Momčilo "Mike" Stojanović ( sr-Cyrl, Момчило Мајк Стојановић, ; 26 January 1947 – 18 November 2010) was a professional soccer forward most notably playing in the NASL. Born in Yugoslavia, he represented the Canadian national team.

Early life

Mike Stojanović, nicknamed Stole in Serbian and Stollie in English, was born on 26 January 1947 in

Lapovo Lapovo ( sr-Cyrl, Лапово) is a town and municipality located in the Šumadija District of central Serbia. The population of the town is 6,057 according to the 2022 census. History The first mention of ''Lapovo'' dates from the 12th centur ...

(

PR Serbia The Socialist Republic of Serbia ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, separator=" / ", Социјалистичка Република Србија, Socijalistička Republika Srbija), previously known as the People's Republic of Serbia ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, separator=" / " ...

FPR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...

) to parents Vitomir and Ruža.

Club career

Early career

Stojanović spent time in the

Yugoslav First League The Yugoslav First League ( Bosnian: Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, sr-Cyrl-Latn, Прва савезна лига у фудбалу, Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, , , , , ) was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1941) ...

in 1969 with Radnički Kragujevac where he assisted the club in successfully avoiding relegation to the second tier. For his part, he contributed seven goals throughout the season. He briefly played in the Yugoslav second tier with Jedinstvo Paraćin in 1971 before returning to the Radnicki. He also had stints with

Vardar Skopje FK Vardar () is a professional Association football, football club based in Skopje, North Macedonia, which competes in the Macedonian First Football League, Macedonian First League. They are the most successful football club in Football in Maced ...

and Morava Velika Plana. The Yugoslavian soccer structure was affected by the monetary reforms imposed by the country's president

Josip Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito ( ; , ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and politician who served in various positions of national leadership from 1943 until his death ...

in the early 1970s which resulted in a decrease in payouts to players. The cutbacks caused Stojanović to seek opportunities outside of Yugoslavia. Before moving to North America, Stojanović was set to join

OGC Nice Olympique Gymnaste Club de Nice (), commonly referred to as OGC Nice or simply Nice, is a French professional association football, football club based in Nice. The club was founded in 1904 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the top tier of Footb ...

, but there were complications with his documentation upon signing. He also had intentions of playing in

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

but ultimately landed in Canada.

Serbian White Eagles

In 1973, he landed in Canada's

National Soccer League The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its ...

with

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

-based club

Serbian White Eagles FC Serbian White Eagles Football Club (/''Fudbalski klub Srpski beli orlovi'') is a Canadian semi-professional Association football, soccer team. The team is a member of the Canadian Soccer League, a Non-FIFA international football, non-FIFA sanct ...

. In his debut season with Toronto, he assisted the club in securing a postseason berth where he contributed two goals against Toronto Homer in the opening round. He played in the second round of the playoffs where he recorded a goal against Toronto Hungaria but the Serbs were eliminated from the competition. Stojanović returned to the Serbs for his sophomore season where he produced a league record by registering 54 goals in 36 matches which ultimately secured him the top goal scorer award. The feat is still a club and National Soccer League record. His contributions helped the Serbs in clinching the regular season title. He also was featured in the Canadian Open Cup where he contributed a goal against Calgary Springer Kickers which secured the title and a berth in the

CONCACAF Champions' Cup The CONCACAF Champions Cup, formerly known as CONCACAF Champions League (2008–2023), is an international association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its top continental tournament for clubs from North America, Central America, a ...

. In 1975, he finished the season once more as the league's top goal scorer with 42 goals in 36 matches. On 7 August 2009 in a

pre-game ceremony A pre-game ceremony or pre-match ceremony is an on-field ceremony occurring before a sporting event. Such ceremonies may celebrate a past event, honour a retiring athlete, commemorate a deceased athlete, or promote a cause. Celebrating past event ...

, the Serbian White Eagles retired the number 9 which was worn by Stojanović while playing for the club from 1974 to 1975. This is the only number the club has retired.

Rochester Lancers

Momčilo was recruited by former Toronto head coach Dragan Popović to join the Rochester Lancers in the American-based

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...

in 1976. It was his time in Rochester when his name became anglicized to Mike by the media. He had a productive debut season with the Lancers where he scored 17 goals and finished with 41 points, marking him the league's fourth-leading scorer. He also assisted Rochester in securing a playoff berth after a three-year absence. He participated in the preliminary round of the playoffs where the upstate New York club was eliminated from the competition by

Toronto Metros-Croatia Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the fourth-most populous city in North America. The city ...

. Stojanović's contract was renewed for another season in 1977. In his sophomore season in Rochester, he once more aided the team in securing another playoff berth. For the second consecutive season, he finished as the club's top goal scorer with 14 goals. In the opening round of the postseason, he contributed a goal in a penalty shootout against St. Louis Stars. In the Conference finals, he recorded a goal against the

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 Indepen ...

in the opening match, but the Lancers were eliminated from the competition after losing both matches. Following the conclusion of the season he was named to the league's All-Star Second Team. The club also selected him to the Rochester Lancers Team of the Decade. His third season with Rochester was cut short after suffering a leg injury which ruled him out for the majority of the season. Throughout the 1978 season, he would appear in 12 matches and registered 4 goals. For the 1979 season, he transitioned into a midfielder role where he would support striker Branko Šegota with a club record of 13 assists and 4 goals. The 1980 season, marked his final run with the organization where he managed to surpass Carlos Metidieri record as the club's all-time goal scorer with 51 goals. He finished the season as the club's top goal scorer along with Segota with 11 goals.

North American Soccer League

In 1981, Rochester had their franchise revoked which resulted in San Diego Sockers signing Stojanović to a multi-year deal. He was fifth-best the following season with 14 goals and 33 total points. His most productive season was in 1981 when he finished third with 23 goals and 52 total points while playing for the San Diego Sockers (1981–1982) and was named the NASL's North American Player of the Year. Stojanović also played for the

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional association football, soccer club based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Origin ...

(1982) which was his last season in the NASL. Stojanović is 9th on the All-Time NASL Top Scorers list with 83 goals in 179 appearances and 10th on the all-time points list with 211, ahead of fellow NASL players

George Best George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a Northern Irish professional association football, footballer who played as a winger (association football), winger, spending most of his club career at Manchester United F.C., Manchester Un ...

Pelé Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; 23 October 1940 – 29 December 2022), better known by his nickname Pelé (), was a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. Widely reg ...

and

Franz Beckenbauer Franz Anton Beckenbauer (; 11 September 1945 – 7 January 2024) was a German professional football player, manager, and official. Nicknamed ("the Emperor"), he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, and is one of nine p ...

. He was a 2nd Team NASL All-Star in 1977 and an Honorable Mention All-Star in 1981.

Canada

In 1983, he returned to Canada to play with the Hamilton Steelers in the newly formed Canadian Professional Soccer League. Stojanović recorded his first goal for the club in the debut match on 23 May 1983, against Edmonton Eagles. Shortly after his first match, he received a lengthy suspension as he missed a practice session, but the suspension was later revoked. The Steelers would reach the championship finals in the playoffs where they were defeated by Edmonton. In 1992, Stojanović, aged 45, played for United Serbs FC based in

Oshawa Oshawa is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario, approximately east of downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of the Greater Toronto Area and of the Golden Horseshoe. It ...

International career

Stojanović was 33 years old when he won his first cap with Canada's senior team on 15 September 1980 in Vancouver (a 4–0 win over

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

), scoring on his debut. He played in all of Canada's games in 1980 and 1981, a total of 15 times, scoring five goals. His final cap came in a 2–2 draw on 21 November 1981 versus

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

in a

1982 World Cup qualification __NOTOC__ Year 198 (CXCVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sergius and Gallus (or, less frequently, year 951 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 198 fo ...

match in

Tegucigalpa Tegucigalpa ( )—formally Tegucigalpa, Municipality of the Central District ( or ''Tegucigalpa, M.D.C.''), and colloquially referred to as ''Tegus'' or ''Teguz''—is the capital and largest city of Honduras along with its sister city, Comaya ...

. Stojanović was inducted into the

Canada 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 2024, the Canada Soccer Ha ...

on 6 June 2009.A legend from his first kick
, Big Apple Soccer, accessed 27 November 2011. As part of the

Canadian Soccer Association The Canadian Soccer Association (; branded as Canada Soccer) is the governing body for soccer in Canada. Headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, the federation is a full member of FIFA and governs Canadian soccer at the international, professional, a ...

's 2012 centennial celebration, Stojanović was honoured on the list of the top 100 men's footballers.

International goals

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

Death

On 18 November 2010, Stojanović, aged 63, died in Toronto after a battle with stomach cancer. He is interred at the

Serbian Orthodox The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian churches. The majority of the populat ...

Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Milton.

Honours

Serbian White Eagles * National Soccer League Regular Season:

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

* Canadian Open Cup:

Individual * National Soccer League Top Scorer:

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

All-Star Second Team:

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

* North American Soccer League All-Star Honourable Mention:

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

* North American Player of the Year:

Honoured Player: 2009 * Canada Soccer Top 100 Men's Footballers: 2012

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stojanovic, Mike 1947 births 2010 deaths People from Lapovo 20th-century Canadian sportsmen Canadian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Canada men's international soccer players Canadian men's soccer players Canadian expatriate men's soccer players Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Canada Soccer Hall of Fame inductees Men's association football forwards Hartford Hellions players Naturalized citizens of Canada Naturalised association football players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players Canadian National Soccer League players Canadian Professional Soccer League (original) players Rochester Lancers (1967–1980) players Serbian White Eagles FC players Serbian White Eagles FC non-playing staff San Diego Sockers (1978–1996) players FK Radnički 1923 players FK Vardar players Yugoslav men's footballers Serbian men's footballers Yugoslav expatriate sportspeople in the United States Serbian emigrants to Canada Yugoslav expatriate sportspeople in Canada Yugoslav emigrants to Canada Association football players with retired numbers Deaths from stomach cancer in Canada Deaths from cancer in Ontario Burials at Serbian Orthodox monasteries and churches