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{{Short description|Canadian soccer player (born 1968)}}
{{BLP sources|date=March 2012}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Nick Dasovic
| image = Flickr - Tsar Kasim - TFC Athlete.jpg
| caption = Dasovic in 2009
| fullname = Nick Robert Dasovic
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1968|12|5}}
| birth_place = [[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]], Canada
| height = {{height|ft=6|in=1}}
| position = [[Midfielder]]
| currentclub = 
| youthyears1 = 1975–
| youthclubs1 = Vancouver Croatia Youth
| years1 = 1988–1989
| clubs1 = [[NK Segesta Sisak]]
| caps1 = 45
| goals1 = 2
| years2 = 1990
| clubs2 = [[NK Dinamo Zagreb]]
| caps2 = 1
| goals2 = 0
| years3 = 1991
| clubs3 = [[NK Zagreb]]
| caps3 = 0
| goals3 = 0
| years4 = 1991–1992
| clubs4 = [[North York Rockets]]
| caps4 = 35
| goals4 = 0
| years5 = 1993–1994
| clubs5 = [[Montreal Impact (1992–2011)|Montreal Impact]]
| caps5 = 36
| goals5 = 4
| years6 = 1995
| clubs6 = [[Vancouver 86ers]]
| caps6 = 2
| goals6 = 0
| years7 = 1995–1996
| clubs7 = [[Stade Briochin]]
| caps7 = 21
| goals7 = 1
| years8 = 1996
| clubs8 = [[Vancouver 86ers]]
| caps8 = 10
| goals8 = 1
| years9 = 1996
| clubs9 = [[Trelleborgs FF]]
| caps9 = 7
| goals9 = 0
| years10 = 1996–2002
| clubs10 = [[St Johnstone FC]]
| caps10 = 137
| goals10 = 3
| years11 = 2002–2005
| clubs11 = [[Vancouver Whitecaps FC]]
| caps11 = 81
| goals11 = 3
| totalcaps = 375
| totalgoals = 13
| nationalyears1 = 1992–2004
| nationalteam1 = [[Canada men's national soccer team|Canada]]
| nationalcaps1 = 63
| nationalgoals1 = 2
| manageryears1 = 2006
| managerclubs1 = [[Whitecaps FC Reserves]]
| manageryears2 = 2008–2010
| managerclubs2 = [[TFC Academy]]
| manageryears3 = 2008
| managerclubs3 = [[Canada men's national youth soccer teams|Canada U23]]
| manageryears4 = 2010
| managerclubs4 = [[Toronto FC]] (interim)
| manageryears5 = 2011–2013
| managerclubs5 = [[Canada U-20 men's national soccer team|Canada U20]]
| manageryears6 = 2019–2020
| managerclubs6 = [[Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23|Vancouver Whitecaps U23]]
| manageryears7 = 2022–2023
| managerclubs7 = [[Whitecaps FC Academy]] U19
| manageryears8 = 2024-
| managerclubs8 = [[Detroit City FC]] (assistant)
| medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry|{{fb|CAN}}}}
{{MedalSport|Men's [[association football|soccer]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[CONCACAF Gold Cup]]}}
{{Medal|W|[[2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup|2000 United States]]|}}
{{Medal|3rd|[[2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup|2002 United States]]|}}
}}

'''Nick Robert Dasovic''' (born December 5, 1968) is a Canadian former professional [[association football|soccer]] player who played as a [[midfielder]]. He is currently an assistant coach for [[Detroit City FC]].

He began his career with Croatian club [[HNK Segesta]] in 1988, followed by short stints at [[GNK Dinamo Zagreb|NK Dinamo Zagreb]] and [[NK Zagreb]]. He moved back to his homeland in 1991, playing first for [[North York Rockets]], then the newly formed [[Montreal Impact (1992–2011)|Montreal Impact]] in 1993. In 1995, he joined [[Vancouver 86ers]] before returning to Europe briefly to play for [[Stade Briochin]]. Another period with Vancouver 86ers in 1996 was followed by a short stint in Sweden with [[Trelleborgs FF]]. He finished his playing career with Scottish club [[St Johnstone F.C.|St Johnstone]], with whom he spent six years and made over 100 league appearances. He won promotion to the Scottish top flight in his first season in [[Perth, Scotland|Perth]].

Dasovic represented the [[Canada men's national soccer team]] on 63 occasions between 1992 and 2004, scoring twice.

His coaching career began with [[Whitecaps FC|Whitecaps FC Reserves]] in 2006. He became manager of [[Toronto FC Academy|TFC Academy]] in 2008, a role he balanced briefly with a stint as manager of the [[Canada men's national under-23 soccer team|Canada under-23s]]. In 2010, he was named interim manager of [[Toronto FC]]. The following year, he was installed as manager of the [[Canada men's national under-20 soccer team|Canada under-20s]], a role in which he remained for two years.

In 2019, he re-joined the [[Vancouver Whitecaps FC]] organization, first with the [[Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23|Vancouver Whitecaps U23]] team, and then again as manager of the [[Whitecaps FC Academy]] U-19s.

He was announced as the new assistant coach for [[Detroit City FC]] of the [[USL Championship]] under head coach [[Danny Dichio]] on August 20, 2024.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.detcityfc.com/news/2024/08/20/nick-dasovic-announcement/|title=Former Canadian National Team Midfielder Nick Dasovic Joins Danny Dichio’s First Team Staff|website=Detroit City FC|date=August 20, 2024|access-date=August 20, 2024}}</ref>

==Club career==
A [[midfielder]], Dasovic began his career in the [[Yugoslav First League]] and later the [[Croatian First League]] playing for Croatian club [[GNK Dinamo Zagreb|Dinamo Zagreb]], renamed ''Croatia Zagreb'' during the 1990s. The team also featured important players like [[Mario Stanić]] and [[Goran Vlaović]].

He began playing in Canada professionally with the [[North York Rockets]], of the former [[Canadian Soccer League (1987–1992)|Canadian Soccer League]], for whom he played the 1991 and 1992 seasons. Dasovic played the 1993 and 1994 seasons in the [[American Professional Soccer League]] with the [[Montreal Impact (1992–2011)|Montreal Impact]].

Dasovic played for [[Stade Briochin]] in the French [[Championnat National]] in 1995 and for Swedish [[Allsvenskan]] side [[Trelleborgs FF]] in 1996.<ref>Nick Dasovic at playerhistry.com</ref>

===St. Johnstone===
In November 1996, Dasovic signed for Scottish club [[St Johnstone F.C.|St Johnstone]]. His first season in [[Perth, Scotland|Perth]] saw ''the Saints'' win promotion from the [[Scottish First Division]] to the [[Scottish Premier League]]. Dasovic has been quoted as saying his fondest memory of his pro career was being named man-of-the-match in the [[1998 Scottish League Cup Final]] in which he scored, a 2–1 defeat against [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]]. Saints went on to finish third behind Rangers and [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]] in the Scottish Premier League that season, qualifying for the [[1999–2000 UEFA Cup]]. Dasovic's only league goal was also memorable; it was the only goal in a 1–0 win away at Celtic in September 1998.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-celtic-frustrated-as-dasovic-gives-saints-success-1200304.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220620/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-celtic-frustrated-as-dasovic-gives-saints-success-1200304.html |archive-date=June 20, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Celtic frustrated as Dasovic gives Saints success  |publisher=Independent |date=September 24, 1998 |access-date=November 11, 2014}}</ref>

==International career==
Dasovic made his senior debut for [[Canada men's national soccer team|Canada]] in an April 1992 friendly match against [[China national football team|China]] and went on to earn 63 caps, scoring twice.<ref>[https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/can-recintlp.html Appearances for Canada National Team] - RSSSF</ref> He represented Canada in 14 World Cup qualifiers<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121106072045/http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/statisticsandrecords/players/player=94507/index.html Record at FIFA Tournaments] - FIFA</ref> and played at the [[2001 FIFA Confederations Cup]].

His final international game was a January 2004 friendly match against [[Barbados national football team|Barbados]].

===International goals===
:''Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first.''
{| class="wikitable"
! # !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition
|-
| 1 || July 11, 1993|| [[Estadio Azteca]], [[Mexico City]], Mexico || {{fb|CRC}} || 1–0 || 1–1 || [[1993 CONCACAF Gold Cup]]
|-
| 2 || October 13, 1996|| [[Commonwealth Stadium (Edmonton)|Commonwealth Stadium]], [[Edmonton]], [[Alberta]], Canada || {{fb|CUB}} || 2–0 || 2–0 || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)|1998 FIFA World Cup qualification]]
|}

==Coaching career==
Dasovic led [[Canada men's national youth soccer teams|Canada]]'s under-23 side through [[2008 CONCACAF Men's Pre-Olympic Tournament|Olympic qualification]] in 2008, drawing [[Mexico national football team|Mexico]] 1–1 in the group stage and helping to eliminate the heavily favored Mexican team in the process. After a highly promising 5–0 win over [[Guatemala national football team|Guatemala]], on a night when [[Mexico national football team|Mexico]] had to better that result against Haiti but could only win 5–1, Canada fell to the [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]] 3–0 in the semifinal, losing out on a spot in [[Beijing]] at the [[summer Olympics]]. Canada recovered to defeat Guatemala in the third-place playoff, a rematch of their first-round game, winning on penalties (5–3) after a scoreless draw through 120 minutes.

On May 6, 2008, Dasovic joined [[Major League Soccer|MLS]] club [[Toronto FC]] as [[TFC Academy]] head coach and second assistant to the first team. He became first assistant when manager [[John Carver (footballer)|John Carver]] left the club in 2009 and was replaced by his understudy [[Chris Cummins (football coach)|Chris Cummins]] as interim coach. In September 2010, he became interim head coach of Toronto FC after the firing of [[Preki]], a position he held until January 2011 when [[Aron Winter]] became the head coach. On December 2, 2011, Dasovic was named head coach of [[Canada U-20 men's national soccer team|Canada U20 national team]].<ref>[http://www.canadasoccer.com/canada-announces-u-20-coach-and-camp-on-road-to-turkey-2013-p148079] - Canada Soccer Association</ref>

Dasovic was hired as an assistant coach by the [[San Jose Earthquakes]] on June 18, 2013.<ref>{{cite web |title=Earthquakes name Nick Dasovic assistant coach|url=http://www.sjearthquakes.com/news/2013/06/earthquakes-name-nick-dasovic-assistant-coach|publisher=San Jose Earthquakes|access-date=June 18, 2013}}</ref> Dasovic was relieved of coaching duties at San Jose along with head coach [[Mark Watson (Canadian soccer)|Mark Watson]] on October 15, 2014.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dominic Kinnear ends run with Houston Dynamo, will take over for San Jose Earthquakes|url=http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/10/15/dominic-kinnear-ends-runs-houston-dynamo-will-take-over-san-jose-earthquakes|publisher=MLSSoccer.com|access-date=October 15, 2014}}</ref>

Dasovic received his [[UEFA Pro Licence]] from the Scottish Football Association in 2012.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.dasovicneilcoaching.com/about/|title=Who we are|date=May 17, 2015|work=Dasovic-Neil Coaching|access-date=October 23, 2017|language=en}}</ref>

Dasovic coached the U-15 team at [[Burnaby FC|Mountain United FC]] in 2017. In July 2018, Dasovic was hired as an assistant manager for [[Simon Fraser Clan|Simon Fraser University Men's Soccer]] team.<ref>[https://athletics.sfu.ca/news/2018/7/4/soccer-m-canada-soccer-hall-of-famer-nick-dasovic-joins-mens-soccer-coaching-staff.aspx Canada Soccer Hall of Famer Nick Dasovic joins men’s soccer staff], athletics.sfu.ca, July 4, 2018</ref>

On January 18, 2019, Dasovic joined the technical staff of [[Vancouver Whitecaps FC|Vancouver Whitecaps]] and was named head coach of the newly formed U-23 development squad.<ref>[https://www.whitecapsfc.com/post/2019/01/18/whitecaps-fc-add-nick-dasovic-technical-staff-u-23-coach Whitecaps FC add Nick Dasovic to technical staff as U-23 development squad head coach], whitecapsfc.com, January 18, 2019</ref>

In January 2021, Vancouver reorganized their Academy staff and Dasovic became the manager for the [[Whitecaps FC Academy]] U-19 team.<ref>{{cite web |title=Whitecaps FC announce staffing updates for MLS Academy |url=https://www.whitecapsfc.com/post/2021/02/04/whitecaps-fc-announce-staffing-updates-mls-academy |website=WhitecapsFC.com |access-date=April 4, 2021}}</ref>

== Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame ==
Dasovic was inducted into the [[Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame]] in 2011.

==Broadcasting==
In 2015 Dasovic joined the [[MLS on TSN]] crew and is used selected weeks as a studio or game analyst.

==Honours==
'''Canada'''
*[[CONCACAF Gold Cup]]: [[2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup|2000]];<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tables/00gc-full.html|title=CONCACAF Championship, Gold Cup 2000 - Full Details|access-date=April 20, 2025}}</ref> 3rd place, [[2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup|2002]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tables/02gc-full.html|title=CONCACAF Championship, Gold Cup 2002 - Full Details|access-date=April 20, 2025}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Canada Soccer player|id=868}} / [[Canada Soccer Hall of Fame]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927235758/http://www.uslsoccer.com/teams/2465825/22394-2465947/28586.html Profile of Nick Dasovic]
* {{NFT player|pid=1279}}

{{Detroit City FC squad}}

{{Navboxes
| title = Canada squads
| bg    = red
| fg    = white
| list1 = 
{{Canada squad 1993 CONCACAF Gold Cup}}
{{Canada squad 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup}}
{{Canada squad 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup}}
{{Canada squad 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup}}
}}
{{Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame}}
{{Toronto FC head coaches}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dasovic, Nick}}
[[Category:1968 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Soccer players from Vancouver]]
[[Category:Canadian people of Croatian descent]]
[[Category:Men's association football defenders]]
[[Category:Canadian men's soccer players]]
[[Category:Canada men's international soccer players]]
[[Category:CONCACAF Gold Cup–winning players]]
[[Category:1993 CONCACAF Gold Cup players]]
[[Category:2001 FIFA Confederations Cup players]]
[[Category:2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup players]]
[[Category:2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup players]]
[[Category:Canadian expatriate men's soccer players]]
[[Category:Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Croatia]]
[[Category:Canadian expatriate sportspeople in France]]
[[Category:Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Sweden]]
[[Category:North York Rockets players]]
[[Category:GNK Dinamo Zagreb players]]
[[Category:NK Zagreb players]]
[[Category:Montreal Impact (1992–2011) players]]
[[Category:Vancouver Whitecaps (1986–2010) players]]
[[Category:Toronto FC head coaches]]
[[Category:Trelleborgs FF players]]
[[Category:St Johnstone F.C. players]]
[[Category:Canadian Soccer League (1987–1992) players]]
[[Category:Croatian Football League players]]
[[Category:American Professional Soccer League players]]
[[Category:Allsvenskan players]]
[[Category:Scottish Football League players]]
[[Category:Scottish Premier League players]]
[[Category:USL First Division players]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Yugoslavia]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Croatia]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in France]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Sweden]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Scotland]]
[[Category:Canadian soccer coaches]]
[[Category:Canada men's national under-20 soccer team managers]]
[[Category:Stade Briochin players]]
[[Category:A-League (1995–2004) players]]
[[Category:Toronto FC non-playing staff]]
[[Category:San Jose Earthquakes non-playing staff]]
[[Category:Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Scotland]]
[[Category:Vancouver Whitecaps FC non-playing staff]]
[[Category:Simon Fraser Red Leafs men's soccer coaches]]
[[Category:USL Championship coaches]]
[[Category:Detroit City FC coaches]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian sportsmen]]