Joe Mihaljevic

Story & Accomplishments
of Joe Mihaljevic

Joe started out attending his father's soccer school at age 8 and playing for Carondelet Sunday Morning Athletic Club(CSMAC) until he was 14. By the age of 14 Joe had won the league 4 times and 2 Missouri-Illinois State Cups. Joe's father also had an international travelling team associated with the soccer school called the Missouri Mules. By age 14 the Missouri Mules travelled to Canada 3 times and won the international Robbie Tournament 3 times and were then allowed to keep the Trophy. They also travelled to Holland for an international tournament in Amsterdam and never lost a match. In the qualification round the Mules played a team from Seattle and

won 25-0. That is how dominant the soccer school teams were, constantly playing with the ball on the ground with full speed penetration. Playing against the clock instead of the opponent and trying to get a bomb cross or shot every 30 seconds. When you play against a team like this it is very easy to become overwhelmed. Especially when they play like a well oiled precision passing machine. George was a machinist by trade so his soccer teams were machines with lethal moving and thinking parts.

After High School Joe went to Yugoslavia lived with his aunt Marija and trained with 2 first Division teams for one year. Red Star and OFK Beograd, both first division teams in Belgrad, Yugoslavia. Upon returning Joe attended Meramec Community College and became a 1st team All-American and received a full scholarship to Hartwick College of Oneonta N.Y. and was coached by United States Staff Coach Jim Lennox. Who Joe feels he learned the most

soccer from besides his father. Joe also played for Anheuser-Busch in 1981 winning the U.S. Amateur Cup against Philadelphia Bayern 2-1 and scoring the winning goal.

After playing for 2 years at Hartwick College Joe was drafted in the 2nd round by the Pittsburgh Spirit of the MISL(Major Indoor Soccer League). Joe then played for the San Jose Earthquakes in 1986 and became the leading goal scorer in the league with 9 goals and 5 assists in 11 games. Joe was also elected to the WSA (Western Soccer Alliance) league All-Star team. Joe then played indoor for the Fort Wayne Flames AISA(American Indoor Soccer Association) making it to the finals but losing to Canton, Ohio. Joe's coach was Angelo Di'bernardo who played with the New York Cosmos for 8 years. So he was able to get Joe a tryout with the Miami Sharks coached by World Cup Captain Carlos Alberto who also played for the New York Cosmos. So Joe travelled to Miami tried out and made the team playing alongside Dirceu Guimares who played in 3 World Cups for Brazil (74, 78, 82) in 1978 he was voted 3rd most valuable player of the tournament and was voted to the 1978 World Cup All Star team. This was a great inspiration for Joe to be playing alongside such a high profile player and also being coached by a World Cup Captain, with this being said Joe entered his third game at half time against the Washington Diplomats and at the 66th minute scored the first of his 5 goals to defeat the Washington Diplomats 5-1 who later went on to win the league championship. Joe's performance is a goal scoring record that still stands today of scoring 5 goals in 25 minutes. And catapulted Joe into becoming the second leading goal scorer in the American Soccer League.

Afterwards Carlos Alberto said he played with Pele for 20 years and Pele never scored 5 goals in a game. But he said Pele's father scored 5 goals in one game.
And he scored them all with his head!!!

So it was like in one sentence he said I outscored Pele but I didn't out perform Pele's dad, because he scored 5 goals all with his head. And he acted like that was better and that the goal scoring record stays in Brazil.

Because it is harder to score 5 goals with your head than it is to score 5 goals. It was a very special and funny moment.

Pele's father's 5 goals are mentioned in Pele's Movie about his career "Pele Forever" 2011.

Joe returned to the San Jose Earthquakes in 1987 and finished the last month of the season with them, after this Joe played for the San Jose Oaks and won the U.S. Open in 1992 and also becoming the 1992 U.S. Open MVP, Most Valuable Player.