Lazar Stefanovic

Lazar Stefanovic (Лазар Стефановић; born August 10, 2006) is a professional soccer player who plays as a centre-back for Toronto FC II in MLS Next Pro. Born in the United States, he is a youth international for Canada.

Early life
Born in Clearwater, Florida, Stefanovic moved to Canada at a young age and was raised in Oakville, Ontario. He began playing soccer at age three with Oakville SC. In 2016, he joined the Toronto FC Academy. In June 2023, he was named to the MLS Next All-Star Game.

Club career


On April 30, 2022, Stefanovic made his professional debut with Toronto FC II in MLS Next Pro against FC Cincinnati 2, as an academy call-up. On June 30, 2023, he signed an official professional contract with Toronto FC II, after having already played 13 games that season as an academy call-up. The next day, he joined the Toronto FC first team on a short-term loan, making his Major League Soccer debut that day in a substitute appearance in a 1–0 loss to Real Salt Lake. He became the second-youngest player to appear in an MLS match for Toronto FC (16 years, 10 months and 22 days). He signed another short-term loan ahead of a Leagues Cup match against Mexican club Atlas. He joined the first team for their 2024 preseason training camp.

International career
Stefanovic is of Serbian descent, born in the United States, and raised in Canada, and eligible for all three nations at international level.

In August 2022, Stefanovic was called up to a training camp for the United States U17 team.

In October 2022, he made his debut in the Canadian program, attending a camp with the Canada U17 team. He represented Canada at the 2023 CONCACAF U-17 Championship, where he scored his first goal on 22 February 2023, against Puerto Rico U17. In February 2024, he was named to the Canada U20 for the 2024 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship qualifiers.