Jake Girdwood-Reich
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 Girdwood-Reich warming up for Sydney FC vs Brisbane Roar 24 April 2023 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jake Max Girdwood-Reich[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 26 May 2004[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Clovelly, Australia[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Defensive midfielder | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team |
Auckland FC (on loan from St. Louis City SC) | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Sydney Olympic | ||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | St Johnstone | ||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | APIA Leichhardt | ||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2020 | Sydney FC | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2020–2023 | Sydney FC NPL[3][4] | 33 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022–2024 | Sydney FC | 39 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | St. Louis City 2 | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024– | St. Louis City SC | 18 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025– | → Auckland FC (loan) | 23 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Australia U20 | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Australia U23 | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16 April 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 24 March 2024 | |||||||||||||||||
Jake Max Girdwood-Reich (Yiddish: [raɪx];[5] born 26 May 2004) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a defensive midfielder for Auckland FC on loan from St. Louis City SC. A versatile player, Girdwood-Reich can also be deployed as a central defender.[6]
Jake Max Girdwood-Reich was born on 26 May 2004[1] in Clovelly, New South Wales .[7] He is Jewish, and his maternal grandmother is a Holocaust survivor. His mother briefly worked with UNICEF in Sydney, which eventually partnered with Sydney FC in 2012.[8] Girdwood-Reich grew up a Sydney FC supporter and became a member when he was six years old.[9]
He is also a supporter of Premier League club Arsenal and Scottish club Rangers through the influence of the Scottish family of his father. Girdwood-Reich attended Clovelly Public School and Endeavour Sports High School, playing for both the school football teams and state school teams.[10][11] Outside of school, he played junior football for Sydney University, Sydney Olympic and Scottish club St Johnstone.[11] Girdwood-Reich later played in the under-13s for APIA Leichhardt before signing for Sydney FC Youth at the age of 12.[11][12] He also played futsal for Mascot Vipers and the NSW representative futsal team.[11][13]
Club career
Sydney FC
Girdwood-Reich made his professional debut in an Australia Cup Round of 32 match for Sydney against Central Coast Mariners on 31 July 2022.[14] He made his A-League Men debut for the club as a substitute on 29 October 2022 against Macarthur FC.[15]
Jake won the Sydney FC Rising Star Award at the 2022 Sky Blue Awards night shortly after being promoted to the A-League from the NPL squad.[16] 2024 was selected for the PFA Players A League Team of the Season.
St. Louis City SC
After a standout 2023–24 A-League season, Girdwood-Reich was sold to Major League Soccer expansion club St. Louis City SC for an undisclosed amount,[17] believed to exceed the $1.3 million[18] record set by Adrian Mierzejewski.
Loan to Auckland FC
On 16 September 2025, Girdwood-Reich joined Auckland FC on loan for the 2025–26 season as an injury replacement for Nando Pijnaker, reuniting with head coach Steve Corica.[19]
He made his Auckland FC debut in a 0–0 draw against Melbourne Victory.[20]
On 20 February 2026, Girdwood-Reich featured in his third New Zealand derby. After scooping the ball high following a clearance, he inadvertently pressured the Wellington Phoenix goalkeeper Josh Oluwayemi into heading the ball into his own net. Auckland FC went on to win 5–0, securing victory in all three derbies of the season, with Girdwood-Reich playing the full 90 minutes in each match.[21]
International career
First representation honours for Girdwood-Reich came in the COVID affected 2019 U17 FIFA World Cup. After playing in all three games in the qualifying tournament in Hanoi, the finals tournament and the World Cup itself were both cancelled due to COVID-19.[22]
Jake's first post-COVID-19 opportunity arose in 2023, with selection for the U20 FIFA World Cup qualifying tournament in Uzbekistan at age 18,[22] where Australia were eliminated by the hosts in the quarter-finals.[23]
In 2024, at age 19, Girdwood-Reich was selected for the U23 Olyroos, to compete in the 2024 WAFF U-23 Championship.[24] He was subsequently selected again for the squad that competed in the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup[25] but did not progress beyond the group stage.
Career statistics
- As of 11 August 2024
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a][b] | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sydney FC | 2022–23[26] | A-League Men | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 15 | 0 | |
| 2023–24[26] | A-League Men | 25 | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | 30 | 1 | ||
| Total | 39 | 1 | 6 | 0 | — | 45 | 1 | |||
| St. Louis City SC | 2024 | MLS | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| Auckland FC (loan) | 2025–26 | A-League Men | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0[c] | 0 | 23 | 1 |
| Career total | 63 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 71 | 2 | ||