aussoccerfan Posted April 5, 2005 Share Posted April 5, 2005 There was a story about him in the Halifax Herald today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonovision Posted April 5, 2005 Share Posted April 5, 2005 ........and here it is. Jazic battling injuries Soccer star hoping groin, hamstring heal in time to make Canadian team By GORDIE SUTHERLAND / Sports Reporter When Ante Jazic works out these days, he only needs a bathing suit and water. Groin and hamstring injuries have kept the Bedford soccer star off the field and restricted his training to the swimming pool. Jazic, 29, hasn't started a match since competing with Canada in World Cup qualifying on Oct. 13 against Costa Rica. A week later, he came off the bench with FC Kuban - his Russian club team - and ended up blowing his hamstring. Jazic had groin surgery in early November in Munich, Germany, where he met with a specialist well known for her work with professional soccer players. The talented left back returned to Nova Scotia for Christmas and spent a month rehabbing in Croatia before going back to Russia a couple of weeks ago. "Every time I want to start up with therapy, I do the therapy for three weeks and then I start to jog and my hamstring pops," Jazic said from Krasnodar, located in the southern part of Russia. "Right now, I have a lot of problems. "The only thing I do now is swim an hour a day." Jazic signed a three-year deal with FC Kuban last June, but has seen limited action because of his injury woes. He said he received questionable treatment from the club doctor, who was later let go. "I was playing under pain-killers. The doctor told me he was giving me vitamin shots, but he was actually giving me cortisone so I could play." Jazic figures he's still a month away from trying regular training. He said the club has been very supportive. "I feel almost guilty," he said of missing so much time with FC Kuban, which after last season was relegated to the second division from the Russian premiership. Jazic could have had surgery in August, but put it off to compete with Canada. He was a regular during qualifying action against Guatemala, Honduras and Costa Rica. Jazic started five of the six matches, missing only the last one on Nov. 17 when Canada was already eliminated. He figures he was healthy for only one of the five matches and less than 75 per cent for the last two. "I have no regrets," said Jazic, who has 13 international caps. "It was fun to play with the team and I can't wait to join the team again." His goal is to be ready for this summer's Gold Cup. Canada opens action on July 7 against Costa Rica in Seattle, Wash. "I'm 29 now," said Jazic, a left-footed defender. "Every opportunity I get to play for Canada, I want to play. But I am not going to play just for the sake of playing. "I want to play when I feel I can help the team and be healthy and do myself justice." Canadian head coach Frank Yallop has kept in contact with Jazic via e-mail. He said he won't be able to evaluate Jazic's status until he returns to playing with his club team. Yallop expects that members of the Canadian side will start gathering in late June and an exhibition game is in the works for July 2 or July 3 in Vancouver. Yallop said there's definitely competition in the back, but a healthy Jazic brings a great deal to the table. "He's an excellent passer of the ball," Yallop said from Vancouver. "He reads the game well. He's a good defender. "I think he's a good all-around player. He needs to feel that he's a better player than he thinks he is. He is a good player, but sometimes his confidence gets rattled." He said an example of that came during Canada's match against Honduras on Sept. 4 in Edmonton. On a rare defensive lapse, Jazic made an ill-advised pass back to the keeper. The play forced a fellow defender to take down a Honduras player in the box. The ensuing penalty kick resulted in a late goal as the Canadians settled for a 1-1 tie. Yallop told Jazic to forget about the miscue, but it weighed on him. And it showed in the team's next game against Costa Rica. "I've been playing professional soccer for a long time and I never expected myself to make that kind of mistake," said Jazic, who turned pro in 1996 and has also played with clubs in Croatia and Austria. "That shook me up. It's definitely something I'll learn from." Yallop expects Jazic to rebound. "He's a quality player and I really look forward to working with him again soon. "I know once he gets back in, he'll be fine." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearcatSA Posted April 5, 2005 Share Posted April 5, 2005 quote: He figures he was healthy for only one of the five matches and less than 75 per cent for the last two. "I have no regrets," said Jazic, who has 13 international caps. You never know what kinds of things are affecting a playing performance quote:"It was fun to play with the team and I can't wait to join the team again." His goal is to be ready for this summer's Gold Cup. Canada opens action on July 7 against Costa Rica in Seattle, Wash. "I'm 29 now," said Jazic, a left-footed defender. "Every opportunity I get to play for Canada, I want to play. But I am not going to play just for the sake of playing. "I want to play when I feel I can help the team and be healthy and do myself justice." Hopefully he can overcome these injuries and get back in the set up. He sounds like he has a really good attitude towards the program. quote:"He's an excellent passer of the ball," Yallop said from Vancouver. "He reads the game well. He's a good defender. "I think he's a good all-around player. He needs to feel that he's a better player than he thinks he is. He is a good player, but sometimes his confidence gets rattled." He said an example of that came during Canada's match against Honduras on Sept. 4 in Edmonton. On a rare defensive lapse, Jazic made an ill-advised pass back to the keeper. The play forced a fellow defender to take down a Honduras player in the box. The ensuing penalty kick resulted in a late goal as the Canadians settled for a 1-1 tie. Yallop told Jazic to forget about the miscue, but it weighed on him. And it showed in the team's next game against Costa Rica. Yallop's description of his play seems fairly accurate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Posted April 5, 2005 Share Posted April 5, 2005 Good to know what is going on with him. He hasn't been mentioned on the Kuban website for a while. Kuban has won its first two games of the season and are in first place. They are the favourite to be promoted this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcl_19 Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 I was suprised to see a big picture of Ante on the cover of the sports section the other day. It was a pretty good article. Personally i'd rather see Hutchinson, Simpson or Brennen play at LB but thats just a personal thing i gues...Maybe i just cant get over that back pass vs honduras Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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