TORONTO — When he was his FC Dallas, Peri Marosevic treated every training session as if it were a game. He had to — it was all the live action he saw.
Even though FCD made him the fifth pick overall in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, the University of Michigan alum wasn’t able to make the starting lineup, and rarely even the bench.
“That’s when you’ve got to take practice to a whole other level,” Marosevic said.
As a rookie in 2009, he played in four regular-season games for a total of 47 minutes for Dallas. He did not make an appearance at all for FCD in 2010 or 2011, and he was ultimately waived. When he was picked up by Toronto FC on July 29, the 22-year-old knew he had to try and make an immediate impact.
He did just that, scoring two goals in as many games for his new club. He came on as a substitute against Portland on July 30 and scored the first goal in a 2-2 come-from-behind draw with the Timbers. He also tallied another off the bench last Saturday in TFC’s 3-3 draw with D.C. United.
Sandwiched in between those games, Marosevic helped out on one of two goals by Ryan Johnson against Real Estelí in a 2-1 win that put TFC through to Group C of the CONCACAF Champions League.
“Being able to come in and make an impact obviously feels good,” he said.
He did get to play in reserve games with Dallas, but admitted they were not frequent enough. He also played in some friendlies, and last year played four games with the Austin Aztex of the USSF D2.
“When I was able to go on loan to the Aztex, it was a great opportunity for me,” said Marosevic. “I was able to get my sharpness back, to get my touch back and to get the feel of the game.”
Marosevic’s effort, however, turned out to be just as much of a mental battle as it was physical.
“Every player wants to play, every player wants to be in a situation where you can get a lot more games,” Marosevic added. “You have to wake up every morning and realize that you’ve just got to get better, you’ve got to continue to work hard, [and] your time will come.”
