 | ||||
| Full name | Serbian White Eagles Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames |
| |||
| Short name | SWE, SER | |||
| Founded | 1968; 57 years ago (1968) (as Serbia Football Club) | |||
| Stadium | Rob Ford Stadium | |||
| Capacity | 2,200 | |||
| President | Dragan Bakoč | |||
| Head coach | Bojan Zoranović | |||
| League | Canadian Soccer League | |||
| 2025 | Regular season: 2nd Playoffs: 2nd | |||
| Website | http://www.serbianwhiteeagles.ca/ | |||
 Current season | ||||
Serbian White Eagles Football Club (Serbian:Фудбалски клуб Српски бели орлови,romanized: Fudbalski klub Srpski beli orlovi) is a Canadian semi-professionalsoccer team. The team is a member of theCanadian Soccer League, anon-FIFA sanctioned league.
The team's home kit is all white commemorating the whitedouble-headedeagle which appears on theSerbian flag while the away colours arered-blue-white commemorating thetricolour of the Serbian flag. The colour white was also chosen as it symbolizes purity and innocence. The club also has teams in theCanadian Soccer League Reserve Division and theOntario Soccer League.
The club was established inHamilton, Ontario in 1968 under the name Serbia FC and joined the professional ranks by becoming a member in theNational Soccer League after relocating to Toronto and becoming the Serbian White Eagles. The White Eagles had their first taste of success in1974, and became the first Canadian soccer club tocompete in theCONCACAF Champions Cup.[1] In 1981, they withdrew from the NSL and became an amateur club in the process. After a 25-year hiatus from professional soccer, they returned in 2006 to compete in the Canadian Soccer League (the successor league to the NSL).[2][3]
Their return was a success as they dominated the league in both performance and attendance. Within their first four seasons they become the second club in CSL history to reach the CSL Championship final in four consecutive seasons. During those four seasons they produced three division titles, and a championship. In regards to league attendance they averaged the highest number of spectators, which revived their derby match against their rivalsToronto Croatia.
Shortly after, the team's performance went into a decline but they still maintained their powerhouse status as they continued to consecutively qualify for the playoffs. In 2015, the White Eagles began rejuvenating their performance by claiming that year's regular season title, the championship in 2016, and the regular season title in 2022 and 2024.[4]
The Serbian White Eagles were established in 1968 inHamilton, Ontario as Serbia FC and operated under that name for a short time before relocating to Toronto and becoming the Serbian White Eagles. In these beginnings, the club participated in theNational Soccer League.
Prior to the1973 season, the team imported nine players fromYugoslavia.[5] Tragedy struck the team on June 10, 1973, when 25-year-old forward Alexander Zivaljevic was killed in a car accident on theQueen Elizabeth Way in Toronto.[5] The driver of the car, 24-year-old Niko Skrvic, was also killed when he lost control of the car.[5] Injured in the crash were Eagles players Verko Mitrovic and Ljubo Dimic. 32-year-old Mitrovic suffered a crushed chest and was paralyzed from the waist down, while 26-year-old Dimic suffered a fractured skull and a kidney injury.[5]
The team qualified for the1975 CONCACAF Champions' Cup where they lost to Mexican teamCF Monterrey in the first round after abrawl on the pitch of theExhibition Stadium.[6] The brawl began as a fight between Eagles player Dragi Denkovski and Monterrey playerGustavo Peña which then led to spectators rushing the field.[7] The Serbian White Eagles subsequently received a suspension.[8] In the1976 CONCACAF Champions' Cup, the Serbian White Eagles advanced to the second round of the North American Zone on abye where they were set to faceLeón but withdrew.
In 1981, the Serbian White Eagles withdrew from the league, becoming an amateur club in the process.[9]
They remained an amateur club until February 2006, when they joined the Canadian Soccer League, becoming one of the most successful expansion clubs in the league's history.[10] Prior to the start of the2006 Canadian Soccer League season, it was announced that the legendaryDragoslav Šekularac would become head coach of the expansion side with first assistant beingStevan Mojsilović.[11][12] Other big names were brought in as well to help re-build the team. These included (among others): club legendMike Bakic as president of the club, the director of player personnel was another club legendMike Stojanovic, the general manager was Ken Stanojević who (along with Gojko Paić) was GM during the club's heyday in the 1970s while thedirector of football was Nenad Stojkov.[13] This was Šekularac's second stint with the White Eagles having already played for and coached them in the past. With seasoned internationals being brought over from Serbia and the rest of Europe, the team was set.[3][14]
The roster assembled by Šekularac consisted of players with European experience and CSL veterans. The players brought in wereSaša Viciknez,Dušan Belić,Siniša Ninković,Dragan Radović,Niki Budalic,Božo Milić,Uroš Predić, Nenad Stojčić,Mirko Medić, Gabriel Pop, Alex Braletic, and Marc Jankovic. Šekularac's stint, though short-lived, was not without success. The club was a hit in its first season, finishing first in the International Conference with 55 points and first overall (tallying both conferences). In the regular season, Šekularac guided the club to 17 wins, 1 loss and 4 ties with a whopping goal differential of 66:13.[15] The team finished with the best offensive and defensive record. A formidablestriking partnership consisting of Pop and Viciknez was formed with Pop finishing as the league's top goalscorer followed by Viciknez as runner up.[16][17] For their efforts Pop received theCSL Golden Boot, while Viciknez was named the CSL MVP.[18]
The Eagles advanced to the knockout-stage, easily beatingToronto Supra Portuguese in the quarterfinals with a score of 3–0 and also easily defeating theWindsor Border Stars in the semifinal 6–1.[19][20][21][22] Their fairy-tale season was brought to an end by theItalia Shooters in theCSL Championship final where Italia performed a miracle by scoring the lone goal to claim the championship.[23][15][24] Though the White Eagles fell short they were embraced by theSerbian Canadian community and averaged the highest attendance of any team in the CSL.[15]
Some changes were made prior to the2007 season with starting goalkeeper Dušan Belić promoted toplayer-coach while Dragan Bakoč (vice-president of the club in 2006) was made president. Serbian writerPrvoslav Vujčić wrote the lyrics for the club's anthem in 2007.[25] Belić was player-coach for a few months until he took up a scouting position inSlovenia. Belić was replaced in net by CSL veteran Arthur Zaslavski and by former Canadian under-17 international George Radan. Radan came out of an 11-year-long retirement to help the Eagles with their keeper problems. Zaslavski and Radan rotated minutes but Radan got the notch when the playoffs started nearing. Then-assistant coachSiniša Ninković (another 2006 alumnus) took up the head-coaching position but was replaced prior to the playoffs by Toronto Falcons coach Branko Pavlović. Notable acquisitions wereUroš Stamatović,Osni Neto,Ricardo Munguía Pérez,Zoran Kokot andMilan Kojić which proved to be key additions.[26]
Throughout the season the Eagles clinched their second consecutive division title, and once more averaged the highest attendance in the CSL.[27] Serbia had five of their players including head coach Ninković selected for the All-Star game.[28] In the first round of the postseason they faced theWindsor Border Stars, where they advanced to the next round with Budalic, and Kokot providing the goals in a 2–1 victory.[29][30] Their opponents in the next round wereTrois-Rivières Attak, where Kokot and Dragorad Milićević contributed the goals in their 2–1 win.[31][32] The victory marked their second consecutive championship final appearance, where they faced their rivalsToronto Croatia.[33] Due to their heated rivalry and without an adequate stadium available in order to separate the fans, the league was forced to change the format to a two-leg game rather than the standard knockout.[34][35][36][37] In the two-game final, the White Eagles were defeated by Toronto Croatia by a score of 4–1 on aggregate.[38][39]
Prior to the2008 season, the club continued its tradition of bringing over experienced coaches from Serbia as this timeMilan Čančarević was made head coach.[40] Notable imports wereCaswain Mason,Darryl Gomez,Prince Ihekwoaba,Said Ali, and Diego Hernán Maradona (son ofLalo Maradona).[41] The White Eagles qualified for the play-offs for the third straight season by finishing second in their division. In the preliminary round of the postseason they defeated theNorth York Astros by a score of 2–1.[42][43] The Eagles then proceeded to beat the Italia Shooters in the semi-final by a relatively hefty score of 3–0 with goals coming from Budalic, Braletic, and Milos Scepanovic.[44][45] In the final Serbia used a 4-4-2 formation which finally gave them championship glory as they outlasted National Division champions Trois-Rivières Attak over a rain-drenched 120 minutes of extra time and penalty kicks to win the CSL championship 2–1 in the penalty shootout which was followed by apitch invasion.[46][47][48][49][50]
In2009, the club introduced a red jersey (blue was thesecondary jersey in years previous), and hired the services of CSL Coach of the YearRafael Carbajal.[51] His roster was a mixture of seasoned veterans with several young prospects likeEvan Milward, Selvin Lammie, and Jonathan Hurtis. Carbajal added more silverware to Serbia's cabinet as they claimed their third International Division title, while posting the league's best offensive record. Despite his success he fell out of favour with the team's management, and was released before the commencement of the postseason.[52][53] His replacement was formerŽelezničar Lajkovac forward and former head coach ofMačva Šabac Dušan "Duško" Prijić. In the initial stages of the playoffs the Eagles defeatedTFC Academy 6–0 on aggregate.[54] In the next round they defeated their rivals Toronto Croatia in order to have a repeat of the 2008 final against Trois-Rivières Attak.[55] At the final game, playing a man short for most of the second half, Trois-Rivières took the game into overtime, then penalty kicks to win the CSL Championship at theBMO Field in Toronto on October 10, 2009.[56] The game was scoreless through 90 minutes, then 30 minutes of overtime before Trois-Rivières outscored the Serbian White Eagles 3–2 in the penalty kick decider.[57] At the conclusion of the season Viciknez received his second MVP award, while Medić won the Defender of the Year and Dan Pelc was named the Goalkeeper of the Year.[58]
Former team captain Niki Budalic succeeded Prijić as head coach for the2010 season. Notable additions wereMiloš Kocić,Stefan Vukovic,Daniel Baston,Taylor Lord, andShawn Brown.[59] During the regular season Serbia finished second in the standings with the best defensive record.[60] In the first round of the postseason Serbia for the first time since its return to the league failed to reach the championship final after suffering a defeat by theBrantford Galaxy.[61] Though their senior team failed to claim any silverware their reserve team won the reserve championship title.[62] Kocić was named the CSL Goalkeeper of the Year.[63]
Uroš Stamatović retired and was elevated as the head coach and brought inBoris Miličić. The2011 season saw a decline in their performance as they finished fifth in the standings, but still managed to clinch a playoff berth.[64] In the first round they defeatedBrampton City United, but were eliminated in the second round againstCapital City F.C.[65][66] In2012, the club once again brought in seasoned internationals likeZoran Rajović,Vitomir Jelić,Aleksandar Stojanovski, Nikola Miodrag,Richard West,Ivan Stanković and goalkeeperAleksandar Radosavljević.[67] Serbia qualified for the postseason by finishing sixth in the standings. The Eagles made a good push beating a solidSC Toronto squad 1–0 in the quarterfinals only to implode 4–0 againstToronto Croatia in the next round, marking the second year in a row they were ousted in the semifinals.[68][69]
The following two seasons Serbia struggled to achieve sufficient results as they barely qualified for the postseason, and saw first round defeats in the playoffs.[70][71] In 2015, Serbia witnessed glory once more as they claimed the regular season title. In their playoff journey to reclaim the championship they defeatedLondon City 1–0 withBranislav Vukomanović providing the goal.[72] Their quest for the championship came to an end after a 3–2 defeat toSC Waterloo.[73] Former team captain Mirko Medić was assigned the head coach position for the2016 season. He secured them their 11th straight playoff berth by finishing fourth in the standings. Their road to the championship was marked with a 1–0 victory overToronto Atomic FC with Milos Scepanovic recording the lone goal.[74] In the second round they defeatedFC Ukraine United 1–0 in order mark their sixth championship final appearance.[75] Their opponents in the final wereHamilton City SC. During the match, Hamilton took the lead at the 14th minute with Serbia equalizing at the 59th minute to send the match to extra time where Scepanovic scored the winner to claim Serbia's second championship title (third including NSL titles).[76][77]
In June 2020, the club signed a cooperation agreement withFK Sloboda Užice.[78]
The club initially played out of Stanley Park Stadium until 1973 when they moved toCNE Stadium for a season. From 1975 to 1979, the Serbian White Eagles played atLamport Stadium.
Since being re-founded in 2006, the Serbian White Eagles have played their home games atCentennial Park Stadium inEtobicoke, the western portion of the city ofToronto. In 2014, they played their home games at Lamport Stadium but in 2015, they returned to Centennial Park. The entirety of the2023 season was played at Mattamy Sports Park andParamount Field inMississauga while the2025 season is being played out ofEsther Shiner Stadium inNorth York.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
| No. | Player | Nationality | Position | Years | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Mike Stojanovic |  Canada | Forward | 1973–76 | [81][82] |
Said AliMike BakicObrad BejatovicRobert BoskovicNiki BudalicAdrian CannDaniel ChamaleOscar CordonTibor GemeriAlan HarveyDejan JakovicMilan KojicTony LawrenceTaylor LordEvan MilwardNikola PaunicJohn SmitsMike StojanovicStefan VukovicCarlos Zeballos
Trifun MihailovićIvan MršićJosip OgnjanacDragan PopovićŠaban RomanovićDragoslav ŠekularacBlagoje TamindžićMiroslav Vardić
Dušan BelićDragan DragutinovićMilan JanoševićVitomir JelićĐorđe JocićRadenko KamberovićMiloš KocićDejan KoraksićMarko KrasićMarko KostićMarko MarovićMirko MedićDušan MićićBoris MiličićStefan MiloševićSiniša NinkovićMarko PavićevićBojan PavlovićZoran PešićPetar PlanićUroš PredićAleksandar RadosavljevićZoran RajovićNemanja SimeunovićSrđan SimovićUroš StamatovićIvan StankovićGoran ŠvonjaBožidar TadićAdrian TismenarSaša ViciknezBranislav VukomanovićBojan Zoranović
Pedro Kozak
Ekbal Hussain
Zoran KokotMiloš Đurković
Osni Neto
Kiril Dimitrov
Anders Yrfeldt
David Demaine
Shaquille Agard
John Dempsey
Ramon BaileyShawn BrownLascelles DunkleyRichard West
Ricardo Munguía
Nikola ĐurkovićBožo MilićDragan RadovićBojan Šljivančanin
Prince Ihekwoaba
Aleksandar Stojanovski
Daniel Baston
Darryl Gomez
Caswain Mason[83]
John FahyKevin Souter
John Trye
Gregor Žugelj
Denny Vaninger| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| President | Dragan Bakoč |
| Vice president | Predrag Milković |
| Treasurer | Miško Zdravković |
| Secretary | Mario Ostojić |
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Bojan Zoranović |
| Assistant coach | Uroš Stamatović |
| Goalkeeping coach | Bojan Vranić |
| Conditioning coach | Danijela Trajković |
| Physiotherapist | Vesna Altarac |
| Equipment manager | Blažo Ćurić |
|
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Adidas | Pop's Caulking |
| 2007 | Puma | |
| 2008 | Lotto | Gaymer Cider |
| 2009–10 | Umbro | |
| 2010 | Diadora | |
| 2011 | Givova | |
| 2012–14 | Macron | |
| 2015 | Givova | |
| 2016 | Macron /Umbro | |
| 2017–present | Givova | |
| 2020–present | Seven Sportswear[89] |
| Year | League | Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | Regular season | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | NSL | Senior | Standings are unavailable | ||||||
| 1969[c] | NSL | Senior | 22 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 30 | 3rd | N/A |
| 1970 | NSL | Senior | 26 | 17 | 4 | 5 | 39 | 3rd | N/A |
| 1971 | NSL | Senior | 26 | 9 | 12 | 5 | 23 | 9th | Did not qualify |
| 1972 | NSL | Senior | 26 | 20 | 5 | 3 | 43 | 2nd | Final |
| 1973 | NSL | Senior | 30 | 22 | 7 | 1 | 45 | 2nd | Semi-finals |
| 1974 | NSL | Senior | 36 | 28 | 1 | 7 | 63 | 1st | N/A |
| 1975 | NSL | First | 38 | 23 | 8 | 7 | 53 | 4th | Did not qualify |
| 1976 | NSL | First | 27 | 10 | 11 | 6 | 26 | 7th | Did not qualify |
| 1977 | NSL | First | 36 | 0 | 29 | 7 | 7 | 10th | Relegated |
| 1978 | NSL | Senior | Withdrew | ||||||
| 1979[d] | NSL | Senior | 20 | 0 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 14th | Did not qualify |
| 1980 | NSL | Senior | 22 | 1 | 18 | 3 | 5 | 12th | Did not qualify |
| 2006 | CSL | International | 22 | 17 | 1 | 4 | 55 | 1st | Final |
| 2007 | CSL | International | 22 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 45 | 1st | Final |
| 2008 | CSL | International | 22 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 41 | 2nd | Champions |
| 2009 | CSL | International | 18 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 36 | 1st | Final |
| 2010 | CSL | First | 24 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 45 | 2nd | Quarter-finals |
| 2011 | CSL | First | 26 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 46 | 5th | Semi-finals |
| 2012 | CSL | First | 22 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 35 | 6th | Semi-finals |
| 2013 | CSL | First | 22 | 8 | 12 | 2 | 26 | 8th | Quarter-finals |
| 2014 | CSL | First | 18 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 23 | 6th | Quarter-finals |
| 2015 | CSL | First | 22 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 52 | 1st | Semi-finals |
| 2016 | CSL | First | 21 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 30 | 4th | Champions |
| 2017 | CSL | First | 14 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 31 | 2nd | Semi-finals |
| 2018 | CSL | First | 16 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 19 | 6th | Quarter-finals |
| 2019 | CSL | First | 19 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 31 | 5th | Quarter-finals |
| 2020 | CSL | Senior | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 4th | Semi-finals |
| 2021 | CSL | Senior | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 5th | Semi-finals |
| 2022 | CSL | Senior | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 19 | 1st | Semi-finals |
| 2023 | CSL | Senior | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 27 | 2nd | N/A |
| 2024 | CSL | Senior | 12 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 28 | 1st | N/A |
| 2025 | CSL | Senior | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 22 | 2nd | Final |
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