Esmir Bajraktarevic chased his dream and it paid off for the Appleton native with a spot in MLS on the New England Revolution
Some decisions are easy.
Like “do I want to wear the Megadeth T-shirt or the Harry Styles T-shirt?”
Esmir Bajraktarevic had a much more difficult decision to make.
“I realized that I’ve always wanted to be a professional soccer player,” the Appleton native said. “It was obviously a really big decision because I had to leave my social life, I had to leave my family, all my friends, so that was a really tough decision.”
For a person who just turned 18 in March, that is a tough decision.
“But you can always have a social life, you can always have friends and I was always going to see my family when they visit and stuff,” he said. “So I might as well do what I’ve dreamed of.”
And with that began the process that led to him being a member of the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer.
How did Bajraktarevic, who was born in Appleton, end up playing for the New England Revolution?
It started with club soccer.
“I played for SC Wave (out of Milwaukee) and I’ve played for Chicago Fire Academy a couple of times like U-14 and U-15,” he said. “I’ve always had an eye on playing with an MLS academy or playing with a second team.
“I had just played State Cup and regionals and I guess word was kind of out about my name. I had a couple of MLS teams trying to contact me and stuff. I got offered a trial for the Revs (Revolution) and they looked like they had a clear plan for me. It was kind of an easy decision from there.”
Still, that was a major fork-in-the-road decision for a teenager to make.
“I just always knew that this was what I wanted,” he said about turning pro instead of playing through high school and into college. “There was no real question about what I was going to do with my life.
“I didn’t really see myself going to college and doing all that stuff, so I mean I think my family and all my friends knew that I was going to be here. I always kind of knew this is what I wanted to do. It was a no-brainer.”
That decision has turned out really well.
Bajraktarevic has seen action in 10 matches for the Revolution, including five starts, while logging 428 minutes. New England is playing in the Leagues Cup now and returns to MLS regular-season action Aug. 20. The Revolution is 12-4-7 and in second place in the Eastern Conference.
After he signed with the Revolution, what was the process like going from a newbie in the organization to a member of an MLS team?
“I was told I would start training with the second team when I got there,” Bajraktarevic said. “I started off with the Academy. Playing games with the Academy was really good. They gave me a lot of opportunities and if I worked hard, the door was always open to move forward and improve.”
That continued improvement led to his promotion to the Revolution, where he made his debut March 25 against D.C. United. Bajraktarevic started, logged 62 minutes and had three shots in a 2-1 win.
“I was pretty nervous,” Bajraktarevic said. “It was exciting, though, because I knew it was the beginning of something good. But, yeah, I was just super nervous but it was exciting.”
About Esmir Bajraktarevic
Hometown: Appleton.
Height: 5-foot-9.
Position: Forward.
Favorite TV show: “Peaky Blinders” and “Suits.”
Favorite artist: Devito (a Serbian rapper).
Favorite non-soccer activity: Spikeball.
Favorite food: Burek, a pastry made of a thin, flaky dough and filled with meat, potatoes, cheese, spinach or other ingredients.
Favorite soccer player: “That’s a tough one. I would say, right now, Cristiano Ronaldo.”
Anywhere in the world trip destination: “Other than Bosnia, who my family’s there, I would say Turkey since I have a cousin that lives in Turkey.”
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This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Esmir Bajraktarevic living dream with New England Revolution in MLS
