Mike Stojanović

Momčilo "Mike" Stojanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Момчило Мајк Стојановић, Serbian pronunciation: [mǒmtʃilo mǎjk stojǎːnoʋitɕ]; 27 January 1947 – 18 November 2010) was a professional soccer forward most notably playing in the NASL and for the Canadian national team.

Mike Stojanović
Stojanović (right, with ball) and Werner Roth (left) of the New York Cosmos in 1977
Personal information
Full name Momčilo Stojanović
Date of birth (1947-01-27)27 January 1947
Place of birth Lapovo, FPR Yugoslavia
Date of death 18 November 2010(2010-11-18) (aged 63)
Place of death Toronto, Canada
Playing position(s) Striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1966–1969 Morava Velika Plana
1969–1973 Radnički Kragujevac
1973–1974 Vardar
1974–1975 Serbian White Eagles 85 (96)
1976–1980 Rochester Lancers 115 (51)
1979–1980 Hartford Hellions (indoor) 9 (1)
1981–1982 San Diego Sockers 52 (32)
1981–1982 San Diego Sockers (indoor) 5 (2)
1982 San Jose Earthquakes 12 (2)
National team
1980–1981 Canada 15 (5)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Early life

Mike Stojanović, nicknamed Stole in Serbian and Stollie in English, was born in Lapovo (PR Serbia, FPR Yugoslavia), to parents Vitomir and Ruža.

Career

Club career

In Stojanović's career in his home land of Yugoslavia, he played for Radnički Kragujevac and Vardar Skopje which at that time were both part of the Yugoslav First League. Both clubs currently compete in their respective countries' (Serbia and Macedonia respectively) top professional football leagues.

Before moving to North America, Stojanović was set to join OGC Nice but there were complications with his documentation upon signing. A high-scoring forward with the Rochester Lancers (1976–1980), Stojanović scored 17 goals and finished with 41 points which made him the NASL fourth leading scorer as a rookie in 1976. He was fifth best the following season with 14 goals and 33 total points. His most productive season was in 1981 when he finished third with 23 goals and 52 total points while playing for the San Diego Sockers (1981–1982) and was named the NASL's North American Player of the Year.[1] Stojanović also played for the Golden Bay Earthquakes (1982) which was his last season in the NASL. Stojanović is 9th on the All-Time NASL Top Scorers list with 83 goals in 179 appearances and 10th on the all-time points list with 211, ahead of fellow NASL players George Best, Pelé and Franz Beckenbauer. He was a 2nd Team NASL All-Star in 1977 and an Honorable Mention All-Star in 1981.

Stojanović also played for a Toronto-based club, the Serbian White Eagles FC from 1974 to 1975.[2] The Serbian White Eagles played in the National Soccer League when Stojanović was there, but now competes in the Canadian Soccer League. Stojanović scored 96 goals in only two seasons including 52 in 1974 which was his first season with the club, and to this day is still a club and National Soccer League record. In 1992, Stojanović, aged 45, played for United Serbs FC based in Oshawa.[3]

International career

Stojanović was 33 years old when he won his first cap with Canada's senior team on 15 September 1980 in Vancouver (a 4–0 win over New Zealand), scoring on his debut. He played in all of Canada's games in 1980 and 1981, a total of 15 times, scoring five goals. His final cap came in a 2–2 draw on 21 November 1981 versus Cuba in a 1982 World Cup qualification match in Tegucigalpa.[4]

International goals
Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first.
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.15 September 1980Empire Stadium, Vancouver, Canada New Zealand4–04–0Friendly match
2.18 October 1980Exhibition Stadium, Toronto, Canada Mexico1–01–11982 FIFA World Cup qualification
3.12 October 1981Skinner Park, San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago3–04–2Friendly match
4.2 November 1981Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino, Tegucigalpa, Honduras El Salvador1–01–01982 FIFA World Cup qualification
5.6 November 1981Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino, Tegucigalpa, Honduras Haiti1–11–11982 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Stojanović was inducted into the Canadian Soccer Association Hall of Fame on 6 June 2009.[5][6] On 7 August 2009 in a pre-game ceremony, the Serbian White Eagles retired the number 9 which was worn by Stojanović while playing for the club from 1974 to 1975.[7] This is the only number the club has retired.[8]

Death

On 18 November 2010 (aged 63), Stojanovic died in Toronto after a battle with stomach cancer. He is interred at the Serbian Orthodox Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Milton.[9][10]

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References
  1. Lancers Wall of Fame article
  2. Jose, Colin (2001). On-Side - 125 Years of Soccer in Ontario. Vaughan, Ontario: Ontario Soccer Association and Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum. p. 235.
  3. Glas kanadskih Srba/Voice of Canadian Serbs (24 September 1992). "FK Ujedinjeni Srbi iz Ošave. Issue #2607, pg. 14." (in Serbian)
  4. "Mike Stojanovic". www.canadasoccer.com. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  5. Canada Soccer Hall of Fame article
  6. A legend from his first kick Archived 7 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Big Apple Soccer, accessed 27 November 2011.
  7. CSL/Rocket Robin (7 August 2009). "August 7, 2009 CSL details". Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  8. CSL (12 November 2016). "Procession of Incoming Talent Key to Success of 2016 Champions". Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  9. Lewis, Michael (19 November 2010). "Hall of Fame Inductee, Mike Stojanovic 1947–2010". The Ontario Soccer Association News. Archived from the original on 28 August 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  10. B92 (20 November 2010). "Preminuo Momčilo Majk Stojanović" (in Serbian). Retrieved 14 April 2018.
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