Dejan Jakovic

Personal information
Full name	Dejan Jakovic
Date of birth	July 16, 1985 (1985-07-16) (age 24)
Place of birth	Karlovac, Yugoslavia
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current club	D.C. United
Number	5
Youth career
2000–2004	Scarlett Heights Academy
2005–2008	UAB Blazers
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2008–2009	Red Star Belgrade	3	(0)
2009–	D.C. United	23	(0)
National team‡
2008	Canada U-23	5	(0)
2008–	Canada	5	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 30 October, 2009. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 19 July, 2009

Dejan Jakovic (Serbian: Дејан Јаковић, Dejan Jaković; born 16 July 1985) is a Serbian-born Canadian international soccer player who currently plays for D.C. United in Major League Soccer.

[edit] Early life

Born to an ethnic Serb family in Croatia prior to the break-up of the former Yugoslavia, Jakovic was brought by his parents to Canada at the age of six following the outbreak of the ethnic warfare in Croatia in 1991. They settled in Etobicoke, part of metropolitan Toronto.

[edit] Career

[edit] College

Jakovic took up association football in Canada. He was a four-year letterwinner at Scarlett Heights Academy, and was named team MVP as a junior and senior, captaining both indoor and outdoor teams. He played in the Canadian national youth program, and also for two-time Ontario Cup winner Woodbridge Strikers under Bob Graham. He was a member of the team that competed at the 2004 Dallas Cup, played with former UAB teammate Lukasz Kwapisz.

At the age of 18 Jakovic had a trial with OFK Beograd, but was not signed by the team.^[1]. Instead, Jakovic accepted a scholarship to the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and went on to play four years of college soccer for the Blazers.

[edit] Professional

On June 28, 2008, Jakovic joined Red Star Belgrade in preparations for the upcoming 2008-09 season, after successfully completing a tryout with the team.^[2] He officially signed with the club on June 30, 2008.^[3]

Jakovic made three league starts at the beginning of the season under head coach Zdeněk Zeman. However, following the coaching change on September 6, 2008, Dejan lost his spot in the team, and failed to register a single league appearance following the appointment of new head coach Čedomir Janevski. After the completion of the 2008 half-season Red Star began looking at options to move him. In December it was reported that he would be sent to FK Rad along with Marko Blažić, another player who started under Zeman but had played sparsely since Janevski took over, as part of the deal to bring defender Nemanja Pejčinović to Red Star.^[4] However, by February 2009, no trade had been announced by the teams, and he was still on the list Red Star players that started preparations for second half of the season.^[5]

Jakovic signed for Major League Soccer side D.C. United on 27 February 2009.^[6]

[edit] International

Jakovic made his debut for senior Canadian men's soccer team on January 30, 2008 against Martinique. Later in 2008 he earned five caps for the Canada U-23 squad in the 2008 CONCACAF Men's Pre-Olympic Tournament, during which Canada finished third, one place out of qualification. Jakovic was also selected for the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

[edit] See also

• List of current MLS players

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• MLS player profile
• Profile on Canadian Soccer Association official website
• Profile at UAB official athletic website
• Personal student website at UAB
• Profile on Red Star Belgrade official website

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