James Nealis (born August 5, 1991) is an American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player who most recently played professionally for the New York Cosmos in the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

. As of October 2023, Nealis plays for

New York Pancyprian-Freedoms New York Pancyprian-Freedoms is an American amateur soccer team based in Astoria, New York, United States. Founded in 1974, the team plays in the Eastern Premier Soccer League, a league at the fifth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The tea ...

Career

College and amateur

Nealis spent his entire collegiate career at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

. In 2009, he made a total of 19 appearances for the Hoyas and tallied two goals and two assists. In his sophomore year in 2010, Nealis was part of Georgetown's defense that recorded nine shutouts as he started all 20 games for the Hoyas and recorded four assists and led the club to a Big East Blue Division title during the regular season. He went on to be named NSCAA Third Team All-Northeast Region that year. In 2011, Nealis went on to be named Third Team All-BIG EAST as he started all 18 games he appeared in and helped the Hoyas defense to seven shutouts. In his senior year in 2012, Nealis started all 26 games and led the Hoyas to the 2012 College Cup final where they eventually fall to

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

1-0. He was also named NSCAA Second Team All-Northeast Region. During his time in College, Nealis also played for

Long Island Rough Riders The Long Island Rough Riders are an American soccer team based in South Huntington, New York, United States. Founded in 1994, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays its home games at Hofst ...

in the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syste ...

Professional

On January 17, 2013, Nealis was drafted in the second round (37th overall) of the

2013 MLS SuperDraft The 2013 MLS SuperDraft was the fourteenth SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. The draft took place on January 17, 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana at the Indiana Convention Center. The Colorado Rapids enjoyed returns from the 2013 draft, ...

by the

Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo FC (formerly officially, but still commonly, called the Houston Dynamo) is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The Dynamo compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Establi ...

. However, he was cut from preseason camp a month later. On October 25, Nealis signed with NASL club New York Cosmos for the remainder of the 2013 season. He made his professional debut a week later in a 1-0 victory over

Atlanta Silverbacks The Atlanta Silverbacks FC were an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1998 as Atlanta Ruckus, the club played in many leagues over the years before folding after the 2015 season. The team played its home game ...

in the final game of the 2013 NASL Fall Season. Nealis made his first appearance of the 2014 season on May 31, 2014, earning the start at left back and contributing to a 3-0 shutout road victory over the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. Nealis saw 180 minutes of action in two starts and two appearances during the 2014 season. Nealis was released following the end of the 2014 season. In 2017, Nealis featured for

Greek American AA NY Greek American Atlas Astoria, commonly known as New York Greek American, is an American soccer team from New York City that currently plays in the Eastern Premier Soccer League and in the Cosmopolitan Soccer League. The club was formed in 194 ...

of the Cosmopolitan Soccer League. Nealis helped

to the 2022 Eastern Premier Soccer League Metropolitan Division title. He also appeared for the club during their 2024 U.S. Open Cup qualifiers. Nealis played in the inaugural edition of The Soccer Tournament for Charlotte FC.

References

External links

Georgetown Hoyas bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nealis, Jimmy 1991 births Living people American men's soccer players Men's association football defenders Georgetown Hoyas men's soccer players Houston Dynamo FC draft picks Long Island Rough Riders players New York Cosmos (2010) players North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players Sportspeople from Massapequa, New York Soccer players from Nassau County, New York USL League Two players Greek American AA players New York Pancyprian-Freedoms players