Sockers’ Segota Hopes to Put Snafus in Yugoslavia Behind Him

It has been a frustrating summer for Socker midfielder Branko Segota, who is back in San Diego two months earlier than he thought he would be.

In late July, the Sockers agreed to let Segota play for Dynamo Zagreb of the First Division in Yugoslavia as long as the team took out an insurance policy and made the Sockers the beneficiaries. Under the agreement, Segota would arrive back in the United States no later than Nov. 2, which would have still given him a couple of weeks to work out with the Sockers before the Major Indoor Soccer League season opened.

Socker managing general partner Bob Bell said he received a signed copy of an agreement between the teams before Segota left for Yugoslavia. “But they kept reneging on the agreement,” Bell said. “From the very beginning, the whole thing was confusing and unsettling.”

It went from bad to worse when Segota--a Canadian citizen who was born in Yugoslavia--arrived in Yugoslavia.

“There were too many problems,” said Segota, who said he practiced with Dynamo Zagreb for two to three weeks but never played a game. “They (Dynamo Zagreb) didn’t take care of their part--insurance and stuff like that.

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To make matters worse, Segota caught walking pneumonia while in Yugoslavia. He has recovered and is looking forward to putting the long summer behind him.

Segota, 25, is an established star in the indoor game who was the Sockers’ leading scorer and the MISL’s third-leading scorer last season. By playing in Yugoslavia, he had hoped to prove himself in the international outdoor game and possibly gain a contract with a European club in the near future.

His adventures and disappointments this summer have led Segota to re-evaluate his future.

“I want to stay in one place for a while,” said Segota, who is entering the option year of his contract with the Sockers and says he hopes to re-negotiate a long-term contract next week. “Chances (for the outdoor game) aren’t coming up as nicely as I thought they would. I have to think about settling down.”