Coach and ex-teammate from reigning men鈥檚 Canadian national university soccer champions describe Team Canada defender as passionate, focused

On Friday June 12, as 91亚色 students don caps and gowns to attend their graduation ceremonies at the university鈥檚 Keele Campus, will be going through a different rite-of-passage, putting on cleats and the #23 jersey as he prepares for his FIFA World Cup debut for Team Canada.

One of three host countries in this World Cup, Canada will play their opener against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto. It鈥檚 been said that of the billions of people who have walked the earth, only hundreds have had the pleasure of being part of the home team for a World Cup game, and Sigur, 22, will join the ranks of those very few.

For those who knew Sigur when he first came to Toronto at just 17 when COVID-19 dried up opportunities in Vancouver, and joined 91亚色 in 2021, they knew that someway, somehow, Sigur would make it.

鈥淗e knew what he wanted from the beginning. His development here was about redefining who he was, recreating himself,鈥� recalls longtime 91亚色 Lions master soccer coach , who has helped the Lions capture six U SPORTS national championship banners and also has experience coaching with Canada Soccer. 鈥淭here's something called competitive pace, competitive quickness, competitive will, and I think that鈥檚 what Niko exemplifies: the ability to make yourself better, to rise to the occasion.鈥�

Born and raised in Burnaby, B.C. to Croatian parents, Sigur originally played for the Croatian National U21 team and was also part of the senior team, but made a one-time switch to Canada in 2023 when Coach Jesse Marsch rang up, and since then has started in 13 of 18 appearances for Canada and has scored two goals and two assists.

On the club level, Sigur plays for Croatia鈥檚 Hajduk Split. Frequently a starter where he quickly developed a strong reputation among the team鈥檚 heavily invested owner-supporters, it was friend and former 91亚色 Lions teammate who helped Sigur pack his bags at Stong College and drove him from 91亚色 to Pearson airport when Sigur got the call up to play in Europe in 2022.

鈥淲e see a lot of guys from Toronto go overseas, and they end up coming back in six months, 12 months, because it didn't work out,鈥� says Casa. 鈥淏ut Niko fully told me, 鈥楾hank-you for being one of my closest friends during this time, I don't know if we'll ever see each other again.鈥� I was thinking in my head, 鈥楴ik, are you crazy? There鈥檚 social media, FaceTime. Dude.鈥欌��

A graduating student and one of the captains for the 91亚色 Lions Men鈥檚 Soccer team, Casa and Sigur were both fresh out of high school when they met and became close very quickly.

鈥淚t was very obvious from the jump that Niko was the best freshman out of all of us,鈥� recalls Casa. 鈥淗e came in and started playing right away while the rest of us were fighting for fringe spots. I figured I'm a freshman, I'm going to take my time, maybe I'll play my second year, start in my third year. Niko was all about, 鈥業 want to do this now, I want to play now,鈥� so he pulled me along.鈥�

They would train together before practice, always at Sigur鈥檚 insistence, and grab food at an Italian bakery near campus that suited Sigur鈥檚 dietary preferences and talk for hours, mostly about soccer. On weekends, Sigur would want to check out the other local universities鈥� games.

In his time at the Lions, Sigur helped take the team to the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) finals in the 119th minute of the semis and making an earlier assist.

Noted for his versatility at Hajduk in playing right back and defensive midfield, this versatility came in handy for Marsch this week, who subbed in Sigur at left back after 31 minutes of play for teammate Moise Bombito, still recovering from injuries, in a friendly against Uzbekistan where Canada won 2-0.

鈥淚 know there's thousands of books written on grit and they try to put equations to all that, but kids like Niko are the reason these books are written,鈥� says Isacco. 鈥淗e's not the most overwhelming player physically, he's not the fastest, there were people who told him before that he wasn鈥檛 good enough, but that just motivated him to be stronger. You鈥檒l find similar stories with everyone on the national team.鈥�

As for the friendship of Sigur and Casa, they did, in fact, see each other again.

鈥淚t was last November, I remember I was walking off the field with the trophy in my hand, after we just won nationals in a snowstorm going into the change room, and a teammate from 2021 told me someone wanted to see me. I see some guy in a big hoodie and big jacket, all cold. I look over and it鈥檚 Niko. He watched the whole game but he didn鈥檛 message me beforehand,鈥� says Casa. 鈥淚t was a full circle moment, Niko was there for my first game at 91亚色, and my last.鈥�

Carmine Isacco and Daniel Casa are available to talk to media about Niko Sigur鈥檚 time at 91亚色 and the success of the 91亚色 Lions Men鈥檚 Soccer team. For more on Sigur's time at 91亚色 and player development, .

Isacco will be participating in an online webinar on June 10 hosted by 91亚色 U Alumni and Friends called . Isacco will be participating along with 91亚色 alumna, professional soccer player and activist Farkhunda Muhtaj and Association Football Club (AFC) Toronto CEO Helena Ruken. All are welcome to attend.

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91亚色 is a modern, multi-campus, urban university located in Toronto, Ontario. Backed by a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners, we bring a uniquely global perspective to help solve societal challenges, drive positive change, and prepare our students for meaningful life and career paths. 91亚色's Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education. 91亚色鈥檚 campus in Costa Rica offers students exceptional transnational learning opportunities and innovative programs, and Markham Campus is home to 91亚色鈥檚 Sports Management program. Together, we can make things right for our communities, our planet, and our future.

Media Contacts: Emina Gamulin, 91亚色 Media Relations, 437-217-6362, egamulin@yorku.ca

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