Atanackovic Leads Falcons Into Playoffs

Video games are often considered one of the reasons why many youth do not get enough exercise.

But video games might soon be able to claim assistance in a player’s pursuit of an athletic scholarship.

Although it is not his only method of improving his game, 17-year-old Crescenta Valley soccer star Pavle Atanackovic said he has learned a lot from a particular video game.

“I watch a lot of professional games and watch what the forwards do and playing FIFA on PlayStation 3 helps me a lot,” Atanackovic said. “Once you watch the games there you start to understand how you play and how the defense plays.”

Just a junior, the 6-foot-3 Atanackovic led the 13-2-5 Falcons to a Pacific League title by scoring 31 goals this season.

CV opens the CIF-Southern Section Division IV playoffs Friday against Diamond Bar at 3 p.m.

“We met our goals by going undefeated in league,” Atanackovic said. “We hope to go far in the playoffs and win the CIF championship.”

Atanackovic’s start in soccer began far from the U.S.

A native of the copper mining town of Bor, Serbia, Atanackovic started playing at age five and was initially a goalie.

"I didn’t start playing forward until I came here,” he said. “In my age group there were selections for the youth national team. I think I made it past the first round, but then I came here, so I didn’t make it all the way.”

Atanackovic came with his parents and younger brother Alex to the U.S. in 2004.

“We won this lottery. You put in your information to come to the U.S. and we got picked in the first round,” Atanackovic said. “So we came here because one of my dad’s friends lived in Montrose.”

The transition to a new country certainly didn’t come easy as Atanackovic had to get used to playing soccer at a different level than he was used to.

“I started playing AYSO maybe a year after I came here,” Atanackovic said of the non-competitive youth recreational league. “I was just playing and I didn’t know about the clubs and basically my family couldn’t afford it. But then a friend invited me to play with (him). I then transferred to LAFC under Louie Bilowitz, which is now FC Golden State.”

Bilowitz is the girls coach at La Cañada and previously coached the Spartans boys teams to three CIF championships and back-to-back national championship seasons in 1995 and 1996.

“(Bilowitz) taught me a lot,” Atanackovic said. “In the past I didn’t know anything about positioning, but he taught me where to be on the field because I’m a tall target player. And he taught me to stay in the middle and distribute the ball.”

Bilowitz’ influence has helped Crescenta Valley coach Kiel McClung and Falcons run away with the Pacific League title.

“Pavle is having a phenomenal year. He’s got (31) goals on the season, 25 are in league,” McClung said. “Pavle has been a big part of it. He’s one piece of the puzzle. It’s been a true testament of how we’ve played this season as a team to be able to set Pavle up with those chances. He’s just a great goal scorer.”

Atanackovic’s success perhaps doesn’t come as a surprise as he comes from a family of athletes. He said his father played professional handball back in Serbia and has mother had hopes of being an Olympic long jumper before an injury derailed her career.

With still another year left before he heads off to college, Atanackovic has already turned the heads of many colleges.

“I have around 13 or 14 colleges looking at me,” Atanackovic, who noted UCLA, Boston University and Loyola Marymount among others.

Local fans will still have another season to see him shine.

And PlayStation 3 might be able to finally shake off its critics.