Former MCSC player off to the Canada Games

Former MCSC player, Sven Arapovic, has been playing with the club since he was a young boy. He has been chosen and is now training with the U18 Team Ontario squad at Nottawasaga Inn in preparation for the 2009 Canada Games being held in Charlotte, P.E.I. on August 22-29, 2009. Sven is currently playing with Toronto Croatia and is one of 6 players on the team not from Toronto FC. We wish Sven and the rest of Team Ontatio the team best of luck at the games. Below: Sven (kneeling 3rd from the left) with the 2007 SRSL Elite Champions.

Competitive Teams touring Europe

The U16 Boys team coaches by Vlatko Zuvic and Branko Prusina returned home last week from their trip to Europe at the beginning of August. The boys played games in Zagreb, Slavonski Brod, Zadar, Medugorje, Stari Grad on the island of Hvar and in Cavoglave playing such top club academy teams as Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split. The boys have had an unforgetable experince that will last a life time.

Club Picnic - September 12 at 1:00pm

All players, parents and friends are welcome to attend our year end club picnic to be held in Father Kamber Park on Mississauga Rd. on September 12 starting at 1:00pm. The house league teams will treated to pizza and drinks for the players and will play their final games and receiving their trophies at the end of the games. Please come and enjoy the festivities!

Year End Try-outs for Competitive Teams

Competitive teams will be holding try-outs for respective teams in September. Dates and times for the respective teams will be posted on website at the beginning of September.

U10 Girls win Georgetown Tournament

Congratulations to the U10 Girls team won their age group in the Georgetown Invitational Tournament. After losing in the finals of the PoultryFest Invitational Tournament in West Lincoln 2 weeks earlier, the girls came back in dramatic fashion to win their first tournament of the 2009 season. After suffering their only loss of the tournament in a 1-0 preliminary opening round defeat to Saltfleet, Mississauga Croatia roared back to win their final 4 games, including the championship game over a very strong Saltfleet team 2 -1 in a thrilling round of penalty shots.

The defensive play of the team was superb alongside key saves from our goalkeeper, including 4 penalty saves during the championship game. Our forwards also showed great playmaking and a total commitment to playing on both halves of the field from our midfield. Way to play Girls!

The coaches, Nick Draskovic, Dan Jaksic and Pero Mlinarevic would like to congratulate the girls for their well deserved victory and a sincere thank you to our parents for their continued support throughout the year. Members of the U10 Girls are: Juliana De Martin, Amanda Depikolozvane, Erika Draskovic, Katarina Granic, Adriana Jaksic, Adriana Juric, Sofia Latincic, Mary Milicevic, Adriana Misljenovic, Angela Mlinarevic and Ivana Zelich. Absent: Manager Dubi Kraljevic, Players - Nicole Banjavcic, Sophie Hari, Viktoria Kraljevic, Bianca Martellacci and Stefanie Sostaric.

U11 Boys win CNSF Youth Tournament in Milwaukee

The U11 Boys team attended the Croatian National Soccer Federation Youth Tournament in Milwaukee from July 10-12 in Milwaukee. The boys had a 4-0 record to win the the tournament against other teams from Canada and the United States. Both players and parents had a fantastic trip and look forward to next year's tournament to be held in Cleveland Ohio. In 2011, our club will be hosting the tournament and welcome teams from Canada and the US to attend.

Competitive Teams touring Europe

The U16 Boys team is planning a similar trip and leaving for Europe at the beginning of August. We wish both teams an enjoyable trip and a safe return.

Club Picnic - September 12 at 1:00pm

All players, parents and friends are welcome to attend our year end club picnic to be held in Father Kamber Park on Mississauga Rd. on September 12 starting at 1:00pm. The house league teams will treated to pizza and drinks for the players and will play their final games and receiving their trophies at the end of the games. Please come and enjoy the festivities!

Year End Try-outs for Competitive Teams

Competitive teams will be holding try-outs for respective teams in September. Dates and times for the respective teams will be posted on website at the beginning of September.

Team Picture Day & Club Picnic

On Saturday June 13th the club will be holding Picture Day at Father Kamber Park for all House League and Competitive Teams. Please contact the House League and Competitive team Coordinators for the scheduled time when your team should arrive to the field. In addition, the club will be hosting the annual club picnic in Father Kamber Park on Saturday September 12th starting at 1:00 pm. The house league teams will be provided with pizza and drinks, play their final games and receiving their trophies and photos for the 2009 season.

Goalkeeper moves on in Regional Training Camp

Tomislav Simanic, goalkeeper for the U13 Boys Mississauga Croatia Vatreni has moved on from the May 1-3 Regional camp (see below), and been chosen to continue in the program training weekly with those selected to continue. He is one of two goalkeepers picked amongst 10 candidates in this last round of cuts. Great job Tomi! The coaches and players from Mississauga Croatia Vatreni congratulate Tomi on all of his hard work, and wish him best of luck as he continues in this elite program. Bravo!

The series of friendly games give Ontario Regional Coaches an opportunity to compare player development program notes and evaluate the new players trying out for the Ontario Provincial Team. Provincial development in Ontario begins at the U13 age category through the Regional Development Program. In the Fall, identified Regional players are invited to a Provincial ID Tournament where the best players are selected for the U14 Provincial Development Program to represent Ontario at the National Championships. The intent of this program is to fulfill the soccer aspirations of those young players who have ability and desire to play at a higher level.

Goalkeeper moves on in Regional Training Camp

Final team placements have been made for the 2009 house league season. The coaches will be contacting their respective teams in the coming weeks to notify players of their team's details. For a 3rd year we will be partnering with Norval Croatia for house league competition. Games for the older groups will be split between Mississauga and Norval fields.

A coaches meeting will be held on Thursday May 21st at 7:00pm at the club office. At the meeting coaches will be supplied with information for the upcoming season, meet with the new technical director and receive their team's uniforms and balls.

2009 House League Registration

House League registration for the 2009 summer sseason has begun. For dates and times when you can come to the club office for registration can be found in the House League tab on our web page.

A reminder for Competative teams that their uniform orders for the 2009 outdoor season are to be submitted to the Rep Convenor as soon as possible.

2009 House League Registration

The Girls U11 (1998) Select Team is still looking for players for the indoor and outdoor season. Please call Assistant Coach, Nick Draskovic at 416-505-7597 or by email NDraskovic@orkincanda.com if interested.

The Boys U12 (1997) Select Team is looking for players for the 2009 outdoor season. For further infomration you can contact the Coach Drago Banjavcic at 416-569-2550 or email him at dragoban4@yahoo.ca

Year End Banquet - November 8th- CANCELLED

We are cancelling the annual banquet because Croatian national team coaches, Slaven Bilic and assistant coach Aljosa Asanovic will not be able to come to Canada because of some recent developments that places them in the UK

Annual General Meeting - October 19th, 2008

MCSC will be holding their Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Sunday October 19th at the MCSC club house located at 6535 Millcreek Road, Unit #82 at 3:00pm. This is your opportunity to discuss club matters in an open forum. We will also be chosing a new excutive at this time so come out and be a part of our growing club.

U12B Goalie selected for District Team

Tomislav Simanic has been selected by the PHSA district caoches as a member of the 2008/2009 training team. Head coach Anton Jelic is quoted as saying "He has worked very hard this year and has made huge strides, based on his dedication, willingness to work hard, follow instruction and be a team player." The club congratulates Tomislav for his selection to the district team. Keep up the great work!

U12 Boys Finalists at SRSL League Cup

Congratulations go out to our U12 Boys who on Saturday September 13th played in the league cup finals against Saltfeet. The boys along with their coaching staff of Anton Jelic, Hrvoje Granic, Dennis Koren and Davor Milovac were instrumental in making it to the finals with strong team play throughout the season and lost to the Saltfeet team in the finals. The boys should be proud of their accomplishments to this point and will come out strong on the 2008/2009 season.

Club Picnic in Father Kamber Park Streetsville - Sept. 6th

On Saturday September 6th starting at 1:00pm our soccer club will be hosting lunch for the house league players. Players will be provided with pizza and drinks prior to their final games later in the afternoon. Parents and family members will have the opportunity to purchase food for themselves as members of the club will be roasting lamb, pork and chickens for sale. All competitive teams are welcome to join the festivities and also have the ability to purchase roasted meat.

Thanks to all members for their continued support and to all the volunteers that make this club such a family environment and very big THANK YOU!! For those teams that are training and playing in indoor leagues please ensure you request insurance documentation from the Rep Convener and enjoy your activities throughout the winter. We will be announcing the date for the Annual General Meeting in September and we encourage all members to attend in order to have a say in how things are being run in the club.

U10 Girls All-Star Team in the Mississauga Falcon's Final

The U10 Girls Team were finalists at the Mississauga Falcons Soccer Club's August Tournament held on August 9 -10. An incredible accomplishment since the girls were brought together for their first game together as a team. Coaches Nick Draskovic, Daniel Jaksic, Dubravka Kraljevic and Pero Mlinarevic are proud of the girl's accomplishments. This is the first time in the club's 30 year history that a MCSC girls All-Star Team has made it to the finals of a tournament on their very first try. Congratulations on your success.

Toronto Croatia Boat Cruise

On Friday July 11th, Toronto Croatia is hosting a boat cruise around Toronto harbour on the Enterprise 2000. You're encouraged to join in the festivities where you can meet with members of the team and this year's coach Miroslav Buljan. The boat is located at Pier 35, 242 Cherry St. Boarding time is 7:00pm and Departure time is 8:00pm for a 4 hour cruise. Included in the price of boarding is a buffet dinner and music provided by ?Treci Stupanj?. Tickets are $100/ person and you can obtain more info by contacting your coach.

MCSC Players Chosen for District Team

Every spring the Peel-Halton Soccer Association holds an assessment session for U11 and U12 players so that players from all Peel-Halton teams can be viewed for their playing ability in order to be chosen to train in the District soccer program. The program is separate from regular team training and is created to bring the best players from teams together in order to train with an OSA certified coaching staff. These District players train together and have the opportunity to advance to the Regional and Provincial program. This year our U12 team joined in the assessment games and 4 of our players were chosen to tryout for the District program:

Professional Coaching from Croatia

This year we are privileged to have a professional soccer coach available to the club that has been recommended by the Croatia Football Federation (HNS) ? Miroslav Buljan. Mr. Buljan is licensed as a UEFA "PRO" training and has played, trained and coached in Croatia. This year, he will be the head coach of Toronto Croatia. All house league and competitive coaches will have the opportunity to learn and work with Miroslav over the spring/summer in order to provide a European flair to the training of our youth players. Further information about dates and location will be provided in the coming weeks.

Summer Soccer Camp

MCSC members have the opportunity to join a summer soccer camp that will be held in Father Kamber Park from July 7-11 and July 14-18 from 10:00am to 2:00pm. The trainer will be Miroslav Buljan and former Mississauga Croatia & Toronto Croatia player Zeljko Srbelj. The camp is open to the first 20 players between the ages of 9 and 18 years of age and registered with MCSC for the 2008 season. We will only be able to offer the camp if we have two (2) parent volunteers on a daily basis to supervise the players during the lunch hour. For registration into the camp please see your team coach. The cost for the camp will be $150 per player for one week and includes lunch and jersey for each player. The cost for the 2 weeks camp is $260 per player. For further information please speak to Michael Jezerinac.

Travel Assistance Policy

The club is making funds available for competitive teams to travel. The policy will be available shortly on the website for review. If there are any questions please direct them toward the club secretary or the rep convener.

Doctor on Staff

The club is proud to announce its affiliation with Dr. Paul Biondich. Dr. Biondich holds an honours Bachelour of Science Degree in Kinesiology, Bachelour of Science in Human Biology, Acupuncture Diploma and Doctor of Chiropractic degree. He works with professional athletes to provide injury care, injury preventative management and sport nutritional advice. Dr. Biondich is an avid soccer fan and he grew up playing for Mississauga Croatia Soccer Club for 10 years. He has worked as the Team Chiropractor with Toronto Croatia and he has also spent time with Chicago Fire of the Major League Soccer (MLS). Dr. Paul will be available to all MCSC players to provide free physical assessments of individual players. Teams interested in having Dr. Biondich provide player assessments can contact the rep convener - Anton Jelic to make scheduling arrangements. Dr. Paul will provide information on his services and other information related to the health of players on our web site at Dr. Paul?s Corner.

Professional Coaching from Croatia

This year we are privileged to have a professional soccer coach available to the club in conjunction with our affiliation with CNSC Toronto Croatia. Miroslav Buljan has been recommended by the Hrvatski Nogometni Savez (HNS) and is being employed as the head coach of Toronto Croatia for the 2008 season. Mr. Buljan has 25 years of coaching experience and is a UEFA "PRO" License coach and has trained Croatian first division team Slaven Belupo earlier this year as well as second and third division teams such as Koprivnica, Slavonski Brod, Ogulin, Karlovac, Primorac and others. All house league and competitive coaches are welcome to attend training sessions which will be scheduled to obtain valuable tips with a European flair in order to further the progress of our youth players.

Thank you to all the sponsors that have generously provided for this year?s house league and competitive teams. The Sponsor section of the website will be available once we receive all sponsor info.

Affiliation with Toronto Croatia

The club is please to announce the affiliate relationship with CNSC Toronto Croatia of the CSL. Toronto Croatia has a long history of competitive soccer in Canada including its most recent accolade the 2007 Canadian Soccer League Championship! The relationship creates a great opportunity for our youth players to compete at a professional level in Canada. In addition this year, the CSL has announced that the Toronto F.C.?s Academy team will be playing in the CSL which only serves to increase the exposure and magnitude of the game in Canada.

Toronto Croatia's home-opener will be against the Toronto F.C. Academy team at Lamport Stadium in Toronto on May 16th at 8:00pm. All MCSC players in uniform are allowed free admittance to this and all Toronto Croatia regular season home games. We will also be setting up a schedule for our youth competitive and house league players to be ball boys/girls during home games so that players have an opportunity to see the game up close and personal.

Coaches Clinic and Certification

Those coaches that have completed their OSA ?Child? coaching certification are invited to attend the OSA ?Youth? clinic that will be held on May 3rd. The classroom portion of the clinic will be held at the club office and the on-field training will occur in Father Kamber Park on Mississauga Road. A deposit cheque of $150.00 is required by April 25 to secure your spot in the clinic. All MCSC coaches that are planning on attending must provide a deposit cheque of $150.00 by April 25 that will be returned to you upon completion of the clinic.

House League Season

The house league season will start with a coaches meeting on May 22nd in Father Kamber Park at 7:00pm. Coaches will be provided with team uniforms and equipment and information on this coming season so it is important that you all attend. The first day of house league begins on May 27th at 6:30pm in Father Kamber Park on Mississauga Road.

Picture Day

Club picture day will take place on Saturday June 21st. Schedule of teams will be provided prior to the start of the house league season.

Best Wishes to all for a safe season.

Mississauga Croatia S.C.

THE MISSISSAUGANEWS

Duo sharpen soccerskills with Croatian squad

Mississauga soccer players Tomislav Pavicic and Christopher Lecko, both 15, will be in Porec,Croatia until the end of this month to train with the Croatian national under-16 team. This past season, Pavicic, a 5-foot-10, 145-pound sweeper, captained the Mississauga Croatia Soccer Club's under-16 team in the South Region Soccer League. Lecko, a 6-foot-1,170-pound centre back/midfielder, toiled for the Dixie 89'ers under-16 squad in the Ontario Youth Soccer League's (OYSL) Premier Division.

The duo were teammates at Mississauga Croatia until Lecko left for Dixie before the 2003 season. This will be Pavicic's third soccer stint in Croatia. Two years ago he was part of the MCSC under-14 boys team that toured there. Last year he got to train with the Croatian national under-15 squad in Zagreb. "I want to get out there and get myself known," said Pavicic, a Grade 10 student at Mentor College who's been with MCSC for 10 seasons.

MCSC under-16 team manager Marinko Saric said diligence and skill are Pavicic's attributes. "Tommy is very serious and dedicated -- he practices hard," Saric said. "He has a strong shot, covers a lot of field and is very agile. "Lecko was an integral part of his Dixie team that finished second in the OYSL and won the Ontario Cup and OYSL League Cup. He's with the Canadian national under-18 training programand played for the Ontario provincial under-16 side last summer. For Lecko this will be his first trip to Croatia. "I'm very excited-- big time," said the Grade 10 student at St. Marcellinus Secondary School in Mississauga. "My dream is to become a professional. Ball control and ball movement are my strengths. I have to work on tempo and they (Croatian soccer) play a faster tempo game."

Pavicic's father Joe's extensive contacts in the Croatian national soccer federation helped the two boys get the invite this year. Pavicic and Lecko will leave for Croatia on Wednesday. The $1,000 airfare is the only expenditure. The Croatian soccer federation will cover accommodation and food. MCSC president Anton Jelic said this is a good coup for the duo and his club. "They will get excellent training there. Croatia is a top-20 team in FIFA (International Soccer Federation) and their under-19 and under-18 teams do well in global competition," Jelic said.

THE MISSISSAUGA NEWS