How Tommy Mihalic’s Croatian background, family ties powered his soccer career

Tommy Mihalic ran to the corner flag with pure elation in every step. He slid on his knees, rose to his feet and turned to greet his teammates with a ferocious yell, arms outstretched and veins tensing in his arms. 

Nine of Mihalic’s teammates met him in the corner, sharing hugs and celebrating the then-sophomore forward’s finish that put Indiana men’s soccer up 2-0 over Pittsburgh University on Dec. 9, 2022. 

The significance? Indiana was halfway to a national championship game berth, due in large part to Mihalic’s goal granting the Hoosiers a comfortable two goal advantage. Following a goalless second half from both teams, they ended up doing just that. 

However, only hours before his tight-angle finish, Mihalic was fixated on a different soccer match — the quarterfinals of the World Cup. The game featured Croatia taking on Brazil in a true David and Goliath matchup, as Brazil’s population is more than 50 times that of Croatia’s.  

After regulation and two extra time periods, the two sides entered a penalty shootout tied 1-1. And on the eighth attempt, Brazilian center back Marquinhos smacked his penalty off the post, granting Croatia the victory. 

Mihalic, having watched the whole match with much intensity, went berserk. He raced around the central opening of his hotel, joyously yelling and screaming — much like he would for Indiana later that night. 

“It’s one of the coolest days, honestly, in my career,” Mihalic said. “I’ll never forget that day.” 

*** 

Mihalic was born and raised in a Croatian family in Skokie, Illinois, just outside Chicago, a city with an estimated 150,000 Croatians. Both of his parents moved from Croatia to Chicago when they were children and later met at the Croatian Cultural Center of Chicago, a non-profit organization aimed to “promote and preserve the exchange of Croatian heritage, culture and language.” 

The center holds a special place in Mihalic’s heart. It was where he found his best friends growing up, where his family spent most of their time and where most of his family members met each other. 

"That’s kind of what shaped me into who I am with my background and what makes my family so close,” Mihalic said. 

Mihalic’s ties extend beyond his immediate family. With his cousin Markie Hrvojevic, Mihailc maintained a close relationship despite the fact Hrvojevic is two years younger. The two sharpened their skills through soccer training sessions, while simultaneously strengthening their bond.  

Which is why Hrvojevic never viewed Mihalic as his cousin.  

“Tommy was — and still is — the older brother that I never had,” Hrvojevic said. “I always looked up to Tommy, and I look up to him still.” 

Mihalic’s first soccer memory dates back to the early years of his career, when he played for a club his dad, Mario Mihalic, helped start-up called HNNK Hrvat Chicago. The Croatian team was the first one Mihalic joined, and he represented the club for over five years until he joined the Chicago Magic full-time. 

Around that same time, Mihalic’s soccer career took a major turn. Every summer, Mihalic and his family, including Hrvojevic, traveled to Croatia, often staying for weeks or months at a time. When he was younger, Mihalic, Hrvojevic and all the cousins would just play soccer for fun, without thinking of the “long term stuff.” 

But at the age of 12, it all changed. 

Kicking the ball around for fun turned into intense training sessions with Dinamo Zagreb, the top team in Croatia. While he never stayed in Croatia year-round to join a club, Mihalic learned plenty from playing with future Croatian national team players. 

“That was always a great experience,” Mihalic said. “Seeing the different level and the way they carry themselves over there for soccer.” 

Mihalic still stays in contact with some of his teammates from those training sessions, recognizing how neat it is to play the same sport, even while being in “totally different positions” in their careers. 

The closest of Mihalic’s friends from those Croatian trips is Joško Gvardiol, a member of the Croatian national team and the reigning Premier League champion Manchester City. Mihalic stayed with him every summer and recalls how cool Gvardiol was when the Hoosier first arrived. 

Beyond his summers in training sessions, Mihalic began to get noticed. Offers to stay in Croatia year-round floated in his direction, but he always shot them down, citing that his full-time residency would negate the fact his parents moved away from the country to get a better life. 

That was until 2019, when Mihalic joined the under 19 squad for FC Augsburg, a German first division side. However, he quickly discovered how different his life in Germany was compared to his summers in Croatia. 

“At that time, I was young, you don’t realize what you’re doing,” Mihalic said. “You’re there alone. I didn’t know German.” 

Just as COVID-19 hit, Mihalic was told he had two weeks off. Those two weeks turned into six months, ultimately ending his European career in an anticlimactic finish as he began to pursue a collegiate career. 

However, Mihalic doesn’t regret it at all. And neither does Hrvojevic, who credits his older cousin for the inspiration in playing abroad. 

“Watching him go out there really proved to me that I could do it too,” Hrvojevic said. “He gave me great advice, (saying to) keep my head up and be who I am — don’t change.” 

Hrvojevic played professionally in Croatia for Hajduk Split, joining the side in 2021, the same year Mihalic began his Hoosier career. He played two seasons for the club before joining Wisconsin, where he is currently a sophomore forward for the Badgers. 

Even though the two never overlapped in Europe, Hrvojevic claims neither would have gone abroad if not for the other.  

“We were each other’s biggest supporters,” Hrvojevic said. “We had these dreams to chase together, and Europe was one of those dreams that we both wanted, and we both accomplished in our early years of our lives.” 

Family brought Tommy to Europe, and subsequently to the Big Ten. Mario played college soccer at Eastern Illinois, but he always wanted to see his son wear the cream and crimson, even when Mihalic was a young kid. 

So, once Indiana associate head coach Kevin Robson reached out to Mihalic, there was no doubt in his mind. 

The decision was a “no brainer.” 

*** 

In his final year of college soccer, Mihalic’s focus has never wavered from his squad, even with the end so close in sight. 

“I feel like, in a way, it would be selfish for me to be looking into the future,” Mihalic said. “I would take our team versus anyone in the country right now.”

However, Mihalic still has goals he hopes to attain in his soccer career. One of those goals is getting drafted to a Major League Soccer team. Another is representing Croatia at the national team level, although he already had brief stints on the under 15 and under 17 national squads. 

Mihalic’s loyalty to his team is not out of the ordinary. He’s experienced it from his family his entire career, whether through his training with Hrvojevic, his competitive basketball games with his brother Nick or the appearances of his sister Nikolina and parents Mario and Ivana at his games. 

And that support, coupled with his four years at Indiana, leaves him more than content with how his career played out. 

“I feel like everything worked out the way it should have because I wouldn’t change any of it,” Mihalic said. “I’m really happy to be here.” 

Tallying 10 goals, five assists and 2024 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year honors this season, Mihalic has his goals set on one thing — bringing Indiana back to the National Championship.