OAK BROOK, ILLINOIS (August, 2004) — Soccer Made in America, the leading provider of soccer camps, clinics, and training videos, is marking its 20th anniversary of training champion soccer players and encouraging young athletes to hone their soccer skills with proven, successful techniques. The organization also gives underprivileged children free training clinics where they can learn the sport and build their self-confidence through the SAFE (Soccer Arts for Education) Foundation. Soccer Made in America offers a series of training videos and DVDs, along with training camps and programs for developing youthful players into world-class athletes, while also sponsoring clinics that enable children from disadvantaged backgrounds to learn and enjoy the game.

“Soccer Made in America has made important contributions to the game of soccer over its 20-year history,” said Aleks Mihailovic, President and Founder of Soccer Made in America. “Our organization has fostered awareness and acceptance of the game in the United States, while educating both coaches and players in some of the most advanced techniques in the sport. Our systematic program gives young players the opportunity to develop proper execution at an early age, while guiding them to develop important skills on and off the playing field.”

Soccer Made in America offers one of the strongest training staffs in soccer today, with a staff of professional-level coaches and former professional players who teach young athletes of five years old and up. The organization provides training clinics throughout the Chicagoland area, as well as Wisconsin, Indiana, New York, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, California, Kansas, and Oklahoma. In addition, Soccer Made in America serves as a training organization for several clubs throughout the Chicagoland area and across the United States, providing all the technical and tactical training for the clubs and their players, as well as coaching education for the coaches. Soccer Made in America also works with Ronald McDonald House through the SAFE Foundation to teach free soccer clinics to inner city children in housing projects like Chicago’s Cabrini Green and provides them with scholarships to attend its training camps.

From its origin 20 years ago, the main focus of Soccer Made in America has always been development. “Kids have kicked the ball for the first time in Soccer Made in America and went on to college scholarships and Olympic teams,” Mihailovic noted.

Among the alumni is Brian McBride, a U.S. National and MLS All-Star who will be competing in the Olympics this summer. The program has also trained 1988 NCAA Player of the Year Ken Snow of Indiana, and Debbie Keller of UNC and the U.S. National Team.

Soccer Made in America sells a successful series of DVDs that provide a complete technical and tactical breakdown of training methods, teaching proper body mechanics and providing outstanding tools for coaches and players alike. The videos instruct players and coaches on all the necessary technical and tactical skills they need to possess the ball, score goals, and develop systems of play. The DVDs feature sophisticated animations that show complete, detailed tactical breakdowns and ideas for mastering the ball.

Mihailovic has a sterling career as both a soccer coach and player. He has served as the Director of Coaching Education for the Illinois State Soccer Association, as Regional Women’s Coach for the United States Adult Soccer Association’s Midwest Region, and Assistant to the Coach of the US Women’s National Amateur Team. He has played professionally in Washington, DC, Jacksonville, Fla., and San Diego, Cal. Mihailovic also coaches professionally in Chicago, where he is President and Founder of the Chicago Blast Soccer Club. He holds a USSF “A” license and is one of a select few U.S. coaches to hold a FIFA International coaching license.

As a player, Mihailovic started as an All State and All American High School player and went on to become an NCAA Division 1 All American. A graduate of Morton East High School in Cicero, Illinois, Mihailovic earned his BS at Jacksonville University where he became the school’s greatest player. A 1978 All-American, he became only the third player in NCAA Division 1 history to amass more than 40 goals and 40 assists in a career. Mihailovic’s 54 career assists rank sixth all-time in the NCAA record books. He also ranks in the top five all-time in NCAA career assists per game. Mihailovic was the first athlete in school history to have his number retired and is a charter member of the Jacksonville University Athletic Foundation Hall of Fame.

Following college, Mihailovic played three years professionally for the Washington Diplomats and the Jacksonville Tea Men of the NASL. In Washington, he played alongside legendary Dutch World Cup Star Johann Cryuff. With his playing career cut short by injury, Mihailovic turned to coaching, leading Adlai Stevenson HS to consecutive conference and regional championships. He was named Illinois Regional Coach of the Year in 1982. After a successful stint as Head Coach of the NPSL’s Chicago Shockers, Mihailovic founded Soccer Made in America in 1984. Since then, he has conducted more than two thousand camps and clinics nationwide and developed more than 250 players who have gone on to play collegiately and professionally.

From 1997 to 1999, Mihailovic served on the Jacksonville Sports Authority Board and organized events such as the US National Team match against Germany and many other international soccer events. Since his return to Chicago in 2000, Mihailovic has quickly established the Chicago Blast as one of the region’s top clubs, fielding 17 teams and winning two National Indoor Championships.

Mihailovic has also made significant contributions to soccer training. In conjunction with the 1994 World Cup, he co-authored the M&M Snickers Coaches Manual, which sold more than 175,000 copies nationwide. Through proper body mechanics, he specializes in detecting and correcting technical flaws in players ranging from youth to professional level.

For the past 20 years at Soccer Made in America, Mihailovic has been teaching young athletes to develop confidence with the ball from a very early age. Players learn to execute proper technique, good form, and strong decision-making skills, and to play at a rapid pace, focusing on speed of thought and speed of execution. Soccer Made in America has coached hundreds of thousands of kids over the past 20 years and works with corporate partners including Coca-Cola, Powerade, Fox Sports, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Jaypro Sports, Big Toe Soccer, and Kelme. For further information, visit the website at www.smia.com or call (888) 562-SMIA.