Emsad Zahirovic (born April 9, 1988) is an American soccer player of Bosnian origin who most recently played for

Atlanta Silverbacks The Atlanta Silverbacks FC were an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1998 as Atlanta Ruckus, the club played in many leagues over the years before folding after the 2015 season. The team played its home game ...

of 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 ...

Career

Amateur

Zahirovic came to the United States from his native Bosnia in 2000 at the age of 12, and grew up in

Snellville, Georgia Snellville is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, Gwinnett County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States, east of Atlanta. Its population was 20,573 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is a developed suburb of Atlanta and ...

. He graduated from Shiloh High School, but did not play

college soccer College soccer, called college football in some countries, is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. While it is most widespread in the United States, it is also prominent in Japan, South Kore ...

, and instead played in the Atlanta District Amateur Soccer League between 2006 and 2010, most notably for the ethnic Bosnian team B&H International. Zahirovic led the ADASL in scoring in three of his seasons in the league, scoring 23 goals in just 15 games in 2010.

Professional

Zahirovic turned professional in February 2011 when he signed with

of the

. He made his professional debut on April 23, 2011, in a game against the

Fort Lauderdale Strikers Fort Lauderdale Strikers may refer to: *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983), member of North American Soccer League from 1977 to 1983 *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994) The Fort Lauderdale Strikers were an American soccer team establishe ...

. Zahirovic was released from Atlanta on August 30, 2011, due to breach of contract.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zahirovic, Emsad 1988 births Living people Bosnia and Herzegovina emigrants to the United States Sportspeople from Snellville, Georgia Soccer players from Georgia (U.S. state) American men's soccer players Men's association football forwards Atlanta Silverbacks FC players North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players