Jalen Watson
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jalen Antonio Ellis-Watson | ||
| Date of birth | March 23, 2000 | ||
| Place of birth | Mississauga, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Simcoe County Rovers FC | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Brampton East SC | |||
| Erin Mills SC | |||
| 2017–2019 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2022 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 59 | (1) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023 | Toronto FC II | 2 | (0) |
| 2023 | → Pacific FC (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2024– | Simcoe County Rovers FC | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of April 28, 2024 | |||
Jalen Antonio Ellis-Watson (born March 23, 2000) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays for Simcoe County Rovers FC in League1 Ontario.
Early life[edit]
Watson played youth soccer with Erin Mills SC.[1] In August 2017, Watson joined the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy, where he played for two years.[1][2]
College career[edit]
In 2019, Watson began attending Pennsylvania State University, where he played for the men's soccer team.[3] On August 30, 2019, he made his collegiate debut against the Stanford Cardinal.[4] On October 15, 2019, he scored his first collegiate goal against the Pittsburgh Panthers.[5] After his freshman season, he was named to the Big Ten Conference All-Freshman Team.[6] In his sophomore and junior seasons, he earned Academic All-Big Ten honours.[4] In his senior season, he was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament team.[7][8] Over his four years at Penn State, Watson scored one goal and added three assists in 59 appearances.[9][10]
Club career[edit]
At the 2023 MLS SuperDraft, Watson was selected in the second round (32nd overall) by Toronto FC.[11][12] After attending pre-season with the club,[13] Waston signed a professional contract with the second team, Toronto FC II, in MLS Next Pro.[14] He made his debut on April 14 against New York City FC II.[15] In August 2023, he was loaned to Pacific FC in the Canadian Premier League.[16][17]
In 2024, he signed with the Simcoe County Rovers in League1 Ontario.[18]
Career statistics[edit]
- As of April 28, 2024[19]
| Club | Season | League | Playoffs | Domestic Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Toronto FC II | 2023 | MLS Next Pro | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | 2 | 0 | |||
| Pacific FC (loan) | 2023 | Canadian Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | |
| Simcoe County Rovers FC | 2024 | League1 Ontario | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | |
| Career total | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Jalen Watson Whitecaps profile". Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
- ^ Pollak, David (October 16, 2019). "Why Penn State men's soccer's Jalen Watson and Adam Laundree work well together despite their differences". Daily Collegian.
- ^ "Men's Soccer Finalizes Incoming Class". Penn State Nittany Lions. May 20, 2019.
- ^ a b "Jalen Watson Penn State profile". Penn State Nittany Lions.
- ^ "Men's Soccer Holds Two-Goal Advantage Over Pitt in Victory". Penn State Nittany Lions. October 15, 2019.
- ^ Sistrand, Carolyn. "A Recipe For Success: This Cook's Book Has Only Just Begun". Penn State Nittany Lions.
- ^ Cykosky, Phoebe (November 13, 2022). "Big Ten names Penn State men's soccer defender Jalen Watson to all-tournament team despite 1st-round loss". Daily Collegian.
- ^ Boyer, Kaleb (December 21, 2022). "Penn State men's soccer's Jalen Watson, Liam Butts, Andrew Privett selected in 2023 MLS SuperDraft". Daily Collegian.
- ^ Taylor, Paul (December 27, 2022). "Toronto FC: 5 things to know about both Jalen Watson and Charlie Sharp". Toronto Reds.
- ^ Trozzo, Tony (August 18, 2023). "PFC stabilizes defensive unit with the signing of Jalen Watson on loan from TFC II". Victoria Now.
- ^ "Toronto FC select Jalen Watson and Charlie Sharp in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft". Toronto FC. December 21, 2023.
- ^ Palermo, Adam (December 23, 2022). "Toronto FC selects Jalen Watson and Charlie Sharp in 2023 MLS SuperDraft". Waking the Red.
- ^ Palermo, Adam (February 8, 2023). "Toronto FC 2023 Preseason Tracker". Waking the Red.
- ^ "Toronto FC II add MLS SuperDraft pick Jalen Watson to roster". Toronto FC. March 17, 2023.
- ^ "Toronto FC II loan defender Jalen Watson to Pacific FC". Toronto FC. August 18, 2023.
- ^ "Pacific FC sign defender Jalen Watson on loan from TFC II". Pacific FC. August 18, 2023.
- ^ Jacques, John (August 18, 2023). "Pacific Procures Jalen Watson On Loan From TFC2". Northern Tribune.
- ^ Hewitt, Thomas (April 23, 2024). "Toronto FC welcome Simcoe County Rovers for Canadian Championship clash, League1 Ontario team's biggest-ever game". Waking the Red.
- ^ Jalen Watson at Soccerway
External links[edit]
- Jalen Watson at Soccerway
- 2000 births
- Living people
- Men's association football defenders
- Canadian men's soccer players
- Soccer players from Mississauga
- Toronto FC draft picks
- Toronto FC II players
- Whitecaps FC Academy players
- Penn State Nittany Lions men's soccer players
- MLS Next Pro players
- Pacific FC players
- Simcoe County Rovers FC players
- League1 Ontario players