“I’m not super superstitious. I think you should take care of yourself the right way, eat good food, stuff like that. I put my right shoe on first, that’s my only superstition.”
M. Iloski & B. Iloski
Photo Credit: Grayson Butterfas
A year ago, Milan was mainly sitting on the bench for Real Salt Lake, not getting many minutes.
“I was thinking, ‘I want to play! I want to get minutes! I want to score goals! I want to show people my ability,’” he stated emphatically adding, “I got to get on the field, some way, and Orange County has given me that opportunity.
During the off-season, Milan found himself on trial with Major League Soccer’s Austin FC. Older brother Brian was already signed to return for the 2022 season to Orange County.
He reiterated, “I knew I needed to play minutes.”
There was an opportunity to go back to the MLS, however, the now 23-year-old (Happy Birthday Milan) decided to instead roll the dice. “Yeah, I took a little bit of a gamble on myself. After Austin signed another player, I decided I was ready to play a bigger role as part of a team.”
To say the fiery Iloski’s gamble has paid off so far, would be an understatement. Coming off last Saturday’s win over LA Galaxy 2, where Milan scored two, assisted on two, broke two ankles, and walked away with the USL Championship’s Player of the Week, the fleet-footed native of Escondido sits in second place in the leagues Golden Boot race.
Another highlight of the night came in the 82nd minute when Milan was subbed off for his big brother, Brian who at long last made his season debut. Though they didn’t play minutes together, neither brother could contain the smiles on their faces as Milan made his way off the pitch.
“It’s been tough,” Milan explained about Brian’s injury. “Originally, we all thought it was only going to be a few weeks and a hand full of games, but there were some rehab setbacks.”
With Brian finally pain-free, I can imagine both are excited for this weekend’s clash with a down south rival, San Diego Loyal. “We play well together, and we love playing together, we’ve been itching for this opportunity.”
Michael Orozco greets young supporters
While speaking about his relationship with his brother, Milan also touched on his relationship with OCSC Captain, Michael Orozco.
“Mike and I are close. We got along instantly. He’s been around forever. He’s seen the best players in the world play. He’s played against the best.”
Milan laughed as he added, “He’s sometimes on me so much, and it can get frustrating, but I enjoy it because I expect so much from myself and he’s seen so much. I’ll always go to him if I’m not doing something right.”
He laughed more and added, “Well, I usually don’t have to go to him, as he’ll tell me when something isn’t right.”
Just past the midway point of the season, as a fan, I can say Milan Iloski has been a joy to watch. You never know when he’s going to score (as evidenced by the banger just moments into the second half of last Saturday’s win) but you can rest assured, he’s going to score!
Sometimes betting on yourself, is the best bet you can make. Week in and week out, Milan Iloski has shown the USL Championship and Orange County Soccer faithful, he’s a great bet!
