ST. LOUIS (AP) 鈥� Far from its European homeland, Bosnia and Herzegovina has zealous fans in the American Midwest as it prepares for its second .
An estimated 60,000-70,000 Bosnians live in St. Louis, with many arriving in the early 1990s during the Bosnian War and the breakup of Yugoslavia.
Bosnia faces Panama on Saturday in an international friendly at St. Louis’ Energizer Park and plays World Cup group matches in Toronto (vs. Canada), Los Angeles ( vs. Switzerland) and Seattle (vs. Qatar).
鈥淲e should be able to create an atmosphere like a home match,鈥� said Elvir Kafed啪i膰, a Bosnia-born St. Louisan and an assistant coach for the city鈥檚 MLS team, St. Louis City SC.
He was only 9 1-2 when he fled Bosnia in 1992 with his mother and brothers to escape the war.
鈥淯nfortunately, I remember a lot of it,鈥� said Kafed啪i膰, whose story mirrors many who rebuilt in St. Louis after meandering across Europe.
鈥淲e kind of tumbled through some different countries like Montenegro, the Czech Republic, Sweden and wound up in Germany,” Kafed啪i膰 explained.
That ended when Germany stopped granting temporary protection to Bosnians in the late 1990s.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 have anywhere to go back to in Bosnia. And we already had some relatives living in St. Louis. So in 1999 we made the move with my mom and two older brothers.”
Bosnia defeated Italy
two months ago, defeating four-time World Cup champion Italy 4-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. The deciding penalty was converted by Esmir Bajraktarevi膰, a Bosnian-American from Appleton, Wisconsin.
鈥淭hat day you could see cars flying Bosnian flags in the streets,鈥� Kafed啪i膰 said of the St. Louis scene. 鈥淎ll the restaurants, all the coffee shops were packed wall-to-wall with strangers hugging each other. For me, this goes beyond soccer. This shows who we are, the pride, where we come from and how deeply we鈥檙e connected to our roots.鈥�
Bosnia’s World Cup team is led by 40-year-old captain Edin D啪eko and 18-year-old winger Kerim Alajbegovi膰. D啪eko has scored at least 50 goals playing in the English Premier League, Italy鈥檚 Serie A, and the German Bundesliga.
Bosnia鈥檚 only other World Cup appearance was at Brazil in 2014, where it was narrowly eliminated in the group stage. The team鈥檚 first World Cup goal was scored by Vedad Ibi拧evi膰 in a 2-1 loss to Argentina.
Ibi拧evi膰 played high school soccer in St. Louis, starred at Saint Louis University and followed up with a successful professional career, primarily in the Bundesliga.
鈥淟ittle Bosnia鈥� in St. Louis
St. Louis surfaced as a destination for Bosnian refugees because it offered jobs, reasonable housing prices and had a small community in place.
鈥淲e all came looking for a better life because everything was taken away from us at home,鈥� Kafed啪i膰 said. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 put in words how thankful we are.鈥�
A swath of the city鈥檚 South Side is known as 鈥淟ittle Bosnia,鈥� anchored by rows of tidy red-brick houses, bars, cafes and bakeries and a replica wood fountain that mimics one in the capital Sarajevo, known as the Sebilj.
鈥淚t represents Sarajevo in the heart,鈥� said Jasmina Sili膰, working across the street from the monument at the Skala Bar on Gravois Avenue, the fulcrum of the community.
A reminder of the war
Skala is located just a few doors away from the 鈥淎ssociation of Survivors of the Srebrenica Genocide,鈥� a constant reminder of the war and the ethnic cleansing committed by Bosnian Serb forces.
More than 8,000 , which was declared a genocide by the United Nations, the International Court of Justice and others. It鈥檚 estimated that 104,000 died from the war, 2 million were displaced, and 83% of the civilian deaths were Bosnian Muslims.
Bosnian imprint
Bosnia’s influence is all over St. Louis, a metropolitan area of almost 3 million on the banks of the Mississippi River.
The best-selling food at St. Louis鈥� MLS stadium is Bosnian fare from a restaurant called the 鈥淏alkan Treat Box.鈥� Saint Louis University houses the Center for Bosnian Studies, and several books document the diaspora including 鈥淏osnian St. Louis: Between Two Worlds鈥� by Patrick McCarthy and Akif Cogo.
It tells of tragedy, resilience and the community鈥檚 ties to Europe.
鈥淥ne woman in St. Louis still carries the keys to her house in Bosnia,鈥� they wrote. 鈥淎nother man describes his feelings toward Bosnia as a divorce he did not want from a woman he still loves.鈥�
Bosnia was a multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation before the war, predominantly Muslim but with a large number of Croatian Roman Catholics and Serbian Orthodox Christians.
The mix binds the World Cup team, a symbol of pride and reconciliation.
鈥淎 lot of people from here go to Bosnia every year to see families,鈥� said Sili膰, speaking at the Skala Bar. 鈥漈he team represents unity because it鈥檚 all three religions and everybody is one like it used to be when it was still Yugoslavia.鈥�
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