Perica "Peri" Marošević (born May 5, 1989) is an American former

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player.

Early life

Marošević was born to a

Croat The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

father and a

Serb The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history, and language. They primarily live in Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia ...

mother in

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

prior to the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...

, and initially moved to

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

, Germany with his parents as a young child to escape the conflict, before eventually settling in

Rockford, Illinois Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, Winnebago and Ogle County, Illinois, Ogle counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located in far northern Illinois on the banks of the Rock River (Mississippi River tributary), Rock River, Rockfor ...

Career

Youth and college

Marošević attended Guilford High School in Rockford, IL and Edison High School in Bradenton, FL, played club soccer with the

Rockford Raptors The Rockford Raptors were an American soccer team based in Rockford, Illinois. The team began in the USISL and moved to the USL Second Division, USISL Pro League in 1995. In 1999, the team was relegated to the Premier Development League. The ...

and Chicago Sockers, and played college soccer at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, where he was named to the CoSida Academic All-District First Team in 2007, was a two-time All-Big Ten Second Team nominee and a one-time All-Big Ten First Team nominee, scoring 24 goals and registering seven assists becoming the team's leading scorer 2 out of his 3 seasons. During his college years he also played with Chicago Fire Premier in the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

Professional

Marošević was drafted in the first round (fifth overall) by

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The franchise be ...

in the

2009 MLS SuperDraft The 2009 MLS SuperDraft took place on January 15, 2009, in St. Louis, Missouri. It was the tenth annual Major League Soccer MLS SuperDraft, SuperDraft. The first selection was owned by the expansion Seattle Sounders FC. Unlike previous years, ...

, and signed to a

Generation Adidas Generation Adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young professional soccer talent in the United States. The program, sponsored by Adidas, offers professional-ready players in the U.S ...

contract. He made his professional debut on March 29, 2009, in a Dallas's game against

Chivas USA Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competed in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conf ...

. In April 2009, Peri appeared alongside 14 other

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

Players on Cosmogirl.com's "Hottest Soccer Guys". In June 2010, having found it increasingly difficult to break into the

first team, Marošević was loaned to USSF-D2 side Austin Aztex. He made his debut for the Aztex on June 19, coming on as a substitute against

Miami FC Miami FC is an American professional association football, soccer team based in Miami, Florida that competes in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The club began play in the North American Soccer League (201 ...

. Marošević scored a hat-trick for the Aztex in a second round Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup game against Arizona Sahuaros on June 22, 2010. The young striker ended his month-long loan deal tallying four goals in four games. Marošević was signed by

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...

on July 28, 2011, after asking to be released from FC Dallas. Two days later Marošević made his debut for Toronto as a second half sub for Nick Soolsma against

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Timbers have p ...

, with Toronto down 2–0. Marosevic ignited a comeback by scoring on his debut in the 63rd minute followed by a Danny Koevermans strike, earning a well-fought 2–2 away draw for Toronto FC. In Toronto's next league match against DC United, Peri again came in the game as a second-half substitute earning his second league goal in only two league appearances for Toronto FC. The game ended in a 3–3 draw. Marošević made his mark on the Reds season once again scoring against

UNAM Pumas Club Universidad Nacional, A.C., simply known as Pumas UNAM, is a professional football club based in Mexico City. The club competes in Liga MX, the top division of Mexican football. Founded in 1954 as Club Deportivo Universidad, and they play ...

in the

CONCACAF Champions League 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, ...

group stage, the game ended in a 1–1 home draw to the Mexican side. Marošević declined a contract offer by

in January 2012. In October 2012, he signed with NK Junak Sinj of the Croatian second division. On February 21, 2013, Marošević signed on to play for

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 team's inaugural year in the NASL. In July, 2014, the New York Cosmos cut ties with Marošević.

International

Marošević has been a member of the U.S. U-17, U-18, and U-20 national teams. He was a member of the squad for the United States in the 2009 U-20 FIFA World Cup, coming on as a substitute at halftime in a 3–0 loss to Korea.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Marosevic, Peri 1989 births Living people Sportspeople from Brčko District Bosnia and Herzegovina emigrants to the United States Soccer players from Rockford, Illinois American people of Croatian descent American people of Serbian descent Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina Men's association football forwards Bosnia and Herzegovina men's footballers 21st-century Bosnia and Herzegovina sportsmen American men's soccer players United States men's under-20 international soccer players United States men's youth international soccer players Footballers at the 2007 Pan American Games Pan American Games footballers for the United States Michigan Wolverines men's soccer players Chicago Fire U-23 players Chicago Sockers players FC Dallas draft picks FC Dallas players Austin Aztex FC players Toronto FC players NK Junak Sinj players New York Cosmos (2010) players Flint City Bucks players Major League Soccer players First Football League (Croatia) players North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players USL League Two players USSF Division 2 Professional League players American expatriate men's soccer players Expatriate men's footballers in Croatia American expatriate sportspeople in Croatia Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada American expatriate sportspeople in Canada