Jalen Watson

Jalen Ellis-Watson (born March 23, 2000) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays for Canadian Premier League club Pacific FC on loan from MLS Next Pro club Toronto FC II.

Not to be confused with Jaylen Watson.

Jalen Watson
Personal information
Full name Jalen Ellis-Watson
Date of birth (2000-03-23) March 23, 2000
Place of birth Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 Pacific FC
(on loan from Toronto FC II})
Number 16
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)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of August 17, 2023

Early life

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

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]

Club career

At the 2023 MLS SuperDraft, Watson was selected in the second round (32nd overall) by Toronto FC.[10][11] After attending pre-season with the club,[12] Waston signed a professional contract with the second team, Toronto FC II, in MLS Next Pro.[13] He made his debut on April 14 against New York City FC II.[14] In August 2023, he was loaned to Pacific FC in the Canadian Premier League.[15][16]

References
  1. "Jalen Watson Whitecaps profile". Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
  2. 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.
  3. "Men's Soccer Finalizes Incoming Class". Penn State Nittany Lions. May 20, 2019.
  4. "Jalen Watson Penn State profile". Penn State Nittany Lions.
  5. "Men's Soccer Holds Two-Goal Advantage Over Pitt in Victory". Penn State Nittany Lions. October 15, 2019.
  6. Sistrand, Carolyn. "A Recipe For Success: This Cook's Book Has Only Just Begun". Penn State Nittany Lions.
  7. 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.
  8. Boyer, Kaleb (December 21, 2022). "Penn State men's soccer's Jalen Watson, Liam Butts, Andrew Privett selected in 2023 MLS SuperDraft". Daily Collegian.
  9. Taylor, Paul (December 27, 2022). "Toronto FC: 5 things to know about both Jalen Watson and Charlie Sharp". Toronto Reds.
  10. "Toronto FC select Jalen Watson and Charlie Sharp in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft". Toronto FC. December 21, 2023.
  11. Palermo, Adam (December 23, 2022). "Toronto FC selects Jalen Watson and Charlie Sharp in 2023 MLS SuperDraft". Waking the Red.
  12. Palermo, Adam (February 8, 2023). "Toronto FC 2023 Preseason Tracker". Waking the Red.
  13. "Toronto FC II add MLS SuperDraft pick Jalen Watson to roster". Toronto FC. March 17, 2023.
  14. "Toronto FC II loan defender Jalen Watson to Pacific FC". Toronto FC. August 18, 2023.
  15. "Pacific FC sign defender Jalen Watson on loan from TFC II". Pacific FC. August 18, 2023.
  16. Jacques, John (August 18, 2023). "Pacific Procures Jalen Watson On Loan From TFC2". Northern Tribune.
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