John Nelson (soccer, born 1998)

John Nelson

Nelson with FC Cincinnati in 2022
Personal information
Full name	John Vincent Nelson
Date of birth	(1998-07-11) July 11, 1998 (age 26)
Place of birth	Medina, Ohio, United States
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Position(s)	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, correct as of November 25, 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct 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.

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]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played December 2, 2020[9]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
FC Dallas	2019	MLS	9	0	0	0	0	0	9	0
	2020	MLS	11	0	—		2[a]	0	13	0
	Total		20	0	0	0	2	0	22	0
North Texas SC (loan)	2019	USL	7	1	—		—		7	1
Total		7	1	0	0	0	0	7	1
Career total				27	1	0	0	2	0	29	1

1. Appearances in MLS Cup Playoffs

Honors

St. Louis City SC

• Western Conference (regular season): 2023[10]

LA Galaxy

• MLS Cup: 2024[11]

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. John Nelson at Soccerway. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
10. "St. Louis CITY dominate Sporting KC to set another MLS record". Major League Soccer. September 30, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
11. Sigal, Jonathan (December 7, 2024). "Champions! LA Galaxy lift MLS Cup 2024 over New York Red Bulls". Major League Soccer. Retrieved December 8, 2024.

External links

• John Nelson at USL League One
• John Nelson at Major League Soccer
• John Nelson at Soccerway