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ANTE JAZIC
Ante was born in Halifax on February 26,1976 and grew up in Bedford, Nova Scotia. A Canadian national team member, Jazic played for the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer. He played for a number of European clubs during the late 1990s and early 2000s and is the highest level soccer player to come out of Nova Scotia.
Ante's soccer career began as a youth player for Scotia Soccer Club. As a senior level, he played for one the nation's strongest amateur teams Halifax King of Donair and a year with Dalhousie Tigers in which he was named All-Canadian CIAU. Ante began his professional career by joining NK Hrvatski Dragovoljac in 1997 after a successful try-out arranged by an uncle in Croatia. After two years with Dragovoljac, the midfielder / defender joined Croatian First League club Hajduk Split for the 1999-00 and 2000-01 seasons.
Ante played four seasons with Rapid Vienna. He then played for FC Kuban Krasnodar in the Russian Premier League. Kuban were relegated to the Russian First Division for 2005. On June 27, 2006, he signed a contract with the LA Galaxy of MLS, which reunited him with former Canadian National team coach Frank Yallop and played along side soccer star, David Beckham.
Ante retired from professional soccer in 2012 and returned to Canada to coach the National U15 boys team in 2014.
A full story can be found at. http://www.canadasoccer.com/in-focus-ante-jazi%C4%87-p156168
Ante in the media:
CARSON, Calif. -- Wearing the captain's armband for one's national team is an honor that few players ever experience. On January 31, Ante Jazic became one of those players.
The Chivas USA defender had been with the Canadian national team for a 2-week training camp in Florida when it was announced that he would captain the squad for the camp's culminating friendly match against Jamaica in Kingston.
"It was a wonderful feeling," said Jazic of donning the captain's armband for the first time. "Dwayne [de Rosario] was supposed to be the captain, but he pulled out of the match with an injury. At the team meal before the game, the coach said I was going to be captain. It was really nice."
The match marked Jazic's 25th international cap for Canada. He made his debut for the side in a 1998 friendly match against Macedonia, and scored his first international goal 10 years later against Panama, on June 4, 2008.
"Any player will you that playing for your national team is the biggest honor you can have," said Jazic. "I always enjoy it."
Jazic returned to Chivas USA on Monday morning, finally joining his teammates for the 2010 preseason camp.
"It's good to get back," he said. "There are definitely a lot of new faces, but it's been exciting."
Jazic missed the first two weeks of the Red-and-White's preseason camp, but feels that his time with his national side has helped him avoid losing any ground.
"Training with Canada helps on the fitness side of things," said Jazic. "It was nice to get a few games in. We had a game against a local club team [in Florida] and then playing against Jamaica gives me a good base for preseason with Chivas."
Jazic made 13 appearances for Chivas USA in 2009, serving as part of a Red-and-White defensive corps that allowed the second-fewest number of goals in the league a year ago.
"This club has been pretty good defensively in the last few years," said Jazic. "But there are a lot of new faces, so this training camp is extremely important for us to get some harmony back there and get everyone on the same page."
After just one day back at Chivas USA, Jazic was already confident in his team and its preparation for the upcoming season.
"Time's on our side right now and we're working hard," he said after Monday's training session. "We have almost two months to prepare, so I think we'll get everything in place."
Chivas USA opens its 2010 MLS season on Friday, March 26 against the Colorado Rapids. - Jeffrey King MLSnet.com staff
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