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At 22 years old, Toronto FC forward Peri Marosevic is one of a talented group of young players that Toronto FC Head Coach Aron Winter has brought together since taking over at the helm of the club. A former U.S. U-20 World Cup player, Marosevic was signed by Toronto FC on July 27th after parting ways with his former club, FC Dallas. The Bosnia and Herzegovina-born forward was selected fifth overall in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft after an impressive U.S. collegiate career that saw him lead the Wolverines in goal scoring in two of the three seasons he attended the University of Michigan. In 2009, Marosevic represented the United States at the U-20 World Cup. Overall, he was capped 14 times by the American U-20 squad and scored five goals.
In this interview, Peri and RedNation discuss his first few weeks with Toronto FC, his thoughts on going up against his former team FC Dallas in the CONCACAF Champions League, the advantages of playing with experienced veterans like Torsten Frings, Julian de Guzman and Danny Koevermans, and the potential going forward for a young Toronto FC team.
RedNation Online: Toronto FC’s next match will be against FC Dallas in the CONCACAF Champions League. Are you particularly pumped up about going up against your former team?
Peri Marosevic: I definitely am. Any player that plays their former team always has a little bit more motivation to perform. I have nothing bad to say about Dallas. They are a good team, with a good coaching staff and a good group of players. For me, it is going to be a little bit of extra motivation. And I know the team is ready as well. We are just coming off a tough loss to the Chicago Fire, but we have been able to regroup real quickly and learn from those mistakes. We’re just going to step up our game and we’re ready for Dallas.
RedNation Online: Are you or Eric (Avila) going to provide your new team with any inside info on how to shut down particular players on Dallas and how to beat some of their defenders?
Peri Marosevic: That’s strictly confidential within the team (laughs). Obviously Eric and I know a bunch of the guys on Dallas and what they can do and how they are on the field and certain tendencies they have. We were both there for a while and we know every one of those guys personally, not just on the field, but off the field as well. Eric and I will try to do our part to try and help Toronto out in that regard. But we can’t only focus on that. We need to look at their previous performances on the field and learn and come together as a team and to be ready for them.
RedNation Online: How do you think FC Dallas Head Coach Schellas Hyndman will have his team prepped for a Champions League fixture?
Peri Marosevic: Schellas is a guy who knows what he is doing with his lineup. I don’t expect a lot of changes within his lineup will happen. Obviously, there are some injuries and some moves that are happening with Dallas, such as George John, who is in Greece right now and who is trying to go to Blackburn. We still have to expect a good side with Kevin Hartman in the back and the other regular starters.
RedNation Online: Now that you are with Toronto FC, does it feel like a much needed fresh start?
Peri Marosevic: It does and I definitely needed a fresh start, kind of for myself to regain my confidence in a sense. And just to get the opportunities on the field, which I wasn’t getting as much as I would have liked in Dallas. And coming out here to Toronto and getting that confidence, earning that trust from the coaches and getting a lot of time on the field, it’s all I can really ask for.
RedNation Online: Things have started out pretty well for you in Toronto, with two goals scored already and a lot of playing time. Has it gone about as well as you could have expected?
Peri Marosevic: It has been a great start, but I have to keep it up. And we have to keep it up as a team. Obviously, I want to score more goals for this club and I want more wins for this club, which are two of my personal goals. In terms of team goals, we can only take things one game at a time and now we have FC Dallas.
RedNation Online: You are a young player and TFC is obviously a young team for the most part. What do you think about the potential of this team going forward?
Peri Marosevic: I think it’s incredible. The young talent that we have on this side is impeccable. You just look at some of the players, like Plata. There is just so much young talent all the way throughout the team and at every position. The keepers are 24 and 26 years old – those are young keepers and they can play until they are 40. We just have to learn from the experienced guys like Torsten Frings and the other older guys. All of the young guys have to play with an open mind and learn from them.
RedNation Online: Right now you have Torsten on the back line, Julian de Guzman in the midfield and Danny Koevermans up front. How important is it to have one of those really experienced players in each third of the pitch, which is something that Aron has always talked about wanting?
Peri Marosevic: It’s definitely very important. Obviously, from a vocal standpoint, but also from a presence standpoint. With their experience, just having them out there, you have a lot more confidence and you kind of just let your mind play freely, because you know about what they can do and you don’t have to worry as much. So having guys like Torsten, De Guzman, Ryan Johnson and Danny Koevermans up top, with their experience and leadership you learn from them really quickly and it makes playing a bit easier.
RedNation Online: The team is entering the final stretch of the 2011 season. What are you hoping to achieve in the final weeks of the season?
Peri Marosevic: Obviously, as many victories as possible. We have a lot more games coming up, with CONCACAF and with league play. But, like I said, we can’t focus on more than one game at a time. We have FC Dallas next and then we’ll go on from there. But obviously we want as many as wins as we can get.
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