Dejan Jakovic

MLS EXPERIENCE

2012: Made 23 appearances (starting 21) and tallied his first MLS goal in United’s 3-2 win over the New England Revolution on May 26. Has played in 80 matches with the club since joining up in 2009, making 77 starts and logging 6,879 minutes.

2011: Limited throughout the season due to injury, United’s starting center back started all 15 matches that he featured in for the Black-and-Red. Ben Olsen’s side was 6-4-5 in those 15 contests, and 6-0-1 when having a lead with Jakovic in the team. The central defender was missed down the stretch, as Jakovic injured his hamstring against the Chicago Fire on 8/18, and he did not play for the remainder of the season following that incident. 

2010: A near-automatic starter for United, the Canadian defender again anchored the Black-and-Red backline from the center back position. Despite missing a large chunk of the season due to a broken clavicle, the Jakovic ranked fifth on the team in minutes played with 1,624 for the season in 19 MLS matches (18 starts). 

2009: Dejan Jakovic had an impressive first season for D.C. United after signing with the club during pre-season. The Croatian-born defender immediately stepped into the starting centerback role for the Black-and-Red and anchored the defense almost the entire year. Jakovic’s season was interrupted briefly during the summer months when he was called-up to the Canada National Team for the Gold Cup. The 24-year old made three appearances as Canada went 2-1-1 in the tournament. After returning to D.C., Jakovic missed a couple of weeks due to sports hernia surgery. Despite the setback, Jakovic played every minute of all 23 games in which he appeared in MLS play. In all competitions, the center back played in 28 games (26 starts) for United.

OTHER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2008: After a trial with Red Star Belgrade of the Serbian Superliga, Jakovic signed with the European power on 6/30. He made three starts during the 2008-09 league campaign and two additional starts in UEFA Cup play.

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE

2011: When healthy, Jakovic is a first-choice central defender for Canada, but due to injury he was limited in international competition during much of 2011. He played 90 minutes in a 1-0 friendly loss to Greece on 2/9, and he injured his hamstring in a 2-2 exhibition draw with Ecuador on 6/1. Due to this hamstring strain, Jakovic was forced to pull out of Canada’s 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup squad, missing the tournament entirely.

2010: The United defender made three appearances for the Canada National Team in friendlies against Peru on 4/9, Honduras on 7/9 and Ukraine on 8/10. Canada went 1-1-1 in those matches.

2009: Jakovic made three appearances for the Canada National Team during the Gold Cup tournament, playing against Jamaica on 7/3, El Salvador on 7/7 and Honduras on 7/18. He was also called-up to play two international friendlies, against Guatemala in June and Poland in November.

2008: Jakovic made his full Canada Men’s National Team debut on 1/30/08 against Martinique. He was then named to the U-23 Team that participated in the CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in the summer. He played every minute of Canada’s four contests and helped the team to a third place finish. He was also called into full National Team camp in the fall in preparation for World Cup qualifiers, and was on the 18-man gameday roster for five qualifying games, but did not see the field.

COLLEGE EXPERIENCE

2007: In his final season in Birmingham, Jakovic led UAB with six goals and also contributed an assist in 14 games (13 starts). For the second year in a row, he was honored as a member of the All-Conference USA First Team and the NSCAA All-Region First Team. Jakovic finished his career with 49 total appearances, collecting eight goals and five assists over three seasons. 

2006: During his sophomore season at UAB, Jakovic played both in the defense and midfield. He saw time in 18 games (all starts), collecting a goal and four assists. Jakovic was named to the All-Conference USA First Team and the NSCAA All-Region First Team.

2005: After being redshirted in 2004, Jakovic played in 17 games during the 2005 season at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. He notched a single goal and was named to the All-Conference USA Second Team for his efforts.

ACQUIRED

Signed on 2/27/09 from Red Star Belgrade (Serbia).