Andrija Novakovich (Serbian Cyrillic: Андрија Новаковић, romanized: Andrija Novaković; born 21 September 1996) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Italian Serie C club Lecco, on loan from Venezia.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Andrija Novakovich[1] | ||
| Date of birth | September 21, 1996 | ||
| Place of birth | Muskego, Wisconsin, United States | ||
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Lecco | ||
| Number | 90 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2004–2006 | United Serbians | ||
| 2012–2014 | Chicago Magic PSG | ||
| 2014–2015 | Reading | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2019 | Reading | 3 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | → Cheltenham Town (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | → Telstar (loan) | 35 | (19) |
| 2018–2019 | → Fortuna Sittard (loan) | 29 | (9) |
| 2019–2022 | Frosinone | 95 | (18) |
| 2022– | Venezia | 35 | (1) |
| 2023– | → Lecco (loan) | 22 | (5) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2013 | United States U17 | 2 | (2) |
| 2013–2014 | United States U18 | 7 | (1) |
| 2014 | United States U20 | 5 | (3) |
| 2018 | United States | 3 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of January 28, 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of October 11, 2018 | |||
Career
Youth
Born and raised in Muskego, Wisconsin to Serbian parents, Novakovich spent his youth career with United Serbians, Red Star, and Chicago Magic. He was once named Gatorade Wisconsin Player of the Year after scoring 41 goals[2]
Club
Despite signing a letter of intent to play college soccer at Marquette University, Novakovich agreed to join English Championship side Reading in April 2014, signing for the club in June of the same year, the move being made easier due to Novakovich holding a British passport through his mother who was born in England of Serbian descent.[3][4][5][6]
On November 26, 2015, Novakovich joined National League side Cheltenham Town on loan until January 2, 2016.[7] Novakovich returned to Reading on January 4, 2016 after Cheltenham Town didn't extend his loan deal.[8]
On July 2, 2017, Reading announced that Novakovich had signed a new two-year contract with the club, and that he would join Eerste Divisie side SC Telstar for the 2017–18 season. A year later, June 20, 2018, Novakovich signed a new two-year contract with Reading and moved to Fortuna Sittard on a season-long loan deal.[9]
On September 2, 2019, it was announced that Novakovich would leave Reading, with Frosinone paying an undisclosed fee for the player. Novakovich signed a contract with Frosinone lasting until 30 June 2022.[10]
On July 15, 2022, Novakovich moved to another Italian club Venezia on a four-year contract.[11] On August 23, 2023, he was loaned to Lecco for the 2023–24 season.[12]
International
In March 2018, Novakovich was called up to the USMNT for the first time for their international friendly against Paraguay on March 27, 2018. In the 77' minute, he earned his first cap replacing Bobby Wood, the goalscorer, in Cary, North Carolina at WakeMed Soccer Park. Novakovich holds both British and American passports and remains eligible to represent England or the United States in a competitive match, as well as Serbia, his father's birthplace.[6][citation needed]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played May 1, 2023[13]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Reading | 2014–15[14] | Championship | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2015–16[15] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17[16] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20[17] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Cheltenham Town (loan) | 2015–16[15] | National League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Telstar (loan) | 2017–18[18] | Eerste Divisie | 35 | 19 | 1 | 1 | – | 2 | 2 | 38 | 22 | |
| Fortuna Sittard (loan) | 2018–19[19] | Eredivisie | 29 | 9 | 2 | 1 | – | 1 | 1 | 32 | 11 | |
| Frosinone | 2019–20 | Serie B | 33 | 4 | 0 | 0 | – | 5 | 1 | 38 | 5 | |
| 2020–21 | 33 | 11 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 34 | 11 | ||||
| 2021–22 | 29 | 3 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 29 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 95 | 18 | 1 | 0 | – | 5 | 1 | 101 | 19 | |||
| Venezia | 2022–23 | Serie B | 33 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 34 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 199 | 47 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 213 | 53 | ||
International
- As of match played October 12, 2018
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2018 | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 3 | 0 | |
References
External links
- US Soccer Profile
- Reading Profile
- Andrija Novakovich at Soccerbase
- Andrija Novakovich on Twitter
