Jonathan Spector
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Jonathan Michael Paul Spector (born March 1, 1986) is an American former
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 played as a defender. In his 16-year career playing first-team soccer he played over 400 games for club and country, and helped the United States win the
CONCACAF Gold Cup The CONCACAF Gold Cup ( es, Copa de Oro de la CONCACAF, french: Coupe D'or CONCACAF) is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF, determining the continental champion of North Ameri ...
in 2007. He earned 36 caps for the United States national team. He is now the Head of International Player Recruitment and Development for MLS side
Atlanta United Atlanta United FC, commonly known as Atlanta United, is an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference. Founded in 2014, Atlanta United began pl ...
. Spector started his professional career in England when he was signed by
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
as a teenager, but rarely appeared for the club. He played on loan at
Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in C ...
, then in 2006 joined
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
, for whom he played over 100 games before he was released at the end of the 2010–11 season. He then spent five-and-a-half seasons with
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
. Spector then played for MLS club Orlando City and had a short spell with Scottish club Hibernian. He retired as a player in 2019. Although he began playing as a striker during his youth career, Spector was converted into a defender as a professional. He most commonly played as a right-back, although he occasionally appeared across the defensive line and in central midfield.


Early life

Spector was born and grew up in the Chicago suburb of
Arlington Heights, Illinois Arlington Heights is a municipality in Cook County with a small portion in Lake County in the U.S. state of Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it lies about northwest of the city's downtown. Per the 2020 Census, the population was 77,676. Per the ...
. He is Jewish. His father is of English and Irish ancestry, and his mother was born in
Siegen Siegen () is a city in Germany, in the south Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly sho ...
, Germany; as a result of this, Spector has a German passport, which allowed him to play in England without needing a work permit.. Yanks Abroad. November 9, 2005. Retrieved August 20, 2012. Spector's grandfather, Art Spector, was an
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player and the first player to be signed by the
Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...
in 1946, which led to him becoming known as the "Original Celtic". He died in June 1987, when Jonathan was 15 months old. Spector attended St. Peter Lutheran Junior High School and St. Viator High School, where he played high school soccer. He was an
Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It has ...
basketball standout. He started his club soccer career with Schwaben AC in
Buffalo Grove, Illinois Buffalo Grove, officially the Village of Buffalo Grove, is a village in Lake and Cook County, Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it lies about northwest of Downtown Chicago. As of the 2020 Census, Buffalo Grove has a population of 43,212. It tot ...
, before joining national power
Chicago Sockers The Chicago Sockers were an American soccer team that were founded in 1995 as the Chicago Stingers. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues (USL) and played at the professional level in the USISL Pro League, USISL Select League and ...
(2003). He also played youth soccer with Chicago Fire (2003) and Manchester United (2003). He graduated from the
United States Soccer Federation The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the federation is ...
's Bradenton Academy at the age of 17 in the summer of 2003.


Club career


Manchester United

Spector was discovered by a
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
scout while playing for the American Under-17 squad at the
Milk Cup SuperCupNI, formerly called the Northern Ireland Youth Soccer Tournament and the Dale Farm Milk Cup, is an international youth football tournament held annually in Northern Ireland. The cup matches are mainly played in the North Coast area of ...
in 2003. Originally a striker, Spector was lined up in defense due to injuries for a game the scout had attended to scout other players. Impressed by Spector's defending, the scout alerted the club. Spector joined United in summer 2003. He won the club's Young Player of the Year award for the 2003–04 season. He made his first appearance for the first team in the
FA Community Shield The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is English football's annual match contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup. If the Premier Le ...
match against
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
in August 2004. In December, United manager
Sir Alex Ferguson Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson (born 31 December 1941) is a Scottish former football manager and player, best known for managing Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football managers of all tim ...
announced that Spector would be loaned out to fellow
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
side
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...
for the remainder of the season. However, Ferguson was soon forced to postpone the deal due to an injury crisis in the United defense. The injury crisis continued and Spector was not able to make his loan move before the transfer window closed on January 31, 2005. Before the start of the 2005–06 season, Spector went on a season-long loan to another Premiership club,
Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in C ...
, to obtain more first-team experience. He finished the season with 16 starts and eight substitute appearances.


West Ham United

Spector was signed by manager
Alan Pardew Alan Scott Pardew (born 18 July 1961) is an English football manager and former professional footballer, who is the current manager of Greek Super League club Aris. Pardew's highest achievements in the sport include reaching the FA Cup Final th ...
for
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
in a deal initially worth £500,000 in June 2006, ending his association with Manchester United after eight appearances. He made his debut for the club in the first round defeat of the
UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...
against
Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...
in Sicily on September 28, going on to make twenty-eight appearances in all competitions in the 2006–07 season. Spector had initially been brought as backup to the West Ham defense, but he had an extended run of games due to injury problems and his ability to play anywhere in the back four with equal ease. On November 10, 2007, it was believed that Spector had scored his first professional goal, in the 5–0 away win at
Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 1884 ...
. However, this was later credited as an
own goal An own goal, also called a self goal, is where a player performs actions that result in them or their team scoring a goal on themselves, often resulting in a point for the opposing team, such as when a football player kicks a ball into their own ...
by Derby's fellow American international
Eddie Lewis Edward Lewis may refer to: Politicians * Edward Lewis (Devizes MP) (1650–1674), British MP for Devizes, 1669–1674 * Edward Lewis (Radnor MP), British MP for Radnor, 1761–1768, 1769–1774 and 1775–1790 * Edward Parke Custis Lewis (1837–1 ...
. He missed most of the 2008–09 season due to injuries, but following the departure of
Lucas Neill Lucas Edward Neill (born 9 March 1978) is an Australian former soccer player. Neill played as a defender, often playing as a centre back as well as a full-back. Neill spent almost 15 years of his career playing in England. He represented Austr ...
, Spector played in 27 of a possible 38 games in the 2009–10 season. Many of his appearances that year came at left-back, despite being a right footed player. When
Gianfranco Zola Gianfranco Zola (; born 5 July 1966) is an Italian football manager and former footballer who played predominantly as a forward. He was most recently the assistant manager of Chelsea. He spent the first decade of his playing career playing in ...
left, new manager
Avram Grant Avraham "Avram" Grant ( he, אברהם "אברם" גרנט; born Avraham Granat; ) is an Israeli professional football manager. He has spent the majority of his career coaching and managing in Israel, winning a number of national league and cup ...
began deploying Spector in the midfield. He scored his first goals for West Ham and first in English soccer, scoring twice in a 4–0 home win over former club Manchester United in the
League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
on November 30, 2010. He scored his first Premier League goal in the 2–2 draw away to Everton later that season. Spector was released by West Ham in June 2011.


Birmingham City

Spector signed a two-year contract with
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...
club
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
in August 2011, four days before the opening of the league season. He made his debut in Birmingham's first match in major European competition for nearly 50 years, the Europa League play-off round first leg against Portuguese club
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, which finished goalless. Three days later, he played his first league game in English soccer at a level below the Premier League, in a 3–1 defeat at
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...
. Spector was played in central midfield for the first few months of his Birmingham City career, a position he said he enjoyed, and filled in at right-back in the European matches as Birmingham failed by a point to progress past the
group stage A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concent ...
. Later in the season, he was used more frequently at right-back, at the expense of captain
Stephen Carr Stephen Carr (born 29 August 1976) is an Irish former professional footballer who played for and captained Birmingham City from 2009 to 2013. He previously played for Premier League teams Tottenham Hotspur and, for a shorter spell, Newcastle U ...
, and occasionally at left-back. The ''
Birmingham Mail The ''Birmingham Mail'' (branded the ''Black Country Mail'' in the Black Country) is a tabloid newspaper based in Birmingham, England but distributed around Birmingham, the Black Country, and Solihull and parts of Warwickshire, Worcestershire ...
'' end-of-season review viewed his versatility as "an invaluable asset". He missed the last two months of the season with a torn thigh muscle, returning for Birmingham's unsuccessful play-off campaign only to suffer a recurrence of the injury which was to keep him out of the summer's international program. Carr was injured in the final pre-season game, and the only alternative right-back was the teenaged
Will Packwood William James Packwood (born May 21, 1993) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a defender or defensive midfielder. Packwood joined the youth academy at English club Birmingham City in 2007 at the age of 14. He made h ...
. Despite having taken no part in the warm-up games, Spector returned to action in the opening match of the 2012–13 season, as a second-half substitute for Packwood, and started the next, though "short of match sharpness, he was rusty and had a torrid time of it". He scored his first goal for Birmingham in a 3–2 defeat by
Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...
in the
League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
on August 28. New manager Lee Clark preferred his "drive and energy" in midfield, with right-back duties shared between Packwood, loan signing
Paul Caddis Paul McLean Caddis (born 19 April 1988) is a Scottish football coach and former professional footballer who played in more than 350 professional matches at club level and represented his country at youth and senior levels. Having predominantly ...
and others, but injuries soon forced his return to full-back. Spector was restricted to 10 appearances in the second half of the season by a succession of minor injuries, culminating in ankle damage sustained in early April that kept him out for what remained of the campaign. Although several senior players were released at the end of the season, Spector agreed a further two-year contract, which he signed after he and wife Olivia Metzinger returned from honeymoon. Two weeks later, Spector fractured his cheekbone in five places during a pre-season game. He returned to Birmingham's midfield for the 3–2 defeat by
Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
in late August, and a month later was involved in an eventful match at
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...
. He had a goal disallowed shortly before QPR took the lead, and after 79 minutes was yellow-carded for
diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), a ...
in the penalty area when it appeared that
Richard Dunne Richard Patrick Dunne (born 21 September 1979) is an Irish former footballer and current television pundit for BT Sport, who played as a defender. He made 431 Premier League appearances, including 253 for Manchester City. Dunne began his pro ...
had tripped him. In mid-October, he tore a thigh muscle in training. This time, the injury kept him out for four months; he returned in mid-February 2014, and was a regular starter from then on, as Birmingham avoided
relegation In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...
to
League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
on
goal difference Goal difference, goal differential or points difference is a form of tiebreaker used to rank sport teams which finish on equal points in a league competition. Either "goal difference" or "points difference" is used, depending on whether matches ar ...
via a stoppage-time equalizer in the last match of the season. Again, Spector began the 2014–15 season as a regular starter, tore a thigh muscle a couple of months in, and missed the next four months. By the time he regained fitness,
Gary Rowett Gary Rowett (born 6 March 1974) is an English professional football manager and former player, who is currently manager of Championship club Millwall. As a player, he was a defender, and played in the Premier League for Everton, Derby County, ...
had replaced Clark as manager, Caddis was the right-back of choice, and Michael Morrison and Paul Robinson had established themselves at center-back, which Spector had told Rowett was his position of choice. When Morrison injured an ankle in late January, he came back into the team in that position, initially with Robinson, then partnering loanee Rob Kiernan, and finishing the season, after a minor injury that coincided with Morrison's return to fitness, playing alongside the latter. Although Spector had hinted that he had been away from home and wider family long enough, and there was reported interest from
Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
clubs, he confirmed that he and his wife felt settled in Birmingham, and signed a new two-year contract. He went through the 2015–16 season injury free. He alternated at starting center-back with the veteran Robinson, and although he enjoyed no more onfield time than in either of the preceding two seasons, he was almost ever-present in the matchday squad. After Rowett decided that
Paul Caddis Paul McLean Caddis (born 19 April 1988) is a Scottish football coach and former professional footballer who played in more than 350 professional matches at club level and represented his country at youth and senior levels. Having predominantly ...
's fitness levels were too low, Spector began the 2016–17 season at right-back. He continued in that position until and after
Gianfranco Zola Gianfranco Zola (; born 5 July 1966) is an Italian football manager and former footballer who played predominantly as a forward. He was most recently the assistant manager of Chelsea. He spent the first decade of his playing career playing in ...
who had managed Spector at West Hamreplaced Rowett in December. By January 2017, Spector had decided he wanted to return to the United States. With the emergence of Josh Dacres-Cogley, who played at right back while Spector served a suspension in November, and the arrival of
Emilio Nsue Emilio Nsue López (born 30 September 1989) is a professional footballer who plays for Primera División RFEF club CF Intercity. Born in Spain, he captains the Equatorial Guinea national team. A versatile player, he plays mainly as a right-back ...
, Zola felt able to accede to his request. He made a total of 179 appearances in all competitions for Birmingham.


Orlando City

Birmingham City canceled Spector's contract by mutual consent, and on January 24, 2017, he signed with Orlando City of
Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
. On March 5, he made his Major League Soccer debut for Orlando City in their first game of the 2017 season that resulted in a 1–0 win over
New York City FC New York City Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in New York City that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), the highest level of American soccer, as a member of the league's Eastern Conference. The club is co-owned ...
and saw Spector named to the MLS Team of the Week. He was named club captain prior to the start of the 2018 season following the departure of
Kaká Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (; born 22 April 1982), commonly known as Kaká () or Ricardo Kaká, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. In his prime as a playmaker at AC Milan, a period marke ...
. After a season mostly spent battling against injuries, the club announced they were declining his contract option, making him a free agent. He played 38 games for the club over two years.


Hibernian

Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish ...
club Hibernian signed Spector on a short-term contract in March 2019. Spector was released by Hibernian in May 2019, having made one appearance, in an
Edinburgh derby The Edinburgh derby is an informal title given to any football match played between Scottish clubs Heart of Midlothian (Hearts) and Hibernian (Hibs), the two oldest professional clubs based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The two clubs have a fierce r ...
win against Hearts. He officially announced his retirement as an active player on August 11, 2019. In his 16-year career playing first-team football, he played over 400 games for club and country, and helped the United States win the
CONCACAF Gold Cup The CONCACAF Gold Cup ( es, Copa de Oro de la CONCACAF, french: Coupe D'or CONCACAF) is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF, determining the continental champion of North Ameri ...
in 2007. Later that month, he was appointed the Head of International Player Recruitment and Development for MLS side
Atlanta United FC Atlanta United FC, commonly known as Atlanta United, is an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference. Founded in 2014, Atlanta United began pl ...
.


International career

In 2003, Spector played for the United States national team at the World Under-17 Championship in Finland and earned his first
cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...
for the senior team on November 17, 2004, in a World Cup qualifier against
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
. In 2005, Spector was part of the United States Under-20 team at the
2005 FIFA World Youth Championship The 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship was the 15th edition of the FIFA World Youth Championship. It took place in the Netherlands between 10 June and 2 July 2005. Venues Qualification The following 24 teams qualified for the 2005 FIFA Worl ...
in the Netherlands and as the 2005–06 Premier League season approached its conclusion, was considered a long shot to be included in the United States
World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
squad. However, a shoulder injury sustained on April 17 in a game against
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...
ended his chances of playing at the World Cup. Spector was a member of the United States team that beat
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
2–1 in the CONCACAF Gold Cup Final in Chicago in June 2007. However, during the final, he had to be substituted by Frankie Simek as he collided heads with Mexican midfielder
Andrés Guardado José Andrés Guardado Hernández (; born 28 September 1986) is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Real Betis and captains the Mexico national team. Popularly known as ''Principito'' (Spanish for '' L ...
. Immediately after the substitution
Benny Feilhaber Benny Feilhaber (; born January 19, 1985) is an American soccer coach and former professional player who is currently head coach of MLS Next Pro side Sporting Kansas City II, an affiliate of Sporting Kansas City. A midfielder, Feilhaber played fo ...
struck the winning volley. Following injuries to Steve Cherundolo and
Frankie Hejduk Frank Daniel "Frankie" Hejduk (born August 5, 1974) is an American former soccer player who played as a wingback and midfielder. At the club level he represented the Tampa Bay Mutiny, Bayer Leverkusen, St. Gallen, Columbus Crew, and the LA Gal ...
, Spector was included in the United States roster for the
2009 FIFA Confederations Cup The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup was the eighth Confederations Cup, and was held in South Africa from 14 June to 28 June 2009, as a prelude to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The draw was held on 22 November 2008 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Joh ...
and took the chance to cement his place in the national team, starting at right-back for the entire tournament. He assisted
Clint Dempsey Clinton Drew Dempsey (; born March 9, 1983) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a forward and midfielder. During his career, he played in the Premier League for Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur and in Major League Soccer ...
to score a vital goal against Egypt in the last group stage match as the United States scraped through to the semifinals on the basis of goals scored. In the final against
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, Spector once again assisted Dempsey in scoring the opening goal with a similar long cross from the right flank. Having returned from a long injury lay-off, Spector was ever present at right-back for the remaining 2010 World Cup fourth round qualifiers in 2009 although he has also been partnered with captain
Carlos Bocanegra Carlos Manuel Bocanegra (born May 25, 1979) is an American sports executive and former professional soccer player. A two-time MLS Defender of the Year, Bocanegra also played professionally in England, Scotland, France, and Spain. He earned over 1 ...
in central defense occasionally due to
Oguchi Onyewu Oguchialu Chijioke Onyewu (born May 13, 1982) is an American former soccer player who is the secretary-general of R.E. Virton. He was previously the sporting director for Orlando City B. During his professional career, he played as a defender ...
's long-term injury. He was rested for the United States' last qualifying match against
Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
on October 14 as qualification had already been secured and was recalled for friendlies in November and March. Coach
Bob Bradley Robert Frank Bradley (born March 3, 1958) is an American soccer coach who is the head coach and sporting director of Toronto FC. A native of New Jersey and graduate of Princeton University, Bradley coached in the American college game and Maj ...
included him in the final 23-man squad for the
World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
although he did not appear in any games. Later in 2010, Spector was a starting right-back in friendlies against Brazil and
Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
. Spector received his first call-up to the senior national team in 18 months when he was added to the squad ahead of September 2015 friendlies against
Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...
and Brazil; he played in the second game, as a second-half substitute in a 4–1 defeat. He earned 36 caps for the United States between 2004 and 2015.


Career statistics


Club


International appearances


Honors

United States *
CONCACAF Gold Cup The CONCACAF Gold Cup ( es, Copa de Oro de la CONCACAF, french: Coupe D'or CONCACAF) is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF, determining the continental champion of North Ameri ...
:
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
Individual *
Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year Manchester United Football Club Under-21s is the most senior of Manchester United F.C., Manchester United's youth teams and the club's former reserve team. They play in the Premier League 2, the highest tier of the Professional Development Leag ...
: 2003–04


See also

* List of select Jewish association football (soccer) players


References


External links


West Ham Utd Profile
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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spector, Jonathan 1986 births Living people People from Arlington Heights, Illinois Sportspeople from Cook County, Illinois American soccer players Jewish footballers Jewish American sportspeople Citizens of Germany through descent Association football defenders United States men's youth international soccer players United States men's under-20 international soccer players United States men's international soccer players Chicago Fire U-23 players Chicago Sockers players Manchester United F.C. players Charlton Athletic F.C. players West Ham United F.C. players Birmingham City F.C. players Orlando City SC players Hibernian F.C. players USL League Two players Premier League players English Football League players Major League Soccer players CONCACAF Gold Cup-winning players 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2010 FIFA World Cup players 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' soccer) Soccer players from Illinois American people of English descent American people of German descent American people of Irish descent Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in Scotland American expatriate soccer players American expatriate sportspeople in England Scottish Professional Football League players Atlanta United FC non-playing staff 21st-century American Jews American expatriate sportspeople in Scotland