He runs a reputable year-round soccer school in Folsom, California His father, Djuro George Mihaljevic, a native of Croatia, played professionally in Europe before immigrating to the U.S.
At age 8, Mihaljevic began attending his father's school and played for its competitive team, Missouri Mules.
He reluctantly turned down a 4-year contract with 1st Division Teams, Red Star Belgrade and OFK Beograd due to the country's impending civil war.
In 1988, Mihaljevic joined the Fort Wayne Flames of the American Indoor Soccer Association (AISA) for the Challenge Cup Playoffs.
He moved east to the Miami Sharks for the 1988 American Soccer League (ASL) season, under the coaching of 1970's World Cup Captain, Carlos Alberto Torres, of Brazil where he established himself as a force on the team by scoring 5 goals in the last 25 minutes of his 2nd game, defeating the Washington Diplomats, 5–1, a record for "Most Goals Scored in a Game".