# Mykhaylo Hurka

Mykhailo Hurka (born November 21, 1975) is a Ukrainian former footballer and manager.

## Club career
### Early career

Hurka began his career at the youth level with FC Karpaty Lviv. He would join the professional ranks in 1993 by playing in the Ukrainian Second League with FC LAZ Lviv. In his debut season with FC LAZ, he helped the club achieve promotion to the Ukrainian First League, but the following season remained in the third tier with FC Halychyna Drohobych.
In 1995, he played in his country's top-tier league the Ukrainian Premier League with his former club Karpaty Lviv. Following a short stint in the Ukrainian First League with FC Lviv he returned to the Premier League in 1997 to play with Karpaty Lviv.

### Vorskla Poltava

After a season in the second tier, he returned to the premier league to sign with Vorskla Poltava in 1999. In his first year with Poltava, he played in the 1998 UEFA Intertoto Cup. He would re-sign with the club the following season. He would once more participate in European football where he played in the 2000–01 UEFA Cup against Boavista.

### First League

In 2002, he signed with FC Hoverla Uzhhorod and won the league title and a promotion to the Premier League in 2003.
In 2006, he returned to the third-division league to play with Obolon Kyiv where he served as a vice-captain. After several seasons with Obolon, he played in the First League initially in 2008 with Volyn Lutsk. For the 2009-10 season, he played Nyva Ternopil where he played in 9 matches.
He later played in the Ukrainian Amateur League with SC Beregvidek Berehove in 2010. Throughout his tenure with Berehove, he would win the 2010 Ukrainian Amateur Cup and participate in the 2010–11 Ukrainian Cup.

### Canada

Hurka played abroad in the Canadian Soccer League in the summer of 2016 with FC Ukraine United. He was named the team captain and also served as an assistant coach. In his debut season with the Toronto-based club, he helped the team secure a playoff berth by finishing second in the First Division. In the first round of the postseason, Ukraine United defeated Brantford Galaxy. The Serbian White Eagles eliminated them from the competition in the following round. He also played in the Great Lakes Cup, a tournament for Ukrainian diaspora clubs where Ukrainian United defeated KSH – United for the cup.
In his second season, the club was relegated to the second division. Hurka aided Ukraine United in achieving a perfect season and winning the championship title against Burlington SC. While in his third year, he assisted the club in securing the divisional title. In the preliminary round of the playoffs, Ukraine United successfully advanced to the semifinal round after defeating Brantford. Scarborough SC would eliminate Ukraine United in the semifinal round.

## Managerial career

In 2017, he joined the managerial staff as an assistant coach for Andrei Malychenkov, while still performing as an active player. In the 2019 season, he was elevated to the head coach position for Ukraine United where he successfully secured a playoff berth for the club by finishing third in the first division. Under his management the club defeated Hamilton City in the opening round of the postseason. He successfully led the western Toronto side to the championship final after defeating SC Waterloo Region in the semifinals. In the CSL Championship finals Ukraine United faced Scarborough SC but in a losing effort.
In 2021, he returned to Ukraine and became the assistant coach under Evgeny Yushchyshyn for FC Sambir.

## Honors
### Player

FC Hoverla Uzhhorod
* Ukrainian First League: 2003-2004
FC Ukraine United
* CSL II Championship: 2017
* Canadian Soccer League First Division: 2018

### Manager

FC Ukraine United
* CSL Championship runner-up: 2019