Željko Bilecki
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | April 28, 1950 | ||
| Place of birth | Zagreb, PR Croatia, FPR Yugoslavia | ||
| Date of death | April 26, 2023 (aged 72) | ||
| Place of death | Toronto, Canada | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1969 | Toronto Croatia | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1970–1974 | Toronto Croatia | ||
| 1975–1978 | Toronto Metros-Croatia | 66 | (0) |
| 1979–1980 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 18 | (0) |
| 1979–1980 | Tampa Bay Rowdies (indoor) | 12 | (0) |
| 1980 | Los Angeles Aztecs | 1 | (0) |
| 1980–1981 | Los Angeles Aztecs (indoor) | 18 | (0) |
| 1980–1983 | Tulsa Roughnecks (indoor) | 2 | (0) |
| 1981–1982 | Tulsa Roughnecks | 29 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 1976–1977 | Canada | 3 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Željko Bilecki (April 28, 1950 – April 26, 2023) was a Canadian soccer player who played as a goalkeeper.
Club career[edit]
Bilecki played at the youth level with Toronto Croatia's junior team in 1969.[1] In 1970, he played in the National Soccer League with Toronto Croatia's senior team.[2] He was named the league's top goalkeeper twice in 1971, and 1972.[3] In 1974, he assisted in securing the NSL Championship against Toronto Homer.[4] For the 1975 season he played in the North American Soccer League with Toronto Metros-Croatia.[5]
He later played for three other NASL sides in the United States: Tampa Bay Rowdies, Los Angeles Aztecs and Tulsa Roughnecks.[6][7] He won a Soccer Bowl with Toronto in 1976 and was a runner-up in 1979 for Tampa Bay.[8] He was the back up goalie for Tulsa when they won Soccer Bowl '83. Bilecki also won the NASL's indoor title in 1979–80 with Tampa Bay.
International career[edit]
Bilecki made his debut for Canada on December 22, 1976, in a 3–0 victory against the United States in a World Cup qualification match in Port-au-Prince. He won two more caps the next year, the last of these coming in a 2–1 win over Suriname on October 12, 1977, in Mexico City, where he came on at the start of the second half to replace Tony Chursky.[9]
Death[edit]
Zeljko passed away on April 26, 2023, four days after the death of his mother.[10]
References[edit]
- ^ Waring, Ed (September 1, 1969). "Croatia off as Hamilton wins tourney". The Globe and Mail. p. 23.
- ^ Waring, Ed (July 30, 1970). "Brazilian rookie now NSL's Pele". The Globe and Mail. p. 35.
- ^ "National Soccer League 1926 to 1992" (PDF). canadiansoccerleague.ca. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
- ^ Waring, Ed (October 21, 1974). "White Eagles romp to Canadian title, defeat Calgary 3-1". The Globe and Mail. p. S6.
- ^ Balberstadt, Alan (May 20, 1975). "Metros have plenty of scoring chances but Cosmos defeat them in home opener". The Globe and Mail. p. 35.
- ^ Labow, Jeffrey (March 15, 1979). "Rowdies get Bilecki in deal with Blizzard". The Globe and Mail. p. 50.
- ^ "Bilecki on move". Calgary Herald. March 13, 1981. p. 22.
- ^ "Toronto beats Kicks 3-0 in Soccer Bowl". Winona Daily News. August 29, 1976. p. 19.
- ^ "Zeljko Bilecki". www.canadasoccer.com. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ "Marica "Maria" Bilecki | Mississauga | Turner & Porter Funeral Directors". turnerporter.permavita.com.
External links[edit]
- Željko Bilecki at the Canadian Soccer Association
- NASL career stats
- Željko Bilecki at National-Football-Teams.com
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- 1950 births
- 2023 deaths
- Footballers from Zagreb
- Yugoslav emigrants to Canada
- Croatian emigrants to Canada
- Naturalized citizens of Canada
- Men's association football goalkeepers
- Yugoslav men's footballers
- Canadian men's soccer players
- Canada men's international soccer players
- Toronto Croatia players
- Toronto Blizzard (1971–1984) players
- Tampa Bay Rowdies (1975–1993) players
- Los Angeles Aztecs players
- Tulsa Roughnecks (1978–1984) players
- Canadian National Soccer League players
- North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players
- North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players
- Yugoslav expatriate men's footballers
- Canadian expatriate men's soccer players
- Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States
- Canadian expatriate sportspeople in the United States
- Yugoslav expatriate sportspeople in the United States
- Canadian soccer biography stubs