Vacation No Day at the Beach : Soccer: Local players will face tough European teams on Croatian tour.

A team of area soccer players is set to embark on the summer vacation of a lifetime.

Aruba? Tahiti? Disneyworld?

Croatia.

Coach Michael Gotorach of Van Nuys and his Young Croatian Soccer Club, comprising Southern California 17-to-19-year-olds with Croatian roots, will tour the strife-torn nation from June 21 through July 16.

The squad, which has been together since 1992 and recently won the Moreno Valley Classic, is scheduled to compete in a series of tournaments and matches against top-ranked European teams. One such tournament, the 44th Kvarnerske Rivijdra will feature first-division Italian juniors and a strong representative from the Netherlands.

“We expect the level of play to be really tough,” said striker Donago, Gotorach, 19, the coach’s son and a graduate of Chaminade High. “We just want to play well and win some respect.”

The trip has been funded by donations from local Croatian families and players. This is a landmark excursion: Even the U.S. national team has not played in Croatia in four years.

The first stop on the tour will be Zagreb, the capital. From there, the team will move on to Rijeka, Zadar, Sibenik, Split and Dubrovnik, most of which are near Italy and, according to Coach Gotorach, “out of harm’s way.”

Some players, such as co-captain Loren Blazevic, plan to visit relatives after the games. Blazevic doubted he would sleep Tuesday night, but not for reasons one might assume. No one dropped off the team for safety concerns. The only thing that has stopped some players from accompanying the club is summer school.

“I was a little concerned at first, but I think we will be safe,” said Blazevic, who last visited Croatia at age 3. “No, I won’t sleep because I’ll be so excited. My family and I have been talking about going over since I was born.”