John Nelson (soccer, born 1998)

Last updated

John Nelson
CINvNYC 2022-06-29 - John Nelson (52187621914) (cropped).jpg
Nelson with FC Cincinnati in 2022
Personal information
Full name John Vincent Nelson
Date of birth (1998-07-11) July 11, 1998 (age 27)
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
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2017–2018 North Carolina Tar Heels 41 (1)
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(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

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.

Contents

Career

Youth & 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 and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cupOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
FC Dallas 2019 MLS 90000090
2020 MLS110—2 [a] 0130
Total2000020220
North Texas SC (loan) 2019 USL 71——71
Total71000071
Career total2710020291
  1. ↑ Appearances in MLS Cup Playoffs

Honors

St. Louis City SC

LA Galaxy

References

  1. ↑ McManus, Kevin (January 14, 2019). "Medina's Nelson drafted by FC Dallas" . Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  2. ↑ "John Nelson - 2017 Men's Soccer Roster". goheels.com. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  3. ↑ "2017 TOP COLLEGE PROSPECTS - John Nelson". uslleaguetwo.com. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Tobacco Road FC 2018 Roster - John Nelson". uslleaguetwo.com. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  5. ↑ "MLS announces 2019 Generation adidas class ahead of Combine". mlssoccer.com. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  6. ↑ "FC Dallas Selects Callum Montgomery, John Nelson in 2019 MLS SuperDraft". fcdallas.com. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Roster decision deadline: Sporting KC, FC Dallas, Austin FC announce moves | MLSSoccer.com". mlssoccer.
  8. ↑ "FC Cincinnati sign defender John Nelson | FC Cincinnati". fccincinnati.
  9. ↑ mlssoccer. "2022 MLS Expansion Draft: St. Louis CITY make 5 picks before inaugural season | MLSSoccer.com". mlssoccer. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  10. ↑ SC, St Louis CITY. "St. Louis CITY SC End of Season Roster Decisions | St. Louis SC". St. Louis CITY SC. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  11. ↑ lagalaxy. "LA Galaxy Sign Free Agent Defender John Nelson | LA Galaxy". lagalaxy. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  12. ↑ John Nelson at Soccerway . Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  13. ↑ "St. Louis CITY dominate Sporting KC to set another MLS record". Major League Soccer. September 30, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  14. ↑ Sigal, Jonathan (December 7, 2024). "Champions! LA Galaxy lift MLS Cup 2024 over New York Red Bulls". Major League Soccer. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
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