James William Ockford (born June 10, 1992) is an American
soccer player who plays for
Colorado Springs Switchbacks
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC is a professional soccer team based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Founded in 2014, the team is a member of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The franchise is owned by Martin E ...
in the
USL Championship
The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...
.
Career
College and amateur
Ockford began his college career at
Mount St. Mary's University where he played as a
forward for three seasons. In his freshman year with the Mountaineers, Ockford made 17 appearances and finished the year with one assist. In 2011, he made 16 appearances and tallied three goals and three assists. In 2012, he made 17 appearances and tallied two goals. Following the conclusion of the 2012, Mount St. Mary's Athletics announced that it would cut three of their sports programs, including men's soccer.
On February 6, 2013, it was announced that Ockford transferred to the
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one o ...
for his senior season. In his lone season with the Cardinals, Ockford was converted to
defender and he excelled as he made 20 appearances, tallied four goals and helped the Cardinals record nine clean sheets on their way to winning the
AAC regular season title. On November 14, Ockford was named AAC Defender of the Year.
During his time in college, Ockford also played 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 syst ...
for
Central Jersey Spartans
Central Jersey Spartans was an American soccer team based in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 2009, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Mid Atlan ...
and
Reading United.
North American Soccer League
On January 16, 2014, Ockford was drafted in the second round of the
2014 MLS SuperDraft
The 2014 MLS SuperDraft was the fifteenth SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. The first two rounds of the four round draft took place on January 16, 2014, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Philadelphia Convention Center. Rounds three ...
(21st overall) by
Seattle Sounders FC. He signed with the club on February 26 and was immediately loaned to
NASL club
New York Cosmos New York Cosmos may refer to
* New York Cosmos (1970–1985), a team in the North American Soccer League (then the top-tier soccer league in the United States and Canada)
* New York Cosmos (2010), a team playing since 2020 in the National Independ ...
. On May 28, Ockford made his professional debut and scored his first goal in a 2–0 win over
NPSL club
Brooklyn Italians
Brooklyn Italians is an American soccer team based in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States. Founded in 1949, the team last played in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), a national amateur league at the fourth tier of the Americ ...
in the third round of the
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in that country.
The 2023 U.S. O ...
. Three days later, he made his
NASL debut and scored in a 3–0 win against
Fort Lauderdale Strikers Fort Lauderdale Strikers may refer to:
*Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983), member of North American Soccer League from 1977 to 1983
*Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994), member of American Soccer League from 1988 to 1989 and American Profes ...
.
Ockford scored two goals and made 10 appearances for the Cosmos during the 2014 regular season, helping the team clinch a berth in
The Championship
The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the En ...
. He also scored one goal in three U.S. Open Cup appearances for the Cosmos.
United Soccer League
On January 10, 2017, it was announced that
USL side and
San Jose Earthquakes affiliate
Reno 1868 FC
Reno 1868 FC was an American professional soccer team based in Reno, Nevada. Founded in 2015, the team made its debut in the USL Championship in March 2017 and ceased operations after the 2020 season.
History
Previously, northern Nevada has ...
had signed Ockford. He scored his first goal for the team on May 20, 2017, in Reno's 6–0 rout of his former team
Seattle Sounders FC 2
Tacoma Defiance, formerly Seattle Sounders FC 2, is an American professional soccer team based in Tacoma, Washington, U.S. that competes in the MLS Next Pro, the third tier of the national soccer pyramid, as the reserve team of Seattle Soun ...
. Ockford made his first appearance for San Jose as a 33rd-minute substitute for
Andrés Imperiale on July 14, 2017, during San Jose's 4–1 friendly victory over
Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. () is a professional sports club based in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. It is best known for its football club, which was founded on 8 March 1899. The team is currently playing in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the Germa ...
.
Ockford joined
USL Championship
The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...
team
Louisville City FC
Louisville City Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Louisville, Kentucky. The team plays in the USL Championship, known through the 2018 season as the United Soccer League (USL), which is currently the second tier of th ...
on a full-time basis on December 5, 2019.
On December 24, 2020, it was announced that Ockford would join USL Championship side
Colorado Springs Switchbacks
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC is a professional soccer team based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Founded in 2014, the team is a member of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The franchise is owned by Martin E ...
ahead of their 2021 season.
Major League Soccer
Ockford was signed by the San Jose Earthquakes on December 14, 2017, along with Reno teammates
Chris Wehan and
Luis Felipe Fernandes. He made his MLS debut on March 3, 2018, during San Jose's season-opening 3–2 victory over
Minnesota United
Minnesota United FC is an American professional soccer club based in Saint Paul, Minnesota that plays in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer. The club began play in 2017 as the league's 22nd club, and replaced the North American So ...
, substituting on in the 54th minute after
Yeferson Quintana was injured.
Statistics
Statistics accurate as of June 13, 2018.
Honors
University of Louisville
*
American Athletic Conference
The American Athletic Conference (The American or AAC) is an American collegiate athletic conference, featuring 11 member universities and five affiliate member universities that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) ...
regular season champions:
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
Individual
*
American Athletic Conference
The American Athletic Conference (The American or AAC) is an American collegiate athletic conference, featuring 11 member universities and five affiliate member universities that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) ...
Defender of the Year:
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
References
External links
*
Louisville Cardinals bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ockford, Jimmy
1992 births
Living people
American soccer players
Louisville Cardinals men's soccer players
Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers men's soccer players
Central Jersey Spartans players
Reading United A.C. players
Seattle Sounders FC players
New York Cosmos (2010) players
Tacoma Defiance players
Reno 1868 FC players
Nashville SC (2018–19) players
Louisville City FC players
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC players
Men's association football defenders
Soccer players from Pennsylvania
Seattle Sounders FC draft picks
USL League Two players
Major League Soccer players
North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players
USL Championship players
People from Yardley, Pennsylvania
San Jose Earthquakes players
Sportspeople from Bucks County, Pennsylvania