Ane Mihailovich is a Yugoslavian-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. He spent at least four seasons in the American Soccer League, four in the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...

and one in the Major Indoor Soccer League. He also earned five

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...

with the

United States men's national soccer team The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT), officially recognized as USA by FIFA, represents the United States in men's international Association football, soccer. The team is governed by the United States Soccer Federation, which is ...

in 1977.

Club career

Mihailovich spent the 1973 and 1974 seasons with the Cleveland Stars in the American Soccer League (ASL). In 1976, Mihailovich signed with the expansion Los Angeles Skyhawks. The Skyhawks went to the ASL title game where the game was tied 1-1 until the Skyhawks'

Steve Ralbovsky Steve Ralbovsky is a Yugoslav-American former soccer player. He was the 1975 Hermann Trophy winner as the outstanding collegiate soccer player of the year. He then had an extensive professional career including time in the North American Soccer L ...

was tripped in the penalty area. Mihailovich converted the penalty, beating

New York Apollo The New York Greeks was an American soccer club based in New York City that was a member of the American Soccer League (1933-1983), American Soccer League. The team began as the amateur Greek-Americans. The club played lower Premier Division of ...

goalkeeper Gerard Joseph in the lower left-hand corner, and the Skyhawks won the game, 2–1. In 1977, Mihailovich jumped the first division

Los Angeles Aztecs The Los Angeles Aztecs were an American professional soccer team based in Los Angeles, California, that existed from 1974 to 1981. The Aztecs competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1974 North American Soccer League season, 1974 ...

of the

(NASL). The Aztecs traded him to the

Washington Diplomats The Washington Diplomats were an American soccer club representing Washington, D.C. Throughout their playing existence, the club played their home games at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium and indoor home matches at the neighboring D.C. A ...

six games into the 1978 season. The move to the Dips brought a move from forward to defense for Mihailovich. At the end of the 1979 season, the Dips sent Mihailovich to the

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional association football, soccer club based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Origin ...

in exchange for the Earthquakes first-round draft pick in 1982.''Diplomats Seek Defender After Three Key Injuries'' Washington Post, The (DC) - Thursday, March 27, 1980 for the 1980 season, his last in the NASL. While Mihailovich had played as a forward with the Skyhawks, he moved between the

midfield In many sports, midfield is the part of a sports field that is near the line that is equally far from the end lines. That is, in American football it is the part of the field near the 50-yard line; in association football (soccer) and field hoc ...

and

defense Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

in the NASL.

National team

He also earned five

with the U.S. national team in 1977. His first cap was a 3–1 loss to

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

on September 18, 1977. His last cap came less than a month later in a 1–0 win over

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

on October 10, 1977.
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Personal life

Ane is now retired and living in Michigan with his wife Patricia. They have 2 children, daughter Nicole and son Sasha. They have 7 grandchildren. Ane is currently coaching Crestwood High School's Boys Varsity Soccer. He won coach of the year in 2013.

References

External links

NASL/MISL Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mihailovich, Ane 1951 births Living people American men's soccer players American Soccer League (1933–1983) players Cleveland Cobras players Detroit Express (1981–1983) players Los Angeles Aztecs players Los Angeles Skyhawks players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Washington Diplomats (NASL) players San Diego Sockers (1978–1996) indoor players San Jose Earthquakes (1974–1988) players United States men's international soccer players Yugoslav emigrants to the United States Men's association football utility players Men's association football defenders Men's association football forwards People from Jegunovce Municipality 20th-century American sportsmen