Steel sign 15-year-old star Miscic
Royersford teen becomes youngest signed by club
When the Philadelphia Union entertained German club Eintracht Frankfurt this summer, manager Jim Curtin had a new face on his bench, one he wanted to play but couldn’t, thanks to MLS rules.
It’s a testament to Selmir Miscic’s ability that Curtin thought highly enough of the 15-year-old, who has garnered attention from European clubs, to want to give him a taste of firstteam soccer. That chance passed, but the forward will get his opportunity soon enough.
Miscic has signed with Union affiliate club Bethlehem Steel in a deal announced Wednesday, making him the youngest signing in organization history.
“It’s a dream come true, for
sure,” Miscic said. “My whole life, I’ve obviously been dreaming of this moment. Now the hard work starts, so I have to continue working hard, and hopefully big things in the future.”
Miscic is four months younger than Zach Pfeffer was when he signed two weeks before his 16th birthday in 2010. Entering the 2018 season, Pfeffer was the 11th youngest player ever to sign for an MLS team.
Miscic isn’t in that echelon yet, but he’ll start his career in USL, a move that fast-tracks his development and entitles the Union to compensation if a European club signs him.
The 5-foot-8 forward scored 33 goals in 26 games in all competitions for the Union’s Under-15 team last season. He has two goals in two starts for the U-17s this year. The next step, Steel coach Brendan Burke said, is regular minutes with the Academy’s U-19 side while Miscic continues to train with Steel. He also trained last week with the Union first team, which was short-handed due to international departures. Miscic will head off this week to join the Under-16 national team in Bradenton, Fla.
“It’s an unbelievable accomplishment ever to be named a professional, but doing it at such a young age puts an extra stress on you from a number of angles, so we want to help him manage that as best we can,” Burke said. “From a mentality standpoint, he is one of our best, so it’s one of the reasons why we’ve pushed for him to stay with us longterm.”
Miscic comes from a soccer family. Both he and twin brother Arnel are in the Union Academy, Arnel as a defender. Their father, Sanel, played professionally in their native Bosnia before he fled war there. He settled in Germany, where he played in the third division.
“Obviously he’s one of the big reasons why I started playing soccer, but every day since the very beginning, he’s always pushed me,” Miscic said. “He knows how much the sport means to me and how much I want it. He’s always pushed me and gave me advice because he knows what it takes.”
Miscic was raised in Vermont, but given the talent shown by he and his brother, the family relocated to Royersford to be nearer to an MLS market. They joined the Union Academy in 2016.
The comfort that he has acquired in Philadelphia made Miscic believe this would be the best place to take the next steps in his development.
“I think it would definitely be a huge jump for me to move all the way to Europe or wherever it be for my family and leaving all my friends and teachers and the school,” Miscic said. “This is my home, and I’ve dreamed of playing for the Steel and the Union, so I’m just glad that now my dream’s come true.”
The Union hope Miscic will follow the path of Derrick Jones and Matt Real, each of whom signed deals with Steel before progressing to the first team. The Union have struggled to defend their academy products in the past. Two years ago, goalkeeper CJ Dos Santos, a regular at the U.S. youth levels, was poached by Portuguese club Benfica.
The move to sign Miscic allows the Union to reap the benefits of their developmental input on the field in the short-term and protect the long-term investment.
“We need to make sure these guys stay here and that we kind of return the faith that they’ve showed in us to come to the academy,” Burke said. “When we recognize that they’re good enough to play at the professional level, then we make it worth their while to stay with us and not continue the process but finish the process of developing toward that European dream, that full national team dream.”
Burke is heartened that Miscic harbors European aspirations; he’d be worried if a player of his caliber and age didn’t. And the coach gets to play a big role in the player striving for that objective.
“It’s obviously very special because I think for me the end goal is to one day play in Europe,” Miscic said. “The interest that the Union and Bethlehem Steel have showed me, it’s very special and I’m very thankful for that. I just have to show it on the field how much I appreciate everything they’ve done for me.”