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
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

Jalen Ellis-Watson (born March 23, 2000) is a Canadian professional soccer player.

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. 1 2 "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. 1 2 "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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