Steve Zungul
Encyclopedia
Slaviša Žungul, known in the United States as Steve Zungul (born 28 July 1954 in Požarevac
) is a retired Yugoslavian-American football (soccer)
striker
. Žungul began his career with Hajduk Split in his native Yugoslavia before moving to the United States where he became a dominant indoor soccer striker. His indoor career began with the New York Arrows
of Major Indoor Soccer League
and ended with the San Diego Sockers. His amazing scoring ability led to his nickname as "Lord of all Indoors". He also spent two seasons playing outdoor soccer with the Golden Bay Earthquakes of the North American Soccer League
. In 1984, he was the 1984 NASL MVP. He also earned fourteen caps with the Yugoslavia national football team
between 1972 and 1976.
, playing for Hajduk Split starting in 1972 and continuing until 1978. He led the team in scoring every season and finished his career with Split with 176 goals. During his six years with the team, he led them to three First Division
championships, in 1974 and 1975 and four Yugoslav Cup Trophys. He earned 14 caps for Yugoslavia
and played in Euro 76. But he never played in the World Cup
because he did not serve in the Yugoslav army.
of Major Indoor Soccer League
(MISL). When he refused to return to Hajduk, the Yugoslav FA
(FSJ) gained a ruling from FIFA
forbidding any outdoor team from signing him. This became significant when the Arrows later traded Žungul to the outdoor Golden Bay Earthquakes.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F00E1DD1539F930A25754C0A965948260
Žungul led the MISL
in scoring in 1980, after finishing second in 1979. In the 1980-1981 season, Žungul achieved an amazing feat when he scored 108 goals in 40 games. In comparison, the second leading scorer, Vic Davidson
of the Phoenix Inferno
scored only 50 goals. Žungul picked up another 103 goals the next season, but saw a drop off in 1982-1983. He began that season with the Arrows but the team was in decline. In January 1983, the Arrows traded Steve Zungul to the Golden Bay Earthquakes of the North American Soccer League
(NASL), who were playing the 1982-1983 MISL season as a guest team, for Gary Etherington
and Gordon Hill. While billed as a move to "Americanize" the Arrows, it was largely a cost saving device. While Zungul still led the league in scoring, he bagged only 75 goals.
. That year, Zungul registered 20 goals and 10 assists in 24 games, but could not keep the Earthquakes out of the bottom of the Western Conference. Meanwhile, without Zungul's scoring touch the Arrows collapsed and folded at the end of the 1983-1984 season.
' Tatu
, took Zungul's place at the top of the scoring charts. Zungul was also named the league's MVP from 1979-1982, and then again in 1985 and 1986. At one time, he was the all-time goal scoring leader in indoor soccer with 715 goals. That currently ranks fourth behind Hector Marinaro
, Zoran Karic
, and Tatu
.
Požarevac
Požarevac is a city and municipality in eastern Serbia. It is the administrative center of the Braničevo District of Serbia...
) is a retired Yugoslavian-American football (soccer)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
. Žungul began his career with Hajduk Split in his native Yugoslavia before moving to the United States where he became a dominant indoor soccer striker. His indoor career began with the New York Arrows
New York Arrows
The New York Arrows was an indoor soccer team that played in the original Major Indoor Soccer League from 1978 to 1984. They won the first four MISL championships.-Preparing for the first season:...
of Major Indoor Soccer League
Major Soccer League
The Major Indoor Soccer League, known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League, was an indoor soccer league in the USA from 1978 to 1992. After the folding of the North American Soccer League in 1984, the MISL was the Division I soccer league for the United States...
and ended with the San Diego Sockers. His amazing scoring ability led to his nickname as "Lord of all Indoors". He also spent two seasons playing outdoor soccer with the Golden Bay Earthquakes of the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
. In 1984, he was the 1984 NASL MVP. He also earned fourteen caps with the Yugoslavia national football team
Yugoslavia national football team
The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...
between 1972 and 1976.
Hajduk Split
When he was sixteen, Žungul began his career in SplitSplit (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
, playing for Hajduk Split starting in 1972 and continuing until 1978. He led the team in scoring every season and finished his career with Split with 176 goals. During his six years with the team, he led them to three First Division
Yugoslav First League
The Yugoslav First League was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and socialist Yugoslavia...
championships, in 1974 and 1975 and four Yugoslav Cup Trophys. He earned 14 caps for Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia national football team
The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...
and played in Euro 76. But he never played in the World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
because he did not serve in the Yugoslav army.
New York Arrows
Yugoslavia had a law that its players could not play for a foreign outdoor team for five years after appearing for the national team. As a result, when Žungul expressed an interest in moving out of Yugoslavia, Hajduk Split loaned him to the New York ArrowsNew York Arrows
The New York Arrows was an indoor soccer team that played in the original Major Indoor Soccer League from 1978 to 1984. They won the first four MISL championships.-Preparing for the first season:...
of Major Indoor Soccer League
Major Soccer League
The Major Indoor Soccer League, known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League, was an indoor soccer league in the USA from 1978 to 1992. After the folding of the North American Soccer League in 1984, the MISL was the Division I soccer league for the United States...
(MISL). When he refused to return to Hajduk, the Yugoslav FA
Football Association of Yugoslavia
The Football Association of Yugoslavia was the governing body of football in Yugoslavia, based in Belgrade, with a major administrative branch in Zagreb....
(FSJ) gained a ruling from FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
forbidding any outdoor team from signing him. This became significant when the Arrows later traded Žungul to the outdoor Golden Bay Earthquakes.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F00E1DD1539F930A25754C0A965948260
Žungul led the MISL
Major Soccer League
The Major Indoor Soccer League, known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League, was an indoor soccer league in the USA from 1978 to 1992. After the folding of the North American Soccer League in 1984, the MISL was the Division I soccer league for the United States...
in scoring in 1980, after finishing second in 1979. In the 1980-1981 season, Žungul achieved an amazing feat when he scored 108 goals in 40 games. In comparison, the second leading scorer, Vic Davidson
Vic Davidson
Victor "Vic" Davidson is a retired Scottish professional footballer. He played in midfield.Glasgow-born Davidson grew up in Calton and Bridgeton. He attended school at Sacred Heart R.C. In 1967, he signed as a schoolboy player with Celtic and was given his first-team debut in 1970...
of the Phoenix Inferno
Phoenix Inferno
The Phoenix Inferno was an American indoor soccer team based out of Phoenix, United States, that played in the Major Indoor Soccer League from 1980 to 1983. In 1983 new ownership renamed the team the Phoenix Pride. The Pride folded at the end of the 1983-1984 season...
scored only 50 goals. Žungul picked up another 103 goals the next season, but saw a drop off in 1982-1983. He began that season with the Arrows but the team was in decline. In January 1983, the Arrows traded Steve Zungul to the Golden Bay Earthquakes of the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
(NASL), who were playing the 1982-1983 MISL season as a guest team, for Gary Etherington
Gary Etherington
Gary Etherington is a retired English-American soccer player who began his professional career in the North American Soccer League before moving to the Major Indoor Soccer League. He earned seven caps with the U.S. national team...
and Gordon Hill. While billed as a move to "Americanize" the Arrows, it was largely a cost saving device. While Zungul still led the league in scoring, he bagged only 75 goals.
Golden Bay Earthquakes
However, when the Earthquakes returned to the NASL for the 1983 outdoor season, Žungul went with them which created a conflict with Hajduk Split and the Yugoslavian Football Federations.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C00E7DD1138F93BA25752C0A965948260 The Earthquakes refused to keep Zungul from playing outdoors and he went on to become a first team NASL All Star in both 1983 and 1984. In 1984 he capped his outdoor career by being named the NASL MVPNASL Most Valuable Player Award
This North American Soccer League gave out an MVP Award each year from 1968 to 1984.*1968 – John Kowalik*1969 – Cirilio Fernandez*1970 – Carlos Metidieri*1971 – Carlos Metidieri*1972 – Randy Horton*1973 – Warren Archibald*1974 – Peter Silvester...
. That year, Zungul registered 20 goals and 10 assists in 24 games, but could not keep the Earthquakes out of the bottom of the Western Conference. Meanwhile, without Zungul's scoring touch the Arrows collapsed and folded at the end of the 1983-1984 season.
San Diego Sockers and Tacoma Stars
When the NASL itself collapsed at the end of the 1984 season, Zungul moved to the San Diego Sockers (MISL). He led the league again in scoring in 1985 and 1986, this time playing for the San Diego Sockers. On February 5, 1986, the Sockers sold Zungul to the Tacoma Stars where he played from 1986 to 1988.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0DE0DB1E31F936A35751C0A960948260 In 1988, he returned to the Sockers where he ended his career in 1990. It was not until 1987that his run as top scorer finally came to a close, as another indoor luminary, the Dallas SidekicksDallas Sidekicks
The Dallas Sidekicks were one of the longest operating professional soccer teams, either indoor or outdoor, in the United States, based in Dallas, Texas, and operating from 1984 until suspending operations following the 2004 season. The team was founded as a member of the original Major Indoor...
' Tatu
Tatu (soccer)
Antonio Carlos Pecorari , commonly known as Tatu, is a former Brazilian football player, one of the most accomplished indoor soccer players of all time....
, took Zungul's place at the top of the scoring charts. Zungul was also named the league's MVP from 1979-1982, and then again in 1985 and 1986. At one time, he was the all-time goal scoring leader in indoor soccer with 715 goals. That currently ranks fourth behind Hector Marinaro
Hector Marinaro
Hector Luis Marinaro is the all-time leader in points and goals in professional indoor soccer. He is currently the men's soccer coach at John Carroll University.-Youth:...
, Zoran Karic
Zoran Karic
Zoran Karić is a retired Yugoslavian soccer forward who began his career with FK Partizan before spending seventeen seasons playing indoor soccer in the United States. He was the 1988 MISL Rookie of the Year, 1992 MISL leading scorer, 1994 NPSL MVP, and a nine time, first team All Star.-Bio:Karić...
, and Tatu
Tatu (soccer)
Antonio Carlos Pecorari , commonly known as Tatu, is a former Brazilian football player, one of the most accomplished indoor soccer players of all time....
.