Updated August 19, 2024
ESMIR BAJRAKTAREVIĆ AT A GLANCE:
PROFESSIONAL CAREER: Owns 36 MLS appearances, with 22 starts, through three MLS seasons...So far in 2024, has started 16 of his 20 matches played, with two goals and three assists in regular season play…Notched one goal and club-record four assists in six additional Concacaf Champions Cup appearances…Added two starts in Leagues Cup 2024…On the international stage, made his senior team debut for the United States in a friendly against Slovenia on Jan. 20, 2024…Was the youngest player selected to USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter’s January Camp…In 2023, made 13 appearances with five starts… Scored one goal in lone Leagues Cup 2023 appearance…Also appeared in two 2023 U.S. Open Cup matches, with one start…Made three appearances, including one start, in 2022 during first MLS season…Debuted for first team in U.S. Open Cup Round of 16…New England acquired his Homegrown Territorial Exclusivity rights from Minnesota United in exchange for $50,000 of General Allocation Money on March 7, 2022…Signed first professional contract with Revolution II on Nov. 18, 2021…Signed as the ninth Homegrown Player in Revolution history on May 23, 2022 after joining the Revolution Academy in August 2021…Ascended to the MLS roster after less than one year in the program and became eligible for MLS competition in August 2022…Logged 36 professional appearances with Revolution II since making professional debut in August 2021, including 25 starts, with seven goals and three assists.
2024: To date, owns nine MLS appearances with six starts, recording one assist…Appeared in all six Concacaf Champions Cup matches, starting three…Set club record with four assists in Champions Cup play, along with one goal scored…(2/29) vs. CAI: Tallied first assist for the first team…(3/3) vs. TOR: Set career high with three shots on target in home opener…(3/6) vs. LDA: Scored first career Champions Cup goal…(3/9) at ATL: Registered first MLS assist…(3/14) at LDA: Notched game-tying assist to help club advance to Champions Cup Quarterfinals…(4/9) at AME: Tallied multi-assist performance in second leg of Champions Cup Quarterfinals…(5/18) vs. PHI: Made 25th MLS appearance…(6/1) at NSH: Scored first MLS goal, a game-winner…(6/15) vs. VAN: Tallied second MLS goal…Marked first time scoring in consecutive league appearances after missing previous match through international duty…(7/13) vs. ORL: Notched second assist of the regular season…(7/17) at PHI: Registered assists in consecutive matches for first time in MLS career…(7/27) vs. MZT: Logged first career Leagues Cup start, recording team-high four key passes.
2023: In 2023, made 13 appearances with five starts…Scored one goal in lone Leagues Cup 2023 appearance…Also made two appearances in U.S. Open Cup play…(3/25) at DC: Made season debut, starting and playing 62 minutes…(4/15) at CLB: Registered one shot on target in a 63-minute effort…(4/22) vs. SKC: Set career high with four shots in a 64-minute effort…(7/8) at. RBNY: Logged season-high 68 minutes, starting and tallying one shot…(8/7) vs. QRO: Scored game-tying goal in Leagues Cup matchup, for his first goal with the first team…(9/16) at COL: logged 27 minutes as a substitute, earning second consecutive MLS appearance…(10/4) vs. CLB: Appeared as a second-half substitute, logging 15 minutes.
2022: In second season with Revolution II, appeared in 17 games, making 14 starts, notching two assists with 26 shots and 12 on target...Signed as the ninth Homegrown Player in Revolution history on May 23, 2022...(5/25) at NYC: Made first team debut in U.S. Open Cup action, starting and playing 67 minutes and registering a shot on target…(8/17) at TOR: Logged 22 minutes in substitute appearance to record MLS debut…(8/20) at MTL: Played the full 90 in his first MLS start.
2021: Joined Revolution Academy at the beginning of August and immediately began training with Revolution II…Appeared in 11 games during his debut season for Revolution II at the USL League One level, starting five times and tallying one goal…(8/21) at TRM: Made professional debut, logging 31 minutes as a substitute and registering one shot on target…(9/11) at NC: Made first career start, scoring his first professional goal just 11 minutes into a full 90-minute performance.
NATIONAL TEAM (United States): Owns one senior team appearance for the United States…Has received four call-ups to the United States Youth Men’s National Team, the first coming as an invitation to the program’s U-20 January Camp, where he was the youngest member of the roster…Won the Slovenia Nations Cup with the U-19 team in September 2022, recording one goal and one assist in the tournament…Rejoined the group for a domestic training camp in April 2022 ahead of the summer’s Concacaf U-20 Championship, which will serve as qualification to the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup…Made two appearances for the U-23 US Mne’s Olympic National Team in September 2023, tallying two appearances with one goal…Became the youngest player on the U-23 US Olympic roster after being called into a November 2023 camp for two friendly matches…Made his senior team debut on January 20, 2024 in a friendly against Slovenia…Was the youngest player selected to Gregg Berhalter’s January Camp roster.
REVOLUTION ACADEMY: Joined the New England Revolution Academy in August 2021 as part of the club’s residency program…Is the first player from outside the six New England states to participate in the residency program, and the first residency alum to rise to the first team roster…Appeared in seven games, all starts, for the Revolution Under-17 side, scoring five goals across 630 minutes…Added an additional 90-minute effort for the Revolution U-19s, tallying two goals.
PERSONAL: Born in Appleton, Wisc.…Graduated high school with online classes…Has an older brother, Osman, and an older sister, Elma…Fluent in Bosnian…Parents originally from Bosnia & Herzegovina, later moved to Wisconsin…Spent the 2020-21 Academy season with SC Wave in Milwaukee, Wisc.…Previously spent a year with the Chicago Fire Academy in 2019-20…Prior to Elite Academy tenure, played club soccer for SC Waukesha in his native Wisconsin.
