Esmir Bajraktarević left Wisconsin for the New England Revolution’s residential academy, rose through Revolution II, and became a Bosnia and Herzegovina starter after scoring the game-winner in a shootout against Italy. His path has also earned a sale to PSV E
When Esmir Bajraktarević scored the game-winner in a shootout against Italy in March, it didn’t just send Bosnia and Herzegovina to the World Cup. It capped a fast-rising journey that began far from international spotlights—inside the New England Revolution’s residential academy.
At 21, Bajraktarević is now a starter for Bosnia and Herzegovina. He also carries the kind of origin story that sticks with people in American soccer: his parents moved to the United States after the Bosnian war. and he eventually left Wisconsin in August 2021 to join the Revolution’s residential academy program.
He didn’t ease into the system. He immediately started training with Revolution II and earned a Homegrown contract in less than a year. His first-team debut came in a U.S. Open Cup game in May 2022, and by 2024 he was a full-time starter.
Toward the end of that season, the Revolution sold him to Dutch club PSV Eindhoven in a deal worth up to $6 million—an outcome the club has long tried to create for young players who develop their way to bigger stages.
Sporting director Curt Onalfo described the logic behind such deals as a proof of concept. telling Boston.com: “When we meet with certain players that we’re bringing into our academy or if we’re looking at a player that we’re trying to sign. it is a proof of concept. Also, agents end up bringing you more players because of that. So there’s definitely a lot to that. Proof of concept is important.”.
Bajraktarević’s talent. teammates and staff say. stood out early enough that it didn’t require a long wait to believe. Rob Becerra, the Revolution’s director of youth development, remembers watching film from an indoor facility. While he said it wasn’t the highest-quality tape, the play was clear. He and Onalfo confirmed during an in-person trial that they needed to bring Bajraktarević to New England—after just 15 minutes.
Becerra described a certain edge in his style: “He’s always had a propensity to take players on, a brashness to his game.” That aggression showed up repeatedly as Bajraktarević collected wins.
Onalfo recalled a 2023 game when the then-18-year-old scored the first hat-trick in Revs II history to deliver a 4-3 comeback victory over Philadelphia Union II. Becerra later looked back on a postseason win against Union II when he moved Bajraktarević to the right—an adjustment that led to two goals in 20 minutes.
“I talked to the team and said, isolate him,” Becerra said. “When we play him the ball, don’t go immediately and overlap him. Don’t give him immediate support. Leave him alone. Let him do his thing. Let him go 1v1. I look like a great coach. I did nothing except move him to the other side and say. guys. stay out of his way. let him do his thing.”.
Because of moments like those—plus the nutmeg completed in his first Major League Soccer start and the same move with his first touch in his only appearance for the U.S. Men’s National Team—he earned the nickname “Milwaukee Messi.” He ultimately decided to play for Bosnia and Herzegovina. the birthplace of his parents.
That decision, and his ability to deliver in pressure moments, have now landed him in World Cup play. One of his World Cup starts also featured fellow Revolution alum Tajon Buchanan. Another key turning point came when he scored the game-winning penalty against Italy in the run that sent Bosnia and Herzegovina to their second-ever World Cup.
What makes the story resonate inside the Revolution organization is that the club’s pride isn’t confined to a single step on the pathway. Becerra said: “What’s really neat about someone like Esmir is that pride is not singular. It’s not only the academy. It’s not only the second team. It’s not only the first team. It’s all of us.”.
Still. the Revolution’s success with Bajraktarević has also become a reminder of how quickly an organization can change course when it puts resources where they belong. When Onalfo arrived in 2019, the Revolution Academy was ranked as one of the weakest in MLS. Since then. changes—including more time on the training grounds and increased resources—have seen the academy improve to second in U.S. Soccer Collective’s 2025 report.
Becerra said the turnaround has been fueled by building a culture of growth and respect, beginning off the field. Academy players are taught to sweep the bus and make their beds while on the road. Phones and jewelry aren’t allowed at training, which always ends with a handshake or knuckles.
“Our job is to teach you how to be a pro. Our job is to teach you how to be a better human,” Becerra said.
As sporting director. Onalfo is also drawn into recruitment more than the league norm. with the first team’s head coach sometimes involved as well. Onalfo put the emphasis on the people around the process: “I think really what sells us is the people. We have really good people involved in every aspect. whether it’s a tutor that’s helping with schooling or the partnership that we have with the Center of Excellence. or it’s just the quality of the people that are spending a lot of time with these young people.”.
The Revolution sees Bajraktarević as a once-in-a-hallway kind of player. Becerra said. “There’s not going to be another Esmir that walks down the hall in a year or two years.” He added that when a player like that arrives. the club has to treat the talent like something special rather than something repeatable on demand.
Even so. he insisted the club can still keep producing professional-level soccer players—whether they stay and play inside New England or take chances overseas. “But we will produce more professional soccer players. We will produce players that are playing a significant role for our second team. our first team. and some players who have a chance to go overseas.”.
One name the organization points to is Peyton Miller, an 18-year-old Connecticut native who has also been part of the Revolution’s residential academy program, like Bajraktarević. Miller has excelled at every stage of the pro pathway and is already drawing European interest.
Time, Becerra said, will tell what comes next. But being part of those journeys has already brought real joy. “When I watched Peyton play his first game with the second team, he scored, and I cried,” Becerra said. “You’re not supposed to cry as a man and everything else. but I cried because I was like. look at this kid. We had this kid when he was 14. Now he’s 15 years old, and he’s scoring goals. I get emotional about these things. I love my job, man.”.
Esmir Bajraktarević New England Revolution Revolution Academy PSV Eindhoven World Cup Bosnia and Herzegovina Curt Onalfo Rob Becerra