| Birth date | January 1, 1942 (age 84) |
|---|---|
| Birth place | Rijeka, Italy |
| Position | Midfielder |
| Years 1 | 1962-1963 |
| Years 2 | 1964-1973 |
| Years 3 | 1968-1969 |
| Years 4 | 1970-1970 |
| Years 5 | 1971-1973 |
| Clubs 1 | HNK Rijeka |
| Clubs 2 | Toronto Croatia |
| Clubs 3 | Croatia SC Vancouver |
| Clubs 4 | Greater Los Angeles Soccer League |
| Clubs 5 | Toronto Metros |
| Nationalyears 1 | 1972 |
| Nationalteam 1 | Canada |
| Nationalcaps 1 | 70 |
| Nationalgoals 1 | 0 |
George Simcich (born January 1, 1942) was a Canadian soccer player who later served as General Manager of Toronto Metros-Croatia of the North American Soccer League. He was also a member of the Canadian national soccer team.
Club career
George Simcich began his soccer journey with Torpedo before moving up to NK Rijeka, which was in the Yugoslav First League, the country’s top division in 1963. He carried that experience with him when he immigrated to Toronto in 1964 where he joined Toronto Croatia in the National League Ontario. He briefly played for Croatia SC Vancouver in the Pacific Coast League. He played for a winter season at Croatia Club in the Greater Los Angeles Soccer League in 1970.[1] He was selected as a league All-Star in 1968, 1969 and 1971 and his team was the winner of the Canada Cup in 1971 and 1972. He later returned to Toronto, finishing his playing career in 1973 with the Toronto Metros of the NASL.
National team
Simcich represented Canada in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in 1972,[2] although he was recovering from a hamstring injury and did not feature in an official match.[3] He made one international appearance on 2 September 1972 in an exhibition match against a Guatemalan club.
General Manager
Simcich served as Metros-Croatia manager from 1975 through 1977, helping the club win Soccer Bowl '76 to claim their first North American championship.[4][5] Toronto won 3-0 over Minnesota in the Final.[6] He left Metros-Croatia before the 1978 season.[7]
References
- ^ Valley News, Jan. 25, 1970, p. 43.
- ^ "1972 World Cup Qualifiers"
- ^ "George Simcich"
- ^ NASL. "NASLSoccerBowl - History - Past Winner". North American Soccer League.
- ^ NASL. "NASL 1968-1984 - Yearly Result". North American Soccer League.
- ^ Weinstein, Leo (August 29, 1976). "Canadians rip Kicks, win crown". San Francisco Examiner. p. C-1. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
- ^ "Metros-Croatia look for new GM" The Toronto Star, Jan. 31, 1978, p. B4.