Selmir Miscic made long-awaited pro debut for Bethlehem Steel FC on Sunday

Bethlehem Steel FC midfielder Selmir Miscic made his professional debut on Sunday, 270 days after signing his first pro contract with the club as a 15-year-old.

“Obviously I’ve been waiting for a long time to make my debut, I’ve had a lot of injuries this season, so for a young guy it’s very tough to go through that, being injured and wanting to play,” Miscic said after the match, a 4-1 loss to Nashville SC at La Salle University. “You do what you can with the minutes you get. I felt confident, I felt good and I felt like I could have made a bigger impact, but it is what it is. I’m disappointed with the result; we did alright today, but obviously we’ll go back in next week, go to improve and come back stronger.”

The Vermont native, who moved to the area with his family (his twin brother Arnel Miscic is a defender for the Union U17s) to join the academy in 2016, logged 13 appearances between the U17 and U19 teams in the Development Academy this season. He scored five goals between the two teams after finding the back of the net 27 times in 21 games for the U15s last season.

His father, Sanel Miscic, played professionally in his native Bosnia and in the third division in Germany.

The 16-year-old U.S. youth international wasn’t the only player to make his professional debut on Sunday at La Salle.

Photo by Matt Ralph

Axel Picazo, an 18-year-old Mexican-born midfielder, made his first pro appearance for Steel in the starting lineup two days after graduating from YSC Academy. Miscic replaced him in the 86th minute.

Picazo completed 84 percent of his passes in the game and won a pair of fouls.