After six years as a professional backup, Srdjan Djekanovic is ready for his big break.
"I've been waiting for this opportunity to play for a while now," Djekanovic said. "It's what I've been training for since I was a little kid. I've been playing football for 17 years now, and after the hard work I'm ready to step onto the pitch and enjoy it."
The 24-year-old goalkeeper will make his MLS debut on Saturday in net for Toronto FC when the squad welcomes the Colorado Rapids to BMO Field. Djekanovic is getting the start due to regular 'keeper Greg Sutton's call-up to the Canadian national team for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Sutton has played every minute for TFC this season, and thus field time has been hard to come by for Djekanovic. Since he signed with Toronto in late April, Djekanovic's only action against top-flight competition came in the May 23 friendly with Benfica. The 'keeper played 26 minutes after coming on for Sutton, and helped preserve the scoreless draw.
Djekanovic also has two starts under his belt with the Toronto FC reserve squad -- a 2-2 draw with Chicago and a 0-0 draw with D.C. United.
Despite this lack of MLS experience, Djekanovic said he isn't nervous about his first start. He noted that he finds the reserve games more tense.
"When you have the crowd it picks you up, you don't notice it too much," he said. "It gives you the adrenaline rush. If the stadium is empty and you're playing in front of empty seats, you notice it. It's much less pressure to play in front of a crowd than to play in front of empty seats."
The keeper will have at least two familiar faces among the sellout crowd expected Saturday. Djekanovic's parents are flying in from his hometown of Vancouver to see their son reach the pinnacle of his soccer career.
Born in Belgrade, Serbia, Djekanovic got his professional start at age 18 as a backup goalkeeper in the Serbian premier league. After three years in Serbia, he returned to Canada to attend the University of British Columbia and start for the UBC soccer team. In 2005, his first year with UBC, he led the Thunderbirds to a Canadian national championship.
Djekanovic also gained a bit of pro soccer exposure after spending the last two years as a backup for the Vancouver Whitecaps of the United Soccer Leagues. He had just finished preseason training with the Whitecaps in April before signing on with Toronto FC.
TFC goalkeeper coach Carmine Isacco said that Djekanovic has improved greatly in his short time with the club.
"He's come a long, long way, just in shot-stopping ability and decision-making," Isacco said. "He was solid to begin with but he's become a lot more comfortable and he has a lot more presence than when he first got here. The goalkeeping game is very mental, and the ... swagger you need to perform well is coming. He'll get even better in the next games."
With Sutton gone for at least two games and as many as four (depending on how Canada does at the Gold Cup), Djekanovic may well be TFC's netminder for the entire month of June. Toronto coach Mo Johnston is confident that his young goalkeeper is up to the challenge.
"A lot of young 'keepers coming into this league have failed because they haven't gotten time," Johnston said. "[Djekanovic] may have the time to prove himself ... he's a young goalkeeper learning his trade. He's fairly calm, he's got good feet, he likes to collect things and defend quickly. We'll have no trouble with him coming in."
Djekanovic said his focus on Saturday is winning the game, not on his own performance. Still, he is aware that his performance for Toronto over the next month will go a long way towards cinching a permanent place for him in Major League Soccer.
"I didn't come to town just to be happy sitting on the bench," Djekanovic said. "I wanted the opportunity to show I can play. If I do well, the opportunity will present itself for the future. [I want to] prove that I can be a quality No. 1 in this league."
Mark Polishuk is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
