Matko Miljevic

Matko Miljevic
Personal information
Full name Matko Mijael Miljevic[1]
Date of birth (2001-05-09) May 9, 2001 (age 23)
Place of birth Miami, Florida, U.S.[2]
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[3]
Position(s) Attacking midfielder[1]
Team information
Current team
 Newell's Old Boys
Number 19
Youth career
Boca Juniors
2011–2018 Argentinos Juniors
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2021 Argentinos Juniors 6 (1)
2021–2023 CF Montréal 35 (2)
2024– Newell's Old Boys 4 (1)
International career‡
2017 United States U16 5 (0)
2019 Argentina U18
2018 Argentina U20 2 (0)
2020 United States U20 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:15; April 26, 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of March 21, 2020

Matko Mijael Miljevic (Croatian: Matko Mihael Miljević, pronounced [matko mixaěl̩ miʎěvitɕ]; born May 9, 2001) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Newell's Old Boys.[4][5]

Club career

Prior to signing for Argentinos Juniors in 2011, Miljevic had a short stint with the Boca Juniors academy.[6] The 2018–19 campaign saw the midfielder appear in senior football, firstly as an unused substitute for league fixtures with Tigre and Huracán in November/December 2018.[3] Miljevic was named as a substitute for a Copa de la Superliga round of sixteen match against San Lorenzo in the succeeding April, subsequently making his professional bow in a 1–0 first leg win at the Estadio Diego Armando Maradona.[3] His Primera División debut arrived on August 26 versus Huracán, while his first goal came on August 31 against Gimnasia y Esgrima.[3]

On August 20, 2021, it was announced that Miljevic signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with CF Montréal.[3]

On September 13, 2023, it was reported that Miljevic, against the terms of his contract with CF Montréal, played three matches in the indoor amateur Québec Calcetto Soccer League, using the false name Matko Milojevic, where he tallied six goals and two assists. Additionally, while spectating a match in the league, he was also alleged to have spat on and struck a player in the face, resulting in his ejection from the soccer centre where the game was being played and lifetime suspension from the league.[7]

On September 18, 2023, the MLS terminated the Miljevic's contract for engaging in conduct detrimental to the league and violating his Standard Player Agreement.[8]

On February 6, 2024, Miljevic returned to Argentina for a second time, signing with Primera División club Newell's Old Boys.[9]

International career

Miljevic is eligible to play for Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, or the United States at international level.[2][10][11] He played for latter's U16s at the 2017 Montaigu Tournament, before appearing for the Argentina U20s in a friendly with Uruguay in August 2018.[2][12][13] July 2019 saw Miljevic receive a call-up from the Argentina U18s for the L'Alcúdia International Tournament in Spain.[14] He scored on matchdays one and two against Mauritania and Spain respectively.[15][16] In August 2019, Tab Ramos called Miljevic up for September friendlies with the United States U20s, but Argentinos denied his release.[17] On January 8, 2020, Miljevic was released to the United States U20s for January friendlies where he made two appearances against the Mexico U20s.[18][19]

Personal life

Miljevic was born in Miami, Florida after his parents had moved to the United States due to the 1998–2002 Argentine great depression.[20] He is of Bosnian Croat descent via his grandfather who was born in Banja Luka,[2] and emigrated to Argentina in 1945.[21] Miljevic began the process of applying for a Croatian passport in 2018.[2] He took part in taekwondo as a youngster, notably winning the Argentina Open in 2014 and 2015.[6][22]

Career statistics

As of match played 6 November 2024[23]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Goals Apps Goals Apps
Argentinos Juniors 2018-19 Argentine Primera División 0 0 2 0 2[b] 0 4[c] 0 8 0
2019-20 Argentine Primera División 6 1 0 0 1[b] 0 0 0 7 1
Total 6 1 2 0 3 0 4 0 15 1
Montréal 2021 MLS 5 1 2 1 — — 7 2
2022 MLS 22 1 2 0 4[d] 0 0 0 28 1
2023 MLS 8 0 2 0 0 0 — 10 0
Total 35 2 6 1 4 0 0 0 45 3
Newell's Old Boys 2024 Argentine Primera División 16 1 2 0 — — 18 1
Career total 57 4 10 1 7 0 4 0 78 5
  1. ^ Includes Copa Argentina, Canadian Championship
  2. ^ a b Appearance(s) in Copa Sudamericana
  3. ^ Appearance(s) in Copa de la Superliga
  4. ^ Appearance(s) in CONCACAF Champions Cup

References

  1. ^ a b "Matko Miljevic". World Football. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e "On the rise with Argentinos Juniors, Miljevic discusses international options". American Soccer Now. August 30, 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Argentina - M. Miljevic". cfmontreal.com. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  4. ^ "Matko Miljevic". Sitio oficial Club Newells Old Boys (in Spanish). Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  5. ^ "Matko Miljevic - Newell's Old Boys Midfielder". ESPN. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Matko Miljevic: "Si erro un gol pienso en eso toda la semana"". Argentinos Juniors. February 5, 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  7. ^ "EXCLUSIF! Matko Miljevic suspendu à vie d'une ligue de soccer amateur lavalloise". Dans Les Coulisses (in French). September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  8. ^ "MLS boots Montreal's Miljevic amid fake name, punch claims". ESPN. September 18, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  9. ^ "Still banned from amateur league, Miljevic signs with Newell's Old Boys instead". Pro Soccer Wire. February 6, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  10. ^ "Matko Miljevic, en la órbita de la selección de Estados Unidos sub 20". Marca. August 22, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  11. ^ "Matko Miljevic: "Tengo ganas de jugar con Estados Unidos"". Marca. October 1, 2019. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  12. ^ "Matko Miljevic - U.S. Soccer". US Soccer. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  13. ^ "Matko Miljevic, el yankee que busca debutar en Argentinos Juniors". Marca. July 26, 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  14. ^ "Convocados y fixture del torneo COTIF L'Alcúdia". AFA. June 24, 2019. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  15. ^ "Sub 18: Argentina derrotó a Mauritania en su debut". Cielosports. July 31, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  16. ^ "Otro triunfo para la Selección Argentina". Cielosports. August 2, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  17. ^ "Breaking down the United States U-20 and U-23 September rosters". American Soccer Now. August 30, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  18. ^ "NEW U-20 MNT HEAD COACH ANTHONY HUDSON KICKS OFF 2020 WITH 24-PLAYER TRAINING CAMP, TWO GAMES VS. MEXICO". US Soccer. January 8, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  19. ^ "Matko Miljevic: "Un Estados Unidos vs México es como un Boca contra River"". January 24, 2020.
  20. ^ "Matko Miljevic, el hijo de la crisis del 2001 por el que se pelean las selecciones de Argentina, Croacia y Estados Unidos". Infobae. October 4, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  21. ^ "Šuker ga je nekoć osobno zvao da igra za Hrvatsku, a sada je napravio nezapamćenu glupost u Kanadi". Gol.hr (in Croatian). September 14, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  22. ^ "MILJEVIC, Matko". Taekwondo Data. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  23. ^ Matko Miljevic at Soccerway. Retrieved 7 November 2024.