Preki
Personal information | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Full name | Predrag Radosavljević | |||||||||||||
Date of birth | 24 June 1963 | |||||||||||||
Place of birth | Belgrade, SFR Yugoslavia | |||||||||||||
Position(s) | Midfielder | |||||||||||||
Team information | ||||||||||||||
Current team | Seattle Sounders FC (assistant) | |||||||||||||
Youth career | ||||||||||||||
Čukarički Stankom | ||||||||||||||
Senior career* | ||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||
1982–1985 | Red Star Belgrade | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||
1985–1990 | Tacoma Stars (indoor) | 247 | (209) | |||||||||||
1990 | Råslätts SK | |||||||||||||
1990–1992 | St. Louis Storm (indoor) | 91 | (113) | |||||||||||
1992–1994 | Everton | 46 | (4) | |||||||||||
1994–1995 | San Jose Grizzlies (indoor) | 32 | (67) | |||||||||||
1994–1995 | Portsmouth | 40 | (5) | |||||||||||
1996–2000 | Kansas City Wizards | 145 | (50) | |||||||||||
2001 | Miami Fusion | 24 | (8) | |||||||||||
2002–2005 | Kansas City Wizards | 73 | (21) | |||||||||||
Total | 330 | (88) | ||||||||||||
International career | ||||||||||||||
1996–2001 | United States | 28 | (4) | |||||||||||
Managerial career | ||||||||||||||
2006 | Chivas USA (assistant) | |||||||||||||
2007–2009 | Chivas USA | |||||||||||||
2010 | Toronto FC | |||||||||||||
2014–2015 | Sacramento Republic | |||||||||||||
2017 | Saint Louis FC | |||||||||||||
2018– | Seattle Sounders FC (assistant) | |||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Predrag Radosavljević (Serbian Cyrillic: Предраг Радосављевић; born 24 June 1963), better known by the nickname Preki (/ˈprɛki/), is a Serbian-American former U.S. international association football manager. He previously managed Sacramento Republic FC and Saint Louis FC in the United Soccer League. He also previously coached in Major League Soccer with Toronto FC and Chivas USA.
During his playing career he played for English clubs Everton and Portsmouth, and was an 'MLS original' upon the formation of Major League Soccer in 1996, playing for the Kansas City Wizards (now known as Sporting Kansas City) and Miami Fusion. He is the only two-time winner of the MLS MVP award, now known as the Landon Donovan MVP Award, and represented the United States at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He was elected to the American National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2010.[1]
In 2015 Preki left his managing role at Sacramento Republic FC by mutual consent. It was thought that he had landed the Leicester City FC job, but it was given to Claudio Ranieri.[2]
Playing career
Professional
Born in Serbia, Preki played briefly for Red Star Belgrade in the old Yugoslav First League after coming from FK Čukarički Stankom where he played in their youth team.[3] In the summer of 1985, the Tacoma Stars head coach Bob McNab spotted Preki at an indoor tournament in Belgrade. McNab signed Preki.[4] He played five seasons for the Stars. During those years, he was a three-time First Team All Star, the 1988 and 1989 All Star Game MVP, led the league in assists in 1988 and scoring in 1989 and was the 1989 MISL MVP. During the summer of 1989, Preki began to consider becoming a U.S. citizen and returning to the outdoor game in order to make himself eligible for the U.S. national team.[5] He played one season for Råslätts SK in Sweden in 1990.[6] The Stars released Preki in July 1990 as part of a salary reduction move.[7] In August, he signed with the St. Louis Storm.[8] He played two seasons in St. Louis before being bought by Everton manager Howard Kendall for a fee of £100,000 in the summer of 1992 following a trial. He made 53 appearances for the Blues, 28 of those as a substitute. In June 1994, Preki signed with the San Jose Grizzlies of the Continental Indoor Soccer League where he rejoined Bob McNab from his Tacoma days.[9] He played eight games, scoring sixteen goals, before returning to England in August 1994 to play for Portsmouth. On July 5, 1995, the Grizzlies purchased Preki's contract from Portsmouth.[10] He was the CISL's second leading scorer and league MVP.[11]
Major League Soccer
Preki resumed outdoor play beginning with MLS's inaugural season in 1996 when he joined the Kansas City Wiz, renamed the Wizards after the 1996 season. The league allocated him to the Wiz on 6 February 1996.[12] He played every season of his MLS playing career for the Wizards, except for one season with the Miami Fusion in 2001. After the Fusion were contracted, the Wizards reacquired Preki in the 2002 MLS Dispersal Draft, but only after every other team in the league had passed on selecting him. Preki is the only player to have won the MLS MVP Award and the MLS Scoring Champion Award (now respectively known as the Landon Donovan MVP Award and the MLS Golden Boot) twice, winning in 1997 and 2003, and is also the current all-time league leader in points scored (270 on 79 goals and 112 assists, plus another 25 points on 10 goals and 5 assists in the playoffs). He won the 2000 MLS Cup with the Wizards. Preki retired following the 2005 season, scoring a goal in the last minute of his final game with Kansas City. He was named to the MLS All-Time Best XI after the season, and was 42 years old when he played his final competitive game.[13]
International
Originally from Yugoslavia, Preki was living and working in the US in 1985 but when he was offered a spot on the American national team he applied for U.S. citizenship which was granted on October 25, 1996.[14] He made his debut for the United States on November 3, 1996 against Guatemala at the age of 33, making him one of the oldest players to make an international debut[citation needed]. Preki played a total of 28 games for the U.S., scoring four goals, one of them to beat Brazil at the 1998 Gold Cup. Two of those games, including one against his native Yugoslavia (now Serbia), came in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He made his last appearance for the national team in a 2–0 loss away to Costa Rica in World Cup qualifying on September 5, 2001.[15]
International goals
# | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | December 21, 1996 | San Salvador, El Salvador | Guatemala | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1998 World Cup Qualifying |
2 | November 16, 1997 | Foxborough, Massachusetts | El Salvador | 4–2 | 4–2 | 1998 World Cup Qualifying |
3 | February 7, 1998 | Oakland, California | Costa Rica | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
4 | February 10, 1998 | Los Angeles, California | Brazil | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
Coaching career
Upon the appointment of Bob Bradley as the United States national team manager, Preki was promoted as head coach of Chivas USA for the 2007 Major League Soccer season.[16]
Preki left Chivas "by mutual consent" on November 12, 2009, following Chivas' failure to progress to the latter stages of the MLS playoffs.[17] He became head coach of Toronto FC on November 19, 2009.[18] However, Preki didn't last the 2010 MLS season with Toronto, being fired along with General Manager Mo Johnston on September 14, 2010.[19] Under Preki, Toronto qualified for the 2010-11 CONCACAF Champions League after winning the 2010 Canadian Championship.
On July 15, 2013, after nearly three years out of coaching, Preki was named head coach of the USL Professional Division (now United Soccer League) expansion Sacramento Republic FC in advance of their inaugural 2014 season.[20] He won the USL Pro Championship game in September 2014 with the club.[21] On July 8, 2015, Preki announced his resignation from his post to take up a coaching role in the United Kingdom.
On October 12, 2016, USL club Saint Louis FC introduced Preki as its coach for the upcoming 2017 season. On November 20, 2017, Saint Louis FC relieved Preki of his coaching duties.[22]
In January 2018, Preki was hired as an assistant coach to Brian Schmetzer with the Seattle Sounders.
Coaching record
- As of November 19, 2017
Team | From | To | Record | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||
Chivas USA | January 17, 2007[16] | November 12, 2009[17] | 107 | 41 | 36 | 30 | 132 | 125 | +7 | 38.32 |
Toronto FC | November 19, 2009[18] | September 14, 2010[19] | 32 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 30 | 31 | −1 | 34.38 |
Sacramento Republic | July 15, 2013 | July 8, 2015 | 53 | 33 | 15 | 5 | 108 | 60 | +48 | 62.26 |
Saint Louis FC | October 12, 2016 | November 19, 2017 | 35 | 11 | 15 | 9 | 41 | 53 | −12 | 31.43 |
Total | 227 | 96 | 77 | 54 | 311 | 269 | +42 | 42.29 |
Awards
Club
Major Indoor Soccer League Runners-Up: 1986-87
- MLS Cup: 2000[23]
- Supporters' Shield: 2000[24][circular reference]
- US Open Cup: 2004[25]
Individual
- Major Indoor Soccer League MVP: 1988-89[26][circular reference]
- Major Indoor Soccer League Scoring Champion: 1988-89[27][circular reference]
- Major Indoor Soccer League Pass Master (Most Assists): 1987-88, 1988-89[28][circular reference]
- 1989 Major Indoor Soccer League All-Star Game MVP: 1989[29][circular reference]
- Landon Donovan MVP Award(2): 1997, 2003[30]
- MLS Golden Boot: 1997, 2003[31][circular reference]
- National Soccer Hall of Fame: Class of 2010[32]
- Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame: Class of 2013[33]
References
- ^ MLS Legends: Preki on his favorite MLS players to watch, his "chop" move, Seattle and more mlssoccer.com
- ^ "Everton FC cult figure Preki tipped for remarkable Premier League return". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ^ Monografija: 85 godina SD Čukarički Archived April 25, 2012, at the Wayback Machine (page 91&92) (in Serbian)
- ^ `SECRET' SLAV ADDS SOCK TO STARS' SOCCER OFFENSE THE SEATTLE TIMES – Thursday, October 24, 1985
- ^ PREKI EYES RAISE, U.S. CITIZENSHIP – WORLD CUP BERTH IN MIND Seattle Post-Intelligencer – Wednesday, September 13, 1989
- ^ "Råslätts SK – Historia". Archived from the original on 22 July 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ^ Tacoma cuts Preki, 5 more to pare costs San Diego Union (CA) – Thursday, July 5, 1990
- ^ STARS' PREKI SIGNS WITH ST. LOUIS THE SEATTLE TIMES – Monday, August 13, 1990
- ^ CONTINENTAL INDOOR SOCCER LEAGUE USA TODAY (Arlington, VA) – Tuesday, June 7, 1994
- ^ GRIZZLIES ACQUIRE TOP INDOOR PLAYER San Jose Mercury News (CA) – Thursday, July 6, 1995
- ^ The Year in American Soccer – 1995 Archived February 26, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Transactions The Kansas City Star – Tuesday, February 6, 1996
- ^ MLS Player Stats Archived May 1, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ https://ussoccerplayers.com/player/preki
- ^ About Coaches: Preki Radosavljevic, Head Coach Archived May 22, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "Preki replaces Bradley as Chivas USA coach". ESPN Soccernet. Associated Press. 17 January 2007. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
- ^ a b "Chivas USA, Preki part ways". ESPN Soccernet. 12 November 2009. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
- ^ a b TFC set to name Preki new head coach
- ^ a b Wolstat, Ryan (15 September 2010). "Axed TFC coach Preki fires back". Toronto Sun. QMI Agency. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 9, 2013. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Republic FC Claims USL PRO Championship". USL Pro. September 27, 2014. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ^ Lyons, Joe (October 12, 2016). "St. Louis FC introduces Preki as its new coach". Saint Louis Post-Dispatch. Saint Louis, Missouri. Archived from the original on November 18, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
- ^ "2000 MLS Cup". Sporting KC. MLS Digital. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "Supporters' Shield". Wikipedia. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "2004 U.S. Open Cup". Sporting KC. MLS Digital. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "Major Indoor Soccer League". Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "Major Arena Soccer League". Wikipedia. Wikipedia.
- ^ "Major Arena Soccer League". Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "1989 Major Indoor Soccer League All-Star Game". Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "Sporting Legends- Preki". Sporting KC. MLS Digital. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "MLS Golden Boot". Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "PREKI RADOSAVLJEVIÄ". National Soccer Hall of Fame. U.S. Soccer. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "Hall of Famers". Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame. Soccer Shift. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
External links
- Preki profile at United States National Soccer Players
- MISL stats
- Preki at National-Football-Teams.com
- 1963 births
- Living people
- American people of Serbian descent
- Sportspeople from Belgrade
- Yugoslav emigrants to the United States
- Yugoslav footballers
- Serbian footballers
- American soccer players
- Association football midfielders
- Red Star Belgrade footballers
- Tacoma Stars players
- St. Louis Storm players
- Everton F.C. players
- San Jose Grizzlies players
- Portsmouth F.C. players
- Sporting Kansas City players
- Miami Fusion players
- Yugoslav First League players
- Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players
- Premier League players
- Continental Indoor Soccer League players
- English Football League players
- Major League Soccer players
- Major League Soccer All-Stars
- Major League Soccer MVPs
- United States men's international soccer players
- 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
- 1998 FIFA World Cup players
- National Soccer Hall of Fame members
- Yugoslav expatriate footballers
- Serbian expatriate footballers
- American expatriate soccer players
- Yugoslav expatriate sportspeople in Sweden
- Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Sweden
- Serbian expatriate sportspeople in England
- American expatriate sportspeople in Sweden
- American expatriate sportspeople in England
- Expatriate footballers in Sweden
- Expatriate footballers in England
- Serbian football managers
- American soccer coaches
- Chivas USA non-playing staff
- Chivas USA coaches
- Toronto FC coaches
- Sacramento Republic FC coaches
- Saint Louis FC coaches
- Seattle Sounders FC non-playing staff
- Major League Soccer coaches
- USL Championship coaches
- Serbian expatriate football managers
- American expatriate soccer coaches
- American expatriate sportspeople in Canada
- Expatriate soccer managers in Canada