Dejan Jakovic facts for kids
Jakovic with Serbian White Eagles in 2022
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 16 July 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | Karlovac, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Serbian White Eagles | ||
| Number | 4 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Kingsview | |||
| Rexdale SC | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2004–2007 | UAB Blazers | 50 | (8) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2007 | Canadian Lions | ||
| 2008–2009 | Red Star Belgrade | 3 | (0) |
| 2009–2013 | D.C. United | 98 | (1) |
| 2014–2016 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 42 | (0) |
| 2017 | New York Cosmos | 22 | (1) |
| 2018–2020 | Los Angeles FC | 34 | (1) |
| 2019 | → Las Vegas Lights (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2021 | Forge FC | 5 | (0) |
| 2022– | Serbian White Eagles | ||
| International career‡ | |||
| 2008 | Canada U23 | 5 | (0) |
| 2008–2018 | Canada | 41 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2023 | Toronto FC (assistant) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:59, 18 August 2021 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 24 March 2018 |
|||
Dejan Jakovic (born July 16, 1985) is a Canadian soccer player. He plays as a centre-back for the Serbian White Eagles. He also played for the Canada national team from 2008 to 2018.
Contents
Early Life and Soccer Journey
Dejan Jakovic was born in Karlovac, which was part of Yugoslavia at the time. When he was six years old, his family moved to Canada in 1991. They settled in Etobicoke, a part of Metropolitan Toronto. His father, Nenad, also played soccer in Croatia for NK Karlovac.
Starting Soccer in Canada
Dejan started playing soccer in Canada. He was a top player at Scarlett Heights Entrepreneurial Academy. He was named the team's most valuable player (MVP) in his junior and senior years. He also captained both the indoor and outdoor soccer teams.
He was part of the Canadian national youth soccer program. He also played for the Woodbridge Strikers, a team that won the Ontario Cup twice. In 2004, he played in the Dallas Cup with a future college teammate, Lukasz Kwapisz.
When he was 18, Dejan tried out for a team called OFK Beograd but did not join them.
College Soccer Experience
After his tryout in Europe, Dejan received a scholarship to the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He played college soccer for the Blazers for four years.
In 2007, he played for the Canadian Lions in the Canadian Soccer League. He was chosen to play in the CSL All-Star game that year.
Professional Club Career
Dejan Jakovic has played for many soccer clubs around the world.
Playing for Red Star Belgrade
On June 28, 2008, Dejan joined Red Star Belgrade in Serbia. He signed with the club on June 30, 2008, just before the 2008–09 season.
He started three league games under coach Zdeněk Zeman. However, a new coach, Čedomir Janevski, took over in September 2008. After that, Dejan did not play in any more league games that season.
Time with D.C. United
.jpg)
Dejan signed with Major League Soccer team D.C. United on February 27, 2009. He scored his first goal for the club on May 26, 2012, against the New England Revolution. D.C. United won that game 3–2. He signed a new contract with D.C. United after the 2012 season.
Moving to Shimizu S-Pulse
On January 14, 2014, Dejan joined the Japanese club Shimizu S-Pulse. He left Shimizu S-Pulse on February 5, 2017.
Joining New York Cosmos
In March 2017, Dejan signed with the North American Soccer League team New York Cosmos.
Playing for Los Angeles FC
Dejan returned to Major League Soccer in January 2018. He signed with the new team Los Angeles FC. He played his first game for LAFC against Seattle Sounders FC in the 2018 season opener. He signed another contract with Los Angeles in January 2019.
He also played on loan for Las Vegas Lights for a short time in June 2019. Even though his contract option was not picked up for 2020, he signed a new deal with Los Angeles FC in December 2019.
Time with Forge FC
On May 13, 2021, Dejan signed with Forge FC, who were the champions of the Canadian Premier League. He played in only five matches because of an injury. He left the club after one season.
Return to Serbian White Eagles
Dejan returned to the Canadian Soccer League for the 2022 season. He signed with the Serbian White Eagles. His first game was on June 26, 2022, against the Toronto Falcons. He helped his team win the regular-season title and make it to the playoffs. In the playoffs, he was the team captain, but the Serbs were eliminated by FC Continentals.
International Career
Dejan first played for the senior Canadian men's soccer team on January 30, 2008. This game was against Martinique. Later in 2008, he played five games for the Canada U-23 team. This was during the 2008 CONCACAF Men's Pre-Olympic Tournament. Canada finished third in that tournament.
He was also chosen for the 23-player team for the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Canada won their group with 7 points. They were later knocked out by Honduras in the quarter-finals.
Dejan was selected for the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup. However, he got a hamstring injury a week before the tournament. This happened during a friendly game against Ecuador. David Edgar replaced him in the squad for the tournament.
Managerial Career
In 2023, Dejan started working with Toronto FC. He became an assistant coach for the club's academy program. As of 2025, Dejan Jakovic is the U-16 Academy Head Coach.
Career Statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Red Star Belgrade | 2008–09 | Serbian Superliga | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| D.C. United | 2009 | MLS | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 25 | 0 | ||
| 2010 | MLS | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 21 | 0 | ||||
| 2011 | MLS | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 15 | 0 | ||||
| 2012 | MLS | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | 27 | 1 | |||
| 2013 | MLS | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 30 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 98 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 108 | 1 | |||
| Shimizu S-Pulse | 2014 | J1 League | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 0 | ||
| 2015 | J1 League | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 0 | |||
| 2016 | J2 League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 42 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | — | 50 | 0 | ||||
| New York Cosmos | 2017 | NASL | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 25 | 0 | ||
| Los Angeles FC | 2018 | MLS | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | ||
| 2019 | MLS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |||
| 2020 | MLS | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 1 | ||
| Total | 34 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 1 | ||
| Las Vegas Lights (loan) | 2019 | USL Championship | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| Forge FC | 2021 | Canadian Premier League | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 208 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 239 | 2 | ||
Honours
D.C. United
- Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup: 2013
Serbian White Eagles
- Canadian Soccer League Regular Season: 2022
See also
In Spanish: Dejan Jaković para niños
