By Jeff Dahn

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Alen Kudumovic didn’t hesitate when he called it the “impossible dream.”

He was sitting on the Mount Mercy campus recently, with Amir Hadzic, his former soccer coach at the school. Smooth-faced with a shaved head, and as exuberant as an underclassman, Kudumovic, 37, had just listened to Hadzic detail the long ordeal that led both of them to the United States from war-torn Saravejo  in what was once known as Yugoslavia (now Bosnia).

They had traveled only months apart through a Croatian refugee camp nearly 15 years ago and finally settled into a much better life in Iowa and at Mount Mercy.

On July 1, Kudumovic will take over the duties as the Director of Coaching at the prestigious Cedar River Soccer Association, headquartered in Cedar Rapids. It is the culmination of a lifetime of work in soccer with yougsters who embrace the sport, and it has been an extraordinary ride.

After enrolling at Mount Mercy in 1999, Kudumovic became the school’s first NAIA soccer all-American and his name is all over the Mount’s statistical record books. There are also very many other former Mustang players who Hadzic has coached who moved on to great things in soccer.

“That’s not uncommon for our Mount Mercy soccer program,” Hadzic said. “We have, currently, 13 (graduates) who are head coaches across the nation, and we take great pride in that. It’s a big thing for us that we not only (have) people graduate who play soccer while they are here, but they continue being passionate about soccer and they spread that passion to other people.”

But Kudumovic’s story is special. It is one of those heart-breaking tales that he related with no sadness or regret. In fact, pure joy inflected his voice as he recalled his early years in the United States.

Kudumovic came to this country in November of 1995 as a refugee from Bosnia. He and his wife, Adisa, spent their first two years in this country in Des Moines. They moved from Des Moines to Iowa City in 1997. He began coaching soccer at Iowa City City High School in 1998 and moved to Cedar Rapids two years later when both he and Adisa enrolled at Mount Mercy.

It was a frantic time, but Alen and Adisa – a nursing student – fell in love with Mount Mercy and Cedar Rapids.

“It was a special time, for sure,” Kudumovic said. “It was a very busy time in my life … but it was a very exciting time.”

Hadzic, the Mount Mercy coach, related this story of a conversation he had with the Kudumovic's when they were contemplating the move from Des Moines to eastern Iowa.

“I said, ‘Guys, one day – Alen and Adisa – you both come here and study at Mount Mercy, and Alen you play soccer and become an all-American, and Adisa, you go back to nursing and you teach nursing one day, and you buy a little house (near) Mount Mercy.”

The Kudumovic’s spoke very little English at the time, but it didn’t take long for Hadzic’s words to become prophetic. Alen and Adisa both enrolled at Mount Mercy in 1999, Alen became the school’s first soccer all-American and they bought a little house not far from campus.

“To come to where Alen is right now, thinking to where he was when he came here as a refugee with two bags of belongings and barely speaking English, it is a tremendous accomplishment.”

In Kudumovic’s words, it was the “impossible dream.” He said he owes it all to Hadzic.

“His friendship means a lot to me,” Kudumovic said. “I had a choice to go to the University of Iowa but a really friendly face here really meant a lot to us, both my wife and I, and to go to Mount Mercy was a great experience for us.”

Both Kudumovic (and Adisa) and Hadzic were born and raised in Sarajevo in the former Yugoslavia which later became part of Bosnia. As civil war raged around them, they played and coached soccer, including at “underground” locations while under siege in Sarajevo.

Hadzic escaped from Sarajevo in December of 1994 and he landed in a refugee camp in Croatia, very close to the Italian border. Kudumovic wound up at the same camp a short time later.

“It was kind of like destiny,” Hadzic said.

Hadzic spent eight months at the refugee camp. Kudumovic was there for a year. Hadzic arrived in the United States in July of 1995 and Kudumovic followed him in November of 1995.

“We knew each other back in Sarajevo,” Kudumovic said. “We are both from the same town and we both played on the same team. He was older than me so he was kind of my mentor. I was the youngest player on the team … and he was really a friendly face to be around.”

He achieved a United States Soccer Federation “B” coaching license while still at Mount Mercy and should have his “A” accreditation by the time he takes over as Director of Coaching at CRSA on July 1. He learned the game as a professional at FC Sarajevo, FC Bosnia and in the Bosnian Indoor National League. He also spent time as a member of the professional Des Moines Menace.

Kudumovic first became involved with the Cedar Rapids-based Heartland Soccer Club while a student at Mount Mercy, and worked with the club from 2000-03. He was the head soccer coach at Iowa City High School for two years, then moved on to the Cedar River Soccer Association after graduating from Mount Mercy with a degree in business administration in 2003.

The CRSA now has about 400 members, and Kudumovic will be in charge of bringing all the members and their conflicting schedules together.

“The big part of it is making it work for everybody,” Kudumovic said. “The Director of Coaching is about setting up a philosophy of the club. Our board of directors, which is made up of (the players’) parents, supports that philosophy and making policies. I work in conjunction with the board of directors on making things better.

“I think from what I’ve experienced so far, just working with people is the most important (aspect), and understanding how people think and how to make them happy.”

Shaun Howe, the out-going Director of Coaching at CRSA, sent a letter to all of the member families when he announced he would be leaving the post, and offered Kudumovic the highest of praises.

“I’ve been around a lot of coaches over the years, and I have never seen one better than Alen,” Howe wrote. “With years of coaching experience and a professional playing background in Europe and the United States, he clearly knows soccer and how to teach the game to kids.

“More importantly, Alen possesses the highest level of integrity. He is the most principled and disciplined person I have ever been around. Alen has a rare and special ability to push the kids to new levels while making it very clear he cares about them as people.”

The CRSA is recognized as one of the top clubs in the state and Midwest. Most of the clubs in Iowa are in the eastern part of the state but there are several large clubs in Des Moines. According to Kudumovic, CRSA has more former players playing at NCAA Division I soccer programs than any club in Iowa.

“It’s a win-win situation for everybody,” Hadzic said of a healthy and successful CRSA. “The good thing about club soccer is kids often realize how good they are and where they belong after playing in youth soccer games. “When I recruit a kid from CRSA, I am confident I will get a kid who knows basics and is passionate about the game.”

When asked to reflect on Kudumovic’s playing days at Mount Mercy (and even earlier in Sarajevo), Hadzic didn’t hesitate in his assessment.

“Alen was the smartest player we ever had,” Hadzic said. “He didn’t just use his soccer skills, he was always thinking. For him, it was always like a chess game. He would always be a step ahead of his opponents.”

Kudumovic’s commitment to CRSA, Hadzic and Mount Mercy is a full-time job. He and Adisa have made Cedar Rapids their home, even as they moved from that small house near campus.

“I try to stay involved through the Mount Mercy soccer camp, and try to come and visit Amir from time-to-time just to shoot the breeze and see how recruiting is going and how the team is building up. I feel a part of Mount Mercy very much still,” Kudumovic said.

“This is home. It’s nice to go visit other places, but it’s always nice to come back home. It just feels like it.”