C. J. Smith (soccer)
Canadian soccer player (born 1998)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Courtney-Junior Mitchell-Smith (born January 12, 1998) is a Canadian professional soccer player.
|
Smith in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Courtney-Junior Mitchell-Smith | ||
| Date of birth | January 21, 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Brampton, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Grand Valley Minor Soccer | |||
| Brampton East SC | |||
| ProStars FC | |||
| 2016 | ETO FC Győr | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2018 | Mississippi Gulf Coast Bulldogs | 31 | (16) |
| 2019 | South Carolina Gamecocks | 15 | (3) |
| 2020 | Georgia Southern Eagles | 6 | (0) |
| 2021 | Houston Baptist Huskies | 17 | (5) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016 | ProStars FC | 11 | (2) |
| 2017 | Master's FA | 2 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | Colorado Pride Switchbacks U23 | 20 | (5) |
| 2021 | Port City FC | 8 | (5) |
| 2022 | HFX Wanderers FC | 0 | (0) |
| 2022 | → FC Edmonton (loan) | 21 | (2) |
| 2023 | Vaughan Azzurri | 3 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | Simcoe County Rovers | 25 | (4) |
| 2026 | Canadian Crusaders (indoor) | 1 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of April 11, 2026 | |||
Early career
Smith began playing soccer with Grand Valley Minor Soccer, before moving to Brampton East SC.[1] Afterwards, Smith joined the ProStars FC Academy.[2] In February 2016, he joined the U19 side of Hungarian club ETO FC Győr.[3][4]
College career
In 2017, he began attending Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.[5] He scored his first goal on September 1, 2017, against the Jones Bobcats, scoring twice and adding an assist.[6] On October 5, 2018, he scored a hat trick against the Meridian Eagles.[7] For the 2018 season, Smith was selected to play in the Mississippi Association of Community & Junior Colleges Men's All-Star Soccer Game (however the match was cancelled due to poor field conditions)[8] and was named to the United Soccer Coaches Men's NJCAA Division I All-South Region team.[9]
In 2019, he transferred to the University of South Carolina to play for the men's soccer team.[10] He scored his first goals on October 1, scoring twice against the Presbyterian Blue Hose.[11][12]
In 2020, he transferred to Georgia Southern University to play for the Georgia Southern Eagles.[13] He made six appearances, including two starts, recording one assist.[14]
In 2021, he began attending Houston Baptist University, where he played for the Houston Baptist Huskies.[15] In his debut on August 26, he scored a golden goal winner in extra time over the St. Thomas Tommies.[16] He appeared in all 17 matches, scoring five goals, which all came within the team's first five games, including a two-goal performance against the Huston–Tillotson Rams.[17]
Club career
In 2016, he returned to ProStars FC and played in League1 Ontario.[18] After facing Toronto FC III during a league match, he was invited to train with the Toronto FC Academy.[2]
In 2017, he played for Master's FA in League1 Ontario.[19]
In 2018 and 2019, he played with the Colorado Pride Switchbacks U23 in USL League Two.[20][21] He scored his first goals on May 26, 2018, netting a brace against Albuquerque Sol FC,[22] which earned him PDL Western Conference Team of the Week honours.[23]
In 2021, he played for Port City FC in the National Premier Soccer League. He scored his first goal on May 27 against Jacksonville Armada U-23.[24] He scored a brace on June 5 against Florida Roots FC.[25]
In March 2022, Smith signed a professional contract with Canadian Premier League club HFX Wanderers FC,[17] immediately being sent on an intra-league loan to FC Edmonton.[26][27] He scored his first goal on September 10 against York United FC.[28]
In 2023, he began the season playing with Vaughan Azzurri in League1 Ontario,[29] before switching to the Simcoe County Rovers.[30]