Alen Kozić
Alen Kozić (born September 27, 1976) is a retired Major League Soccer player. Current owner of Nets of America Inc. & Founder of Turf of America LLC.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alen Kozić | ||
| Date of birth | September 27, 1976 | ||
| Place of birth | Belgrade, SFR Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1993 | Temple Terrace Spirit | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1995–1997 | FIU Panthers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997–1998 | SV Austria Salzburg | 0 | (0) |
| 1998–2000 | Miami Fusion | 6 | (1) |
| 2000 | NK Istra 1961 | ||
| 2000–2001 | Fortuna Düsseldorf | 0 | (0) |
| 2001–2006 | FC Union Berlin | 60 | (16) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Youth Career
Raised in Tampa, Florida, from the age of three, he was the son of professional soccer player, Refik Kozić, and mother Svetlana. He began his career in the youth soccer organization in Tampa, playing for Temple Terrace Spirit winning state cup at U13, U14, U15, U16, U17, U18 & U19. Playing a year up, in overtime, he scored the winning goal 1993 Don Greer Cup Youth Soccer U-17 National Championship game in Phoenix, AZ.
High School
Attended Berkeley Preparatory school from Sophomore - Senior year. He lead the high school team to 3 state championships in a row in 1993, 1994 & 1995. In his senior year, he was voted high school all American. Also, was voted player of the decade for the 90's for Hillsborough county. Was inducted into the Berkeley Hall of Fame 1995.
Youth National Team
In 1994, Kozic was called into the U17 Southeast USA regional team to compete in a tournament in France where they faced up against youth setups from PSG, Nantes, Dynamo Kiev & Lille.
In 1996, Kozic was invited to a USA national team camp by then coaches Bruce Sampson & Bruce Arena.
College Career
Having received offers from various universities, Kozić decided on and played for Florida International University from 1995 to 1997. In 1996, as a sophomore, he led FIU to the College Cup losing in the final to St Johns. In his sophomore & junior years, he achieved a place in the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer All-American First Team. As a junior he finished as a runner up for the Hermann Trophy, as the best college player 1997.Kozic was inducted into the FIU Sports Hall of Fame. In two years at FIU Kozic tallied 24 goals & 26 assists in 74 games for FIU.
Professional Career
After the completion of the College soccer season in December and halfway through his junior year in 1997, Kozic left FIU to sign his first professional contract with SV Austria Salzburg ( Now Red Bull Salzburg) in the Austrian Bundesliga at the age of 20. In may of 1998, Kozic was recruited and signed by MLS side Miami Fusion where he spent 2 years from 1998-2000.
Kozic got his first breakthrough in a friendly for Miami Fusion against the Honduran national preparing for the 1998 World Cup where he scored the opening goal in a 4-2 win. After that game, saw starts for Miami Fusion against Dallas & Colorado. Then 10 minutes into his start against NY Metrostars, Kozić tore his ACL and spent the rest of the season sidelined. He played two seasons with Miami Fusion before heading to Europe to play. He terminated his two year option contract to try his luck in Europe.
In 2000, he played one season for NK Istra 1961 in Pula, Croatia before being bought by Fortuna Düsseldorf in 2000. Fortuna loaned him out to Union Berlin where he remained in the German 3rd division for 5 years until 2006. After several successful seasons, he decided to return to the United States to retire and finish his education.
Education
Bachelors Degree from The University of South Florida
Masters Degree from The University of South Florida
Minor in Entrepreneurship school at The University of South Florida