Haris grew up in the European football (soccer) system. He joined the European professional soccer development system when he was 7 years old and quickly rose up through all of the ranks (Pioneer, Cadet, Junior, Senior). Haris played for Bosnia's most successful division 1 club, FC Sarajevo, currently competing in the Bosnian Premier League (former Yugoslavia). Recently (04/2010) ranked by UEFA as a #1 professional football club in Bosnia. At age 18 Haris made the Bosnian National Futsal Team (a version of indoor soccer) but left for the United States due to the war.
After immigrating to the United States in 1994 Haris played collegiate soccer and garnered MVP & first team All Conference awards at CSU Stanislaus (1995-97). In 1998 Haris became an assistant coach for Stanislaus State Men's soccer team. Haris was offered a scholarship at the University of San Francisco by the former USF soccer coach Mr.Steve Negoesco but declined it due to an injury. Haris decided make Modesto area his home and dedicate himself to coaching and elevating youth soccer. The first team he coached was AC United of Modesto, California. Under Haris' guidance, AC United won the Y-League National Championship. In 2004, Haris accepted an offer to become the head coach
for California Gold (former Stanislaus Cruisers), a minor league professional soccer team out of Modesto.
The soccer team you see on this page is Ajax Power (Modesto Bee, July, 30 1998) of Modesto, California. Ajax Power is another great success story. The powerful combination of raw talent and exceptional coaching made the Ajax Power a formidable team. Six months after Haris took over the Head Coach position, the Ajax Power team qualified for the Kellogg's Regional Tournament hosted by the San Jose Earthquakes (Clash). During the 3 day tournament, the Ajax Power won the 16 team tournament, with five straight wins. The attached photos were taken after the Championship game where Ajax beat the Marin County Marauders 3-2. The Ajax Power was one of the twelve teams that qualified for the Kellogg's National Tournament held in Orlando, Florida. Each of the twelve teams represented an MLS soccer teams' region. Kellogg awarded the winning Ajax Power team with $40,000 in cash and prizes to pay for National Tournament expenses in Orlando, plane tickets for each player, tickets to Disney World (hotel + theme parks), tickets for the MLS All-Star Game, tickets to the USA Womens' National Team exhibition match against Canada, and a 4 day stay in the luxury hotel resort at Disney World Resort. The Power took 5th spot in the National tournament with one win, on loss and one tie. The Kellogg's Tournament and Orlando trip made for an unforgettable experience for the Ajax Power Team!
During his youth coaching career Haris was fortunate enough to have had an opportunity to coach some of the most talented players that Modesto area produced (Adolfo Gregorio - UCLA captain, FC Darlington & Real Salt Lake, Heath Pearce - US National Team & Dallas F.C., Manuel Brasil - USL Professional D3 National Rookie of the year).
