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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Branimir Šegota | ||
| Date of birth | (1961-06-08)June 8, 1961 (age 64) | ||
| Place of birth | Rijeka,FPR Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1978 | Montreal Castors | ||
| 1978–1981 | New York Arrows (indoor) | 87 | (94) |
| 1979–1980 | Rochester Lancers | 39 | (25) |
| 1981–1983 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 74 | (30) |
| 1983 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers(indoor) | 9 | (10) |
| 1984 | Golden Bay Earthquakes | 24 | (18) |
| 1984–1991 | San Diego Sockers(indoor) | 282 | (298) |
| 1988 | Toronto Blizzard | 8 | (5) |
| 1991–1992 | St. Louis Storm(indoor) | 34 | (47) |
| 1994–1995 | Las Vegas Dustdevils(indoor) | 25 | (34) |
| 1996–1997 | Baltimore Spirit(indoor) | 18 | (15) |
| International career | |||
| 1980–1988 | Canada | 20 | (3) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2004 | Cleveland Internationals (assistant) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Branimir "Branko"Šegota (born June 8, 1961) is a Canadian former professionalsoccer forward, starring in the originalMajor Indoor Soccer League (MISL), theNorth American Soccer League (NASL), theContinental Indoor Soccer League (CISL), theNational Professional Soccer League, and theCanadian Soccer League.
Born inRijeka, then part ofPR Croatia,FPR Yugoslavia, Branko Šegota moved with his family to Canada at the age of 7.[1] Raised inToronto,Ontario, Šegota began his pro soccer career at age 17, signing with theNew York Arrows of MISL. Before he began his indoor career he played in theNational Soccer League in 1978 withMontreal Castors.[2] He was named NASL's North American player of the year in1984 with theGolden Bay Earthquakes.[3] During his 18-year pro career he also played outdoors in the NASL in 1979 and 1980 withRochester Lancers and from 1981 to 1983 withFort Lauderdale Strikers and several summers after that in theCanadian Soccer League with theToronto Blizzard. Šegota played winters in the MISL with the Arrows,San Diego Sockers from 1984 to 1985 through 1990–91, andSt. Louis Storm. He played indoors (in 1994 and 1995) for theLas Vegas Dustdevils of the CISL and as recently as 1997 for theBaltimore Spirit of the National Professional Soccer League.
Šegota scored 73 goals in 147 regular season NASL games to rank 13th in the history of the league. He also scored 12 goals in 13 play-off games, including 11 in the 1981 play-offs. In the history of the originalMISL he ranked second in career goal and points scoring with 463 goals and 841 points. His 378 assists ranks him third. His being nine MISL championship teams, three with the Arrows and 6 with the Sockers is also a record. He was a five-time MISL all-star.
Šegota earned 20 caps forCanada including appearances as a substitute in all 3 of the country's1986 World Cup games. He played for Canada at the1979 FIFA World Youth Championship, scoring twice in a 3–1 win over Portugal. He earned his first senior cap in a 1–1 World Cup qualifying draw againstMexico in 1980. Šegota scored three goals in his 20 appearances. His final cap came in a 3–2 win overGuatemala in a World Cup qualifier in 1988.[4] He was inducted into theCanadian Soccer Hall of Fame in 2002.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | November 1, 1980 | Empire Stadium,Vancouver, Canada |  United States | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3. | October 12, 1981 | Skinner Park,San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago |  Trinidad and Tobago | 2–0 | 4–2 | Friendly match |
| 5 | October 14, 1981 | Stade Pierre-Antonius,Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe |  Guadeloupe | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly match |
Šegota served as an assistant coach with theCleveland Internationals of thePremier Development League in 2004 after coaching their youth program for 6 years. He has three children, Ashley, Toni, and Emma, with his wife Ena Šegota.
