смедерево, ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Podunavlje District in eastern Serbia. It is situated on the right bank of the Danube, about downstream of the Serbian capital, ...

playing in Serbian Super League before he announced retirement from a professional playing career.

International

Mitrović represented the FR Yugoslavia national under-18 football team in 1995.

Coaching career

In summer 2011 he started his coaching career with his former club FK Banat Zrenjanin as an assistant coach under Milan Budisavljević in

Serbian First League The Serbian First League (), referred to as the Mozzart Bet First League for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier in professional Serbia's football league. The league was formed in 2005, following a reshuffle of the second tier Serbo-Montenegr ...

. In January 2012 he joined

FK Napredak Kruševac Fudbalski klub Napredak Kruševac (), commonly known as Napredak Kruševac, is a Serbian professional football club based in the city of Kruševac. The word ''Napredak'' means "progress" in Serbian. The club's nickname is the Čarapani which ...

as an assistant coach under former Red Star Belgrade head coach

Aleksandar Kristić Aleksandar Kristić (; born 5 October 1970) is a Serbian football manager and former player. Club career After starting out at Krušik Valjevo, Kristić joined the youth system of Red Star Belgrade. He spent some time on loan to Bor and Mačva ...

. In summer 2012 he joined

Veljko Paunović Veljko Paunović ( sr-Cyrl, Вељко Пауновић, ; born 21 August 1977) is a Serbian football manager and former player. He is the head coach of Spanish club Real Oviedo. A versatile attacking unit, he could operate as an attacking m ...

as first assistant coach for Serbia U-18, U-19, and U-20 national teams. Under his involvement the Serbia national team had the following accomplishments: * First place at the FIFA U20 World Cup in New Zealand (2015), * Third place a UEFA European Championship in Hungary (2014), * First place at

Elite Round In political and sociological theory, the elite (, from , to select or to sort out) are a small group of powerful or wealthy people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power, or skill in a group. Defined by the ...

, * First place at UEFA Qualifiers - First Round in Serbia (2013). Some players were promoted to Serbia National Team like Sergej Milinković-Savić,

Nemanja Maksimović Nemanja Maksimović ( sr-Cyrl, Немања Максимовић, ; born 26 January 1995) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Super League club Panathinaikos and the Serbia national team. Club career Ear ...

Marko Grujić Marko Grujić ( sr-Cyrl, Марко Грујић, ; born 13 April 1996) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Primeira Liga club Porto and the Serbia national team. A native of Belgrade, Grujić started his career w ...

, Luka Jović,

Andrija Živković Andrija Živković ( sr-Cyrl, Андрија Живковић, ; born 11 July 1996) is a Serbian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Winger (association football), winger for Super League Greece, Greek Super League club P ...

, Miloš Veljković, Predrag Rajković,

Mijat Gaćinović Mijat Gaćinović (, ; born 8 February 1995) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Greek Super League club AEK Athens and the Serbia national team. Club career Vojvodina Gaćinović was born in Novi Sad while his f ...

. In summer 2013 he was in charge for Red Star Belgrade Youth Academy U-15 and U-16 Team. He won the First place in the season 2013/14 in Serbian U-15 League. Players like Luka Ilić, Dejan Joveljić, Aleksa Terzić, Vladan Djekic and others were part of that generation and Mitrović had an important role in their selection and development. From December 2014 to December 2015 he was the head coach of Serbia U-15 national team. Some players were promoted to Serbia national team like Sergej Milinković-Savić,

, Luka Jović,

, Miloš Veljković, Predrag Rajković, and

. In January 2016 he was signed by

Chicago Fire FC Chicago Fire Football Club is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Chicago. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The Fire play their hom ...

(MLS) as an assistant coach with Veljko Paunović as a head coach. He spent 4 years with the Chicago Fire, from January 2016 to November 2019. In August 2017, he was assistant coach for MLS ALL Star Team vs

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...

. During his time with the Chicago Fire he had a chance to work with many national team players such as:

Bastian Schweinsteiger Bastian Schweinsteiger ( , ; born 1 August 1984) is a German former professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. Earlier in his career, he primarily played as a wide midfielder before later switching to a central mi ...

, Nicolás Gaitán, Aleksandar Katai, Nemanja Nikolić, David Accam,

Dax McCarty Michael Dax McCarty (born April 30, 1987) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder. McCarty spent his entire professional career in Major League Soccer with six different clubs. Early career McCarty was raise ...

, Djordje Mihailovic,

Przemysław Frankowski Przemysław Adam Frankowski (born 12 April 1995) is a Polish professional association football, footballer who plays as a Wing back (association football), wing-back or winger (association football), winger for Süper Lig club Galatasaray S.K. (f ...

, Francisco Calvo, Nicolas Hasler, Cristian Martínez, and

Răzvan Cociș Răzvan Vasile Cociș (; born 19 February 1983) is a Romanian former footballer. He was usually an attacking midfielder but could play in a variety of other midfield positions as well as up-front. He was also well known for his close control. C ...

. In September 2023, he was named head coach of the United States U-23 for the 2024 Summer Olympics. After guiding the U.S. to the quarterfinals, he moved to a new position within U.S. Soccer, becoming the national U-20 coach ahead of the

2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup The 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup will be the 24th edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, the biennial international men's youth football championship contested by the under-20 national teams of the member associations of FIFA, since its inception in 19 ...

Coaching statistics

Personal life

He is married and has three children with his wife Marija. He is fluent in four languages: English, Spanish, Serbian and Russian. In 1997 he graduated from the

Mathematical Grammar School Mathematical Grammar School (, abbr. "MG" or "MGB"), is a special school for Intellectual giftedness, gifted and talented students of mathematics, physics and Informatics (academic field), informatics located in Belgrade, Serbia. The School has ...

in Belgrade. He is a naturalized U.S. citizen. His eldest son, Mitar, currently plays college soccer at

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It was established as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, by John Henni, the first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Ar ...

. His younger son,

Matija Matija is a South Slavic masculine given name, cognate to Matthew. Notable people with the name include: * Matija Ahacel (1779–1845), Carinthian Slovene philologist, publicist, and collector of folk songs * Matija Antun Relković (1732–1798) ...

, plays professionally in Serbia with Železničar.

References

External links

* at Srbijafudbal *
Profile and stats until 2003
at Dekisa.Tripod {{DEFAULTSORT:Mitrovic, Marko 1978 births Living people Footballers from Belgrade Men's association football midfielders Serbia and Montenegro men's footballers Serbian men's footballers Red Star Belgrade footballers FK Voždovac players FK Budućnost Valjevo players FK Milicionar players FK Zemun players FK Radnički 1923 players Vasas SC players FK Budućnost Banatski Dvor players Shuvalan FK players FK Banat Zrenjanin players FC Atyrau players FC Megasport players FC Astana players FK Smederevo 1924 players Second League of Serbia and Montenegro players First League of Serbia and Montenegro players Nemzeti Bajnokság I players Serbian SuperLiga players Azerbaijan Premier League players Kazakhstan Premier League players Serbia and Montenegro expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Hungary Serbia and Montenegro expatriate sportspeople in Hungary Expatriate men's footballers in Azerbaijan Serbia and Montenegro expatriate sportspeople in Azerbaijan Serbian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Kazakhstan Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Kazakhstan Serbian football managers Red Star Belgrade non-playing staff Chicago Fire FC non-playing staff Reading F.C. non-playing staff English Football League managers Serbian expatriate football managers Expatriate soccer coaches in the United States Serbian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Serbian expatriate sportspeople in England Coaches at the 2024 Summer Olympics