John Nelson (soccer, born 1998)
American soccer player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Vincent Nelson (born July 11, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy.
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Nelson with FC Cincinnati in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Vincent Nelson | ||
| Date of birth | July 11, 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Medina, Ohio, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | LA Galaxy | ||
| Number | 14 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Internationals SC | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2018 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 41 | (1) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017 | North Carolina FC U23 | 1 | (0) |
| 2018 | Tobacco Road FC | 5 | (1) |
| 2019–2021 | FC Dallas | 30 | (0) |
| 2019 | → North Texas SC | 6 | (1) |
| 2022 | FC Cincinnati | 24 | (0) |
| 2023 | St. Louis City | 17 | (0) |
| 2024– | LA Galaxy | 23 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2013 | United States U15 | 2 | (0) |
| 2013–2015 | United States U17 | 18 | (0) |
| 2016 | United States U19 | 7 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | United States U20 | 3 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of November 25, 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals as of November 11, 2022 | |||
Career
Youth and college
John grew up in Medina, Ohio. In 2010, he joined Internationals SC, as a member of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, in which he was a member of until 2017. While a graduate of Medina High School, Nelson did not play for the school's boys' soccer team.[1] Upon graduating high school, Nelson attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he played college soccer for two years between 2017 and 2018, making 41 appearances, scoring 1 goal and tallying 3 assists.[2]
While in college, Nelson played in the PDL with North Carolina FC U23[3] and Tobacco Road FC.[4]
Nelson opted to leave college early and signed a Generation Adidas contract with MLS ahead of the 2019 MLS SuperDraft.[5]
Professional career
On January 11, 2019, Nelson was drafted 10th overall in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft, by FC Dallas.[6] Following the 2021 season, Nelson's contract option was declined by Dallas.[7]
Nelson officially signed with FC Cincinnati on January 6, 2022, after having his rights acquired by Cincinnati in Stage 2 of the 2021 MLS Re-Entry Draft in December 2021.[8]
Nelson was selected by St. Louis City SC in the 2022 MLS Expansion draft for the club’s inaugural season in 2023.[9] Nelson left the club in November 2023 at the end of his contract. [10]
Nelson signed with LA Galaxy on December 21, 2023 to a two year contract with a club option for the 2026 season. [11]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played December 2, 2020[12]
- Appearances in MLS Cup Playoffs
