Ryan Lee James (born April 21, 1994) is a Canadian professional

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 plays as a defender for

HFX Wanderers HFX Wanderers Football Club, commonly known as HFX Wanderers, and spoken as Halifax Wanderers, is a Canadian professional soccer club in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League at the top of the Canadian soccer le ...

in the

Canadian Premier League The Canadian Premier League (CPL or CanPL; french: Première ligue canadienne, links=no) is a professional men's Association football, soccer league in Canada. At the top of the Canadian soccer league system, it is the country's primary nationa ...

Early life

James began playing youth soccer at age four with Dixie SC. He later joined the

Toronto FC Academy Toronto FC Academy, also known as TFC Academy, is the youth academy and development system of Canadian Major League Soccer club Toronto FC. The academy has divisions from U14 to U19 and includes over 110 young players. The senior academy team is ...

. He was a member of the Ontario provincial team at both the U14 and U16 levels, winning a silver medal at both national tournaments.

College career

In 2012, he committed to attend

Bowling Green University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research facilities in the ...

to play for the men's soccer team. On September 9, 2012, James recorded his first collegiate goal and his first assist in a 3–3 draw against the

Coastal Carolina Chanticleers The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (, ) are the athletic teams that represent Coastal Carolina University. They participate in Division I of the NCAA as a member of the Sun Belt Conference in most sports, having joined that conference as a full ...

. On October 30, 2012, he scored a brace in a 3–2 victory over the

Wright State Raiders The Wright State Raiders are the athletics teams of Wright State University in Fairborn, Ohio. The school currently participates in ten sports at the Division I level of the NCAA and are members of the Horizon League. The school's mascot is a wo ...

, which earned him Bowling Green's Athlete of the Week honours. In his sophomore season, he was named to the OCSA Academic All-Ohio Second Team and also earned honourable mention honours for the Academic All-MAC Team. In his junior season, he was named to the NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region Third Team, the All-MAC Second-Team, All-Ohio Second Team, Academic All-MAC Team, a MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete, and a Academic All-Ohio First Team. Ahead of his senior season, he was named a team captain. He was named a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award, was named to the All-MAC Second Team, Academic All-MAC Team, MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete, and was the male recipient of Bowling Green's Medal of Honor. Ahead of the MLS SuperDraft, he was invited to the

MLS Combine The Major League Soccer Player Combine used to be a four-day annual showcase, occurring every January. For 2020 it will not happen. It seems that individual teams will be doing their own trials instead. Format The present Player Combine featur ...

. Over his four seasons, he played in all 79 of the team's games, scoring nine goals and adding 15 assists.

Club career

In 2012, James began playing with the

TFC Academy Toronto FC Academy, also known as TFC Academy, is the youth academy and development system of Canadian Major League Soccer club Toronto FC. The academy has divisions from U14 to U19 and includes over 110 young players. The senior academy team is ...

in the

Canadian Soccer League The Canadian Soccer League (CSL; french: Ligue canadienne de soccer — LCS) is a semi-professional league for Canadian soccer clubs primarily located in the province of Ontario, and claims the history of the Canadian National Soccer League (C ...

and also appeared in the

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

in a match in 2015. At the

2016 MLS SuperDraft The 2016 MLS SuperDraft was the seventeenth SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held each year in conjunction with the annual National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention. The 2016 convention was held in Ba ...

, James was drafted in the third round (52nd overall) by

Sporting Kansas City Sporting Kansas City, often shortened to Sporting KC, is an American men's professional Association football, soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The administrative offices are located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and t ...

. He attended pre-season with the team, however, he did not ultimately sign with the club. In March 2016, James signed with the

Rochester Rhinos Rochester New York FC, formerly known as the Rochester Rhinos, are an American professional soccer team based in Rochester, New York, United States. Founded in 1996, as the Rochester Raging Rhinos, they changed their name to Rochester Rhinos to ...

of the

USL 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 ...

. In December 2017, James signed with

Nashville SC Nashville Soccer Club is a Major League Soccer team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The team began play in the league in 2020 as a continuation of the USL club of the same name and plays its home matches at Geodis Park. It is principally owned ...

in the USL, for the 2018 season. In November 2018, James signed a one-year contract, with a club option for 2020 with

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC is an American professional soccer team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1999 and beginning play in 1999, the club plays in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American so ...

. In April 2019, he was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week for the first time. He scored his first goal for the Riverhounds on August 1, 2020, against

Philadelphia Union II Philadelphia Union II is an American professional soccer team based in Chester, Pennsylvania competing in MLS Next Pro. Founded in 2015 as Bethlehem Steel FC, the team is the official affiliate of the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer. T ...

. After scoring a brace against the

Hartford Athletic Hartford Athletic is an American professional soccer team based in Hartford, Connecticut. The club was founded in 2018 and started play in the USL Championship in 2019. It is the only pro soccer team in Connecticut. History On June 8, 2021, Ha ...

on August 28, 2020, James was named USL Championship Player of the Week (and named to the Team of the Week). After another two-goal performance against the Hartford Athletic on September 12, he was once again named to the Team of the Week. For the 2020 season, he was named the Steel Army (the Riverhounds' supporters group) Player of the Year. In December 2020, James signed a multi-year contract with

Birmingham Legion FC Birmingham Legion FC is an American professional soccer club based in Birmingham, Alabama, that competes in the USL Championship, the second division of American soccer. The team was established in August 2013 and played under the name Birming ...

. He scored his first goal for the Legion on July 9, 2022, against the

Charleston Battery The Charleston Battery are an American professional association football, soccer club based in Charleston, South Carolina, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 1993, the Battery are one of the oldest continuously operating professiona ...

. In July 2022, he was named to the USL Team of the Week. In February 2023, he signed a one-year contract with a club option for 2024, with the

in the

. He was named an assistant captain for the 2023 season. He made his debut for the club on April 15, 2023, against

Atlético Ottawa Atlético Ottawa is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Ottawa, Ontario. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League and plays its home games at TD Place Stadium, TD Place. The team was founded in 2020 by Spa ...

. In July 2023, it was announced that he would miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery due to injury.

International career

He made his debut in the Canadian national program attending a camp with the Canada U17 team in August 2010, later attending a second camp in November 2010.

Personal life

James is the younger brother of Evan James, who is also a professional soccer player. In September 2022, he was the inaugural recipient of the Coaching License Scholarship from Kwik Goal, the

United Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a Association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues curren ...

, and US Soccer, and will begin with B coaching license training with 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 ...

Career statistics

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:James, Ryan 1994 births Living people Canadian men's soccer players Canadian expatriate men's soccer players Bowling Green Falcons men's soccer players Maryland Terrapins men's soccer players Rochester New York FC players Nashville SC (2018–19) players Men's association football defenders Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Sporting Kansas City draft picks USL Championship players Toronto FC players Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC players Birmingham Legion FC players Canadian Soccer League (1998–present) players Soccer players from Mississauga Canadian sportspeople of Jamaican descent Black Canadian men's soccer players Canadian expatriate sportspeople in the United States USL League Two players HFX Wanderers FC players Canadian Premier League players