| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ilija Mitić | ||
| Date of birth | 19 July 1940 | ||
| Place of birth | Belgrade, Kingdom of Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1960-1963 | FK Partizan | 58 | (14) |
| 1963-1965 | FK Bor | ||
| 1965-1967 | OFK Beograd | ||
| 1967-1968 | Oakland Clippers | 47 | (31) |
| 1969 | Dallas Tornado | 19 | (12) |
| 1969-1970 | Olympique de Marseille | 6 | (1) |
| 1970-1971 | Holland Sport | ||
| 1971-1973 | FC Den Bosch | 45 | (9) |
| 1973-1975 | Dallas Tornado | 41 | (24) |
| 1975-1978 | San Jose Earthquakes | 67 | (36) |
| National team | |||
| Yugoslavia U-23 | 2 | (0) | |
| 1973 | USA | 1 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
|||
Ilija Mitic (born July 19, 1940 in Belgrade, Kingdom of Yugoslavia) is a former Serbian American professional soccer player. He was a star of the North American Soccer League, its 7th all-time leading scorer with 239 points in 166 games, including 101 goals.
Mitic played with Partizan Belgrade[1] as they won the Yugoslav championship in 1960-61. Earning 2 U-23 caps[2] and 8 youth caps, he later joined OFK Belgrade.
Mitic signed with the Oakland Clippers in 1967 as they won the one-year National Professional Soccer League title. With the Clippers he was the NASL's 3rd leading scorer in 1968 and a league first-team all-star selection. Mitic joined the Dallas Tornado as the Clippers folded and was named to the league's first team again in 1969. Converting from forward to midfielder, Mitic was again an NASL first-team all-star selection in 1973 and '74. He also played indoor soccer for the Tornado.
Traded after playing 3 games in 1975, he finished his NASL career with the San Jose Earthquakes where in 1978 he was the league's third leading scorer. He played one 'A' international for the United States national soccer team, on October 10, 1973 at Candlestick Park, as the U.S. lost to Poland 0-1 in a friendly.