Off beaten path, Husidic makes name

You would be correct to think that the University of Illinois-Chicago, a school tucked in amid the bustling big city, is not a hotbed of soccer aficionados.

But Baggio Husidic, a junior midfielder from Bosnia, drew enough attention from (and to) the program to be selected as one of the 2009 Generation adidas class.

Husidic is one of nine players selected to the joint program between the shoe manufacturer and Major League Soccer to identify and cultivate the top domestic talent in the United States. All nine players are participating this weekend at the adidas MLS Player Combine and will be available for Thursday's MLS SuperDraft in St. Louis.

Three of the players on the Generation adidas list are from the national champion Maryland Terrapins. Husidic is not one of them. He is from a program that plays in the Horizon League, competing with the likes of Butler, Wright State, Loyola of Chicago and the University of Detroit.

The Flames went 38-13-17 during Husidic's three years at the school, captured two Horizon League titles and one Horizon League tournament title, reached as high as No. 4 in the national polls in 2007 and advanced to the elite eight in the NCAA tournament that year. The Flames were ranked in the top 10 at some point in each of Husidic's tenure.

Despite the team's success, the UIC Flames soccer team flies under the campus radar.

"That's the funny thing," Husidic said. "One day we were out passing out flyers promoting our game, and 80 percent of the students I met didn't even know we had a soccer team. I would say 'Yeah, we have a soccer team' and they would say 'Is it Division II or III?'

"I would say 'No, it's Division I.' It is not that popular, but I would say over the last two or three years we have 200 percent more students coming to our games."

Baggio scored nine goals and added six assists in 2008 and was named to the NSCAA first team All-America squad.

Husidic, who was born in Bosnia and escaped the warn-torn country with his family to Germany at the age of eight, came to the United States when he was 12 and started playing club soccer soon thereafter. He grew up in Libertyville, Ill., a northwestern suburb of Chicago.

The Generation adidas opportunity, which includes educational grants and a regular stipend, was a dream that became a rumor that grew into a reality for Husidic.

"At the beginning of the season there were rumors that Generation adidas was interested, but then it died down," Husidic said. "Once the season started to come to an end, people started talking about it again.

"Professionally, it is a two-year guarantee, and it is pretty good financially, so I don't have to worry about getting a job right now," Husidic said. "This is an opportunity to develop my skills so that I can stay in the league. And I will be able to finish my college degree over the Internet."

Husidic also said the Generation adidas deal will keep him at home rather than go to Europe, where the money for rookies is better than it is for most first-year players in MLS.

The combine is probably more important to Husidic than it is to the other Generation adidas players who come in with more attention attached to them. Husidic had a good showing in Saturday's first game of the Combine, where he guided the adidas Tiro team's attack to good effect from the center of the park over the second half, despite being able to overcome a 1-0 deficit.

"There are still some coaches who have just heard of me but have not seen me play," Husidic said. "I think it will be to my benefit to play well so they can see what kind of player I am. It is definitely an opportunity to showcase myself to coaches who have not seen me."

Husidic also said he had a wish list of prospective MLS clubs to play for.

"If I had a pick to go anywhere, I would want to play for the Fire," Husidic said. "That is where my friends and family are at. But other than that, I would love to go to a warm-weather team."