| John Nelson | |
| Fullname: | John Vincent Nelson |
| Birth Date: | 11 July 1998 |
| Birth Place: | Medina, Ohio, United States |
| Height: | 5ft 9in |
| Currentclub: | LA Galaxy |
| Clubnumber: | 14 |
| Position: | Defender |
| Youthclubs1: | Internationals SC |
| Collegeyears1: | 2017–2018 |
| College1: | North Carolina Tar Heels |
| Collegecaps1: | 41 |
| Collegegoals1: | 1 |
| Years1: | 2017 |
| Clubs1: | North Carolina FC U23 |
| Caps1: | 1 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2018 |
| Clubs2: | Tobacco Road FC |
| Caps2: | 5 |
| Goals2: | 1 |
| Years3: | 2019–2021 |
| Clubs3: | FC Dallas |
| Caps3: | 30 |
| Goals3: | 0 |
| Years4: | 2019 |
| Clubs4: | → North Texas SC |
| Caps4: | 6 |
| Goals4: | 1 |
| Years5: | 2022 |
| Clubs5: | FC Cincinnati |
| Caps5: | 24 |
| Goals5: | 0 |
| Years6: | 2023 |
| Clubs6: | St. Louis City |
| Caps6: | 17 |
| Goals6: | 0 |
| Years7: | 2024– |
| Clubs7: | LA Galaxy |
| Caps7: | 12 |
| Goals7: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | July 7, 2024 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2013 |
| Nationalteam1: | United States U15 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 2 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2013–2015 |
| Nationalteam2: | United States U17 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 18 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 0 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2016 |
| Nationalteam3: | United States U19 |
| Nationalcaps3: | 7 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 0 |
| Nationalyears4: | 2016–2017 |
| Nationalteam4: | United States U20 |
| Nationalcaps4: | 3 |
| Nationalgoals4: | 0 |
| Nationalteam-Update: | November 11, 2022 |
John Vincent Nelson (born July 11, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy.
John grew up in Medina, Ohio. In 2010, he joined Internationals SC, as a member of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, in which he was a member of until 2017. While a graduate of Medina High School, Nelson did not play for the school's boys' soccer team.[1] Upon graduating high school, Nelson attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he played college soccer for two years between 2017 and 2018, making 41 appearances, scoring 1 goal and tallying 3 assists.[2]
While in college, Nelson played in the PDL with North Carolina FC U23[3] and Tobacco Road FC.[4]
Nelson opted to leave college early and signed a Generation Adidas contract with MLS ahead of the 2019 MLS SuperDraft.[5]
On January 11, 2019, Nelson was drafted 10th overall in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft, by FC Dallas.[6] Following the 2021 season, Nelson's contract option was declined by Dallas.[7]
Nelson officially signed with FC Cincinnati on January 6, 2022, after having his rights acquired by Cincinnati in Stage 2 of the 2021 MLS Re-Entry Draft in December 2021.[8]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| FC Dallas | 2019 | MLS | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||
| 2020 | MLS | 11 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 13 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 0 | ||||
| North Texas SC (loan) | 2019 | USL | 7 | 1 | — | — | 7 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | ||||
| Career total | 27 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 1 | ||||