Name Will John 2003-2004 Saint Louis University | Height 1.78 m Number 19 Role Soccer player | |
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Date of birth (1985-06-13) June 13, 1985 (age 30) Place of birth Overland Park, Kansas, United States | ||
Playing position Current team RoPS (#19 / Forward) | ||
Will John (born John Oluremi William June 13, 1985) is an American soccer player who plays for RoPS in the Veikkausliiga.
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Early life
John played high school soccer at Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Missouri. John currently holds the Rockhurst single season scoring title with 36 goals and 20 assists. He played also besides his High school career, club soccer for Kansas City Attack. John played college soccer at Saint Louis University, and in the USL Premier Development League for Kansas City Brass.
Club
John was drafted by the Chicago Fire in the second round of the 2005 MLS SuperDraft and Led the team in scoring in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. After a season with the Fire, John was traded to the Wizards for Diego Gutierrez.
In January 2008, John moved to Danish Superliga side Randers, sigining a 1-year contract. On 7 August 2008, Randers announced that John had agreed to personal terms and joined Serbian SuperLiga team FK Čukarički Stankom.
In February 2009 Will signed a contract with MŠK Žilina after agreeing to personal terms with the club. However, his former club Čukarički Stankom withheld his registration papers and John was forced to leave the club. John subsequently joined NK Vinogradar. In his first season with the club John recorded 5 goals and 8 assists in League and Cup games.
In September 2012 John joined Israeli side F.C. Ashdod and debuted for the team in the Toto Cup.
In October 2012 John joined Missouri Comets of the Major Indoor Soccer League on loan from Ukrainian First League side Oleksandriya. John scored 7 2-point goals in his 11 appearances for the Comets.
In February 2013 John signed for Azerbaijan Premier League side AZAL on a two-year contract. John became the first American to play and score in the Azerbaijan Premier League. John came on as a substitute for AZAL in their 3-0 victory against Kəpəz on 24 February 2013. John scored his first goal for AZAL on 3 March 2013 in a home victory over Gabala. John's consecutive goal scoring run was abruptly ended by a slight meniscus tear against Khazar Lankaran. The subsequent surgery saw John miss the remainder of the season.
The 2013-2014 season saw John establish himself as one of the most notable and skillful players in the Azerbaijan Premier League. John became the first player in the leagues history to win 3 "Goal of the month awards" in the same season. With 8 goals and 5 assists he was AZAL's leading goal scorer. John is most commonly known in Azerbaijan as Con Oluremi.
After leaving AZAL, John signed for Moroccan Botola side MAS Fez in September 2014. However, in January 2015 John left MAS Fez citing unpaid wages, with a proposed move to League of Ireland powerhouse Shamrock Rovers falling through in February 2015. In August 2015, John signed for Veikkausliiga side RoPS. On September 14, 2015, John's two goals in a win against KTP propelled RoPS to top of the table for the first time in over 25 years. John was awarded Man of the Match for his performance. In March 2016, John signed a new contract with RoPS.
International
John was part of the U-14, U-16 Youth National Teams as well as the U.S. Under-20 team at the 2005 World Youth Championship. As of June 2009 John is eligible for selection by both the Nigerian and US National teams due to the new FIFA Regulations.
Personal life
William is the son of Emilio and Annette John. Emilio is a former professional footballer and Nigeria national football team member. Because of his father's status William is eligible to play for the Super Eagles pending FIFA approval.
John is conversationally fluent in 7 languages, and stated in previous interviews that he would like to reach 10.