IGOR GALIJASEVIC |
As a result of appreciation and praise from players and parents alike, in June 2012, Igor Galijasevic decided to create his own soccer club; F.C. Mirage. With the passing of his father Seyo Galijasevic in April of 2012, Igor voluntarily coached all Mirage Soccer Club teams through the last month of the soccer club's existence, in honor of his father's seven years of work and commitment to Mirage Soccer Club. From the age of seven, Igor played in various teams coached by Seyo and other professional coaches in Pennsylvania, Missouri, and Illinois winning tournaments, leagues, and scoring awards. Having been an active assistant coach since the inception of the Mirage Soccer Club in 2005, he took the reigns of the original Mirage U-14 boys team for the 2008-2009 season. The team won first place in their division with nine wins and one loss and won second place in two out of state tournaments. Igor has over ten years of experience in working with players of all ages in outdoor and indoor competitive games, summer camps, practices, clinics as well as 3 vs. 3 tournaments, micro soccer, running tryouts, and central and assistant refereeing in a number of leagues in various states for 12 years.
Igor learned to coach directly from his father, and has absorbed the coaching style that has produced successful players and teams season after season. He possesses a great strength in working with younger children by using different tactics to ensure that players are having fun as well as learning soccer to their full potential, while following his father's philosophy of no player left behind. He has worked with a number of clubs in different areas over the years, including coaching eight teams of the now defunct N.S.C. Premier, but was strictly a part of the Mirage coaching staff. Igor is a very friendly person and enjoys watching kids compete in soccer and utilizing in games the skills he helped them learn.
RALPH ERBER |
Ralph played his club soccer in Germany until he came to the U.S. in pursuit of an academic career. His life-long passion for the game eventually led him to serve as a youth soccer coach first in Pittsburgh and later in the Chicago area. After obtaining his USSF coaching license, he joined Mirage as an assistant coach in 2006. During the 2009-2010 season he had primary coaching responsibilities for the U-14 boys team, which competed in the top divisions of YSSL for 3 years, and he served as Seyo’s assistant on the U-11 boys team. This year Ralph primarily assists with the U-13 boys team and helps the club in any way he can.
Having been a competitive player during the time of “total soccer,” Ralph has a deep appreciation for Mirage’s philosophy of maximizing young players’ fun by teaching them to play the game properly. Much of Ralph’s work with the boys is directed at helping them understand that the “beautiful game” is defined more by team play and positioning than individual effort and hustle.
When he’s not coaching soccer, Ralph teaches psychology at DePaul University. His academic background comes in very handy in helping young minds at various stages of development cope with the emotional side effects of playing a competitive game.
AL BELLO |
Al Bello is currently the Assistant Coach for the U8 and U12 Boys teams. He started coaching 12 years ago with house league teams in Wilmette. He subsequently earned an USSF E Coaching Certificate in 2010 and started as a assistant coach with Glenview Soccer Club before joining Mirage with two sons in 2011.
Al grew up in Park Ridge where he played youth soccer. His prowess, however, was in distance running where earn several honors, including varsity captain for the Maine South High School Cross Country Team. He continued his athletic career at DePauw University where he competed on the track team. Al returned to soccer while in medical school, playing for several club teams, including the Duke University Medical Center Club Team. While at Duke, Al was on the medical staff for the Duke University Men's Soccer Team. Upon returning to Chicago, Al played for Barrington F.C.
Al is a physician with the Illinois Bone & Joint Institute. He lives in Glenview with his wife, Kari, and four children. As a coach, his focus is on player development and grooming young athletes in a healthy and fun manner.
BRIAN ERBER |
SEAD "SEYO" GALIJASEVIC
1949 - 2012 |
Mirage Soccer Club founder coach Sead “Seyo” Galijasevic possessed over 20 years of coaching experience with various clubs at all age levels in Pennsylvania, Missouri, Illinois, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. He played professionally in Bosnia and Herzegovina for over 20 years and also coached two professional teams. To this day, he is still recognized in the Balkans as a great striker with a powerful shot.
After moving to the United States he continued coaching for five years in Pennsylvania as a coach of the Hershey Cosmos, one of Central Pennsylvania's top Premier Soccer Clubs, and furthermore served as the Director of Coaching in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. In Missouri he coached the Kansas City Wave and the Kansas City Inter, guiding those two select youth soccer clubs to numerous state and regional Championships. In 2001 he was the assistant coach for the Kansas City Mystics, a former member of the National Women's Soccer League.
In Illinois he has worked for the Chicago United Soccer Club as a coach and as the Director of Coaching at Full Package Athletics. At Full Package Athletics, he established and ran the entire soccer program while training all three teams in their first year to first place in the top divisions for their age groups.
Coach Seyo coached all Mirage players and run clinics and private trainings until his passing on April 22, 2012. From the day he created Mirage Soccer Club, he coached countless teams to 1st place in various leagues and tournaments, while developing high level soccer players. Coach Seyo had national experience with 3 vs. 3 teams and has taken a number of teams to the national finals in Orlando Florida, including a boys team to third place in the national 3 vs. 3 tournament.
Sead held a wide range of knowledge in teaching skills and techniques, especially in finishing and scoring for offensive players. He possessed patience and understanding in teaching youth the basic skills which are essential for high-level competition. Sead developed players to understand how to read the game and to bring their style of play to the highest possible level. His greatest strength was in further developing the abilities players already possessed and coaching them on what should be improved in order to be able to play to their full ability. Often he coached teams, that in previous seasons had less than positive results under different coaches/organizations, to first place within just a half a season of working with the new players. Coach Seyo maintained a philosophy often ignored of teaching ALL players how to become a soccer player, regardless of their physical or athletic abilities. Coach Seyo was the director of coaching for all Mirage Soccer Programs.
Here is a link to the Sun Times article on Seyo: http://www.suntimes.com/news/obituaries/12385846-418/sead-coach-seyo-galijasevic-62-beloved-soccer-coach-survived-bosnian-war.html
