J. J. Koval
Jeffrey "J. J." Koval, Jr. (born May 19, 1992) is a former American soccer player who last played for Sacramento Republic in the United Soccer League.
![]() Koval in 2014 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Jeffrey Koval, Jr. | ||
Date of birth | May 19, 1992 | ||
Place of birth | Westlake Village, California, United States | ||
Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
Position(s) | Defensive Midfielder | ||
Youth career | |||
2007–2010 | Real So Cal | ||
College career | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2010–2013 | Stanford Cardinal | 74 | (6) |
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2013 | Ventura County Fusion | 3 | (0) |
2014–2015 | San Jose Earthquakes | 37 | (0) |
2014 | → Sacramento Republic (loan) | 2 | (1) |
2016 | Sacramento Republic | 27 | (1) |
Total | 69 | (2) | |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of December 21, 2016 |
Career
Youth and College
Koval played youth soccer for Real So Cal in his local area before signing a National Letter of Intent to play for Stanford Cardinal. For Stanford, Koval was a regular starter all four years for the program as a holding midfielder, appearing in all of Stanford's 74 games during that span, starting 73 of them.[1]
Professional
Koval was drafted ninth overall in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft by the San Jose Earthquakes. He subsequently signed a contract. On March 11, 2014, Koval made his professional debut for the Earthquakes in a CONCACAF Champions League match against Toluca, coming on for Jason Hernandez in the 73rd minute.[2]
Koval was released by San Jose on February 27, 2016.[3]
After spending the 2016 season with the Sacramento Republic, Koval announced his retirement from professional soccer on December 21, 2016 to pursue a career in dentistry.[4]
Personal
Koval is married to Karli Koval.[5]
References
- "JJ Koval Biography". GoStanford.com. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
- "San Jose Earthquakes v Toluca recap". MLSSoccer.com. Archived from the original on March 12, 2014. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
- "Earthquakes Waive Midfielder JJ Koval". February 27, 2016.
- Ralph, Eddie (December 21, 2016). "SACRAMENTO REPUBLIC FC MIDFIELDER JJ KOVAL ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT". Retrieved December 21, 2016.
- Paterson, Bill (July 2, 2016). "Republic FC players set aside day jobs to play under lights". The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, California. Retrieved July 22, 2016.