Full name Marko Bedenikovic 2002-2003 Toronto Olympians Weight 83 kg Years Team Height 1.85 m | 2001-2002 San Francisco Dons Role Soccer Player Name Marko Bedenikovic | |
Date of birth (1984-06-18) June 18, 1984 (age 31) | ||
Place of birth Mississauga, Canada | ||
Marko Bedenikovic (born June 18, 1984 in Mississauga) is a Canadian former soccer player who played the majority of his career in the Canadian Professional Soccer League, Europe, USL First Division, Major Indoor Soccer League, and would conclude in the Ontario Soccer League with HNNK Zagreb.
Contents
Playing career
He began playing soccer at the college level for the San Francisco Dons from 2001 till 2002. He signed his first professional contract in 2002 with Mississauga Olympians of the Canadian Professional Soccer League. After a two-year tenure with the Olympians, he became a free agent in 2004 and signed a contract with Toronto Croatia. Though he featured sporadically in the starting line up, but managed to contribute by securing a playoff berth for Toronto by concluding the season with a second-place finish in the Western Conference. In the postseason the Toronto side claimed its second CPSL Championship, by defeating Vaughan Shooters by a score of 4-0.
The following season he was transferred to the newly expansion franchise the Oakville Blue Devils. Making his Oakville debut on June 5, 2005 against the Vaughan Shooters. Under the guidance of head coach Duncan Wilde, he made the transition to a defensive midfielder with a secured position in the starting eleven. Throughout the regular season Oakville dominated the Western Conference, and managed a second-place finish. In the post season the Blue Devils managed to capture his first championship in club history by defeating Vaughan by a score of 2-1. The victory marked his second consecutive championship in a row. Bedenikovic appeared in all three matches, which included a goal scored in a match against Hamilton Thunder in the semi-finals.
When Wilde was appointed the new head coach of the Toronto Lynx one of his first acquisitions was the signing of Bedenikovic on April 6, 2006. He made his Lynx debut on April 22, against Virginia Beach Mariners, and scored his first goal in a 1-0 victory over the Puerto Rico Islanders on September 3, 2006. He was twice named USL First Division Player of the Week, and he helped the Lynx reach the Open Canada Cup finals for the first time in franchise history. Their opponents were Ottawa St. Anthony Italia, but unfortunately the Lynx were defeated by a score of 2-0. Throughout the regular season assisted the club by setting a record for a 10-game undefeated streak at home. After the 2006 season the Lynx franchise dropped two divisions down to the Premier Development League, thus releasing Bedenikovic from his Toronto contract. Following his release he was given a trial with Toronto FC, but failed to receive a contract.
On June 24, 2007 he returned to Toronto Croatia for a brief stint, and scored the winning goal against Gradiscanski Hrvat in a 1-0 victory in the Croatian World Club Championship. During the tournament he scored a single goal in a 9-0 thrashing of Croatia Esseen, and helped Toronto Croatia claim the Championship by scoring a goal in the final against Canberra Croatia in a 3-1 victory. After training in his ancestral home in Croatia, he returned to North America to sign with the Baltimore Blast of the MISL in September 2007, where he recorded 9 points in his rookie season. The Baltimore Blast were crowned 2007/2008 MISL Champions for their 4th Championship in 6 years.
In 2009, he traveled to aboard to Europe to sign with Hungarian side Integrál-DAC, where he appeared in 14 matches and scored a single goal. The club ceased operations in later 2009, which resulted in the termination of his contract. Bedenikovic returned to Canada in 2010 to sign with Portugal FC, where he made his debut for the club on May 8, 2010 in a match against TFC Academy. His greatest accomplishment with Portugal FC was in the 2011 season where the club achieved a twelve-game undefeated streak, and brought home the regular season championship. Bedenikovic would conclude his career in the Ontario Soccer League with HNNK Zagreb in 2012.