Jordan Pefok Explained

Jordan Pefok
Full Name:Theoson-Jordan Siebatcheu
Birth Date:April 26, 1996
Birth Place:Washington, D.C., United States
Height:1.91m (06.27feet)[1]
Position:Striker
Currentclub:Union Berlin
Clubnumber:17
Youthyears1:2003–2015
Youthclubs1:Reims
Years1:2013–2016
Clubs1:Reims II
Caps1:18
Goals1:4
Years2:2015–2018
Clubs2:Reims
Caps2:69
Goals2:20
Years3:2017
Clubs3:Châteauroux (loan)
Caps3:15
Goals3:10
Years4:2018–2021
Clubs4:Rennes
Caps4:29
Goals4:3
Years5:2020
Clubs5:Rennes II
Caps5:1
Goals5:0
Years6:2020–2021
Clubs6:Young Boys (loan)
Caps6:32
Goals6:12
Years7:2021–2022
Clubs7:Young Boys
Caps7:32
Goals7:22
Years8:2022–
Clubs8:Union Berlin
Caps8:32
Goals8:4
Years9:2023–2024
Clubs9:Borussia Mönchengladbach (loan)
Caps9:25
Goals9:5
Nationalyears1:2017
Nationalteam1:France U21
Nationalcaps1:2
Nationalgoals1:1
Nationalyears2:2021–
Nationalteam2:United States
Nationalcaps2:9
Nationalgoals2:1
Club-Update:May 19, 2024
Nationalteam-Update:March 24, 2022

Theoson-Jordan Siebatcheu[2] (born April 26, 1996), commonly known as Jordan Pefok or just Jordan, is an American professional soccer player who plays as a striker for club Union Berlin.

Club career

Reims

Pefok is a youth product of Stade de Reims, having joined the club as a 7-year-old.[3] He made his Ligue 1 debut on January 31, 2015, against Toulouse, replacing Alexi Peuget after 67 minutes in a 1–0 away defeat.[4] On August 9, 2015, Pefok scored his first Ligue 1 goal in only his second appearance, against Girondins de Bordeaux.[5] He signed his first professional contract in September 2015 committing to a three-year deal with Reims.[3]

On October 24, 2017, Pefok was named the Ligue 2 Player of the Month for September due to ranking among the league's best in both goals and assists, while leading Reims to the top of the Ligue 2 table.[6] On December 16, 2017, he set a career high for goals in a match by netting a hat trick against Valenciennes.[7] Pefok helped Reims win the 2017–18 Ligue 2 season and promotion to Ligue 1 for the 2018–19 season while also setting a record for the number of points in a Ligue 2 season. He finished the season with 17 goals, the second-highest total among all Ligue 2 players, as well as seven assists.[8]

Rennes

On June 12, 2018, Pefok signed a contract with Ligue 1 side Rennes.[9] On September 20, he made his European debut in the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League group stage for Rennes. On November 8, he scored his first European goal, against Dynamo Kyiv.[10] On December 22, he had his first Ligue 1 brace, scoring two goals and adding an assist against Nîmes Olympique in a 4–0 victory.[11]

Young Boys

On September 13, 2020, Pefok was loaned to Swiss side Young Boys.[12] After recording 15 goals and four assists across all competitions during the loan, Young Boys exercised the option to make the move permanent, effective July 1, 2021.[13]

On September 14, 2021, Pefok scored the winning goal in the opening match of the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League group stage. His winner for Young Boys came in the final minute of stoppage time for a 2–1 win against Manchester United.[14]

Pefok earned the Swiss Super League scoring title for the 2021–22 season with 22 league goals, despite missing most of May 2022 due to injury. He became the first American to win the Golden Boot for a European league. Pefok recorded a career-best 27 goals and five assists across all competitions during the year including UEFA Champions League and its qualifiers.[15]

Union Berlin

On June 30, 2022, Pefok joined Union Berlin on a transfer from Young Boys.[16] He scored on his debut for the club against Regionalliga Nordost club Chemnitzer FC in the first round of the DFB-Pokal on August 1,[17] then scored again against city rivals Hertha in the league opener on August 6.[18]

Loan to Borussia Mönchengladbach

On August 31, 2023, Pefok moved to Borussia Mönchengladbach on a season-long loan with an option to buy.[19]

International career

Pefok was born in Washington, D.C. to Cameroonian parents and grew up in France.[20] As a result, he was initially eligible to play for France, Cameroon, or the United States internationally.[21]

Pefok was called up for the first time to the France under-21 national team for two friendly matches in June 2017. He scored against Albania under-21s in his debut, and also played against Cameroon under-20s.[22]

The United States Soccer Federation inquired about Pefok,[23] and he was invited to the United States camp for a match against France in June 2018 but declined the call-up, citing his transfer from Reims to Rennes, while leaving the door open for possible inclusion in the United States squad in the future.[24] On March 10, 2021, he announced that he had committed to play for the United States.[25]

Pefok made his debut for the United States on March 25, 2021, in a 4–1 friendly win over Jamaica.[26] On June 3, 2021, he scored the winning goal in the 89th minute of a 1–0 win over Honduras in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal, after entering the game as a late substitution.[27]

Name

Jordan wears Pefok, his mother's maiden name, on the back of his jersey for the United States. He also wore it on the back of his Young Boys jersey,[28] [29] but decided to switch to using only his first name Jordan for Union Berlin.[30] [31] On the squad page for Union Berlin, he is identified as Jordan Siebatcheu.[32]

Career statistics

Club

Club!rowspan="2"
SeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupContinentalTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Reims II2013–14CFA 2122122
2015–16CFA 22222
2016–17CFA4040
Total184184
Reims2014–15Ligue 110000010
2015–16Ligue 12530010263
2016–17Ligue 2801311104
2017–18Ligue 2351721103818
Total692034317525
Châteauroux (loan)2016–17Championnat National151011001611
Rennes2018–19Ligue 1153332031237
2019–20Ligue 11402150211
Total293542081448
Young Boys (loan)2020–21Swiss Super League3212101034315
Young Boys2021–22Swiss Super League3222101254527
Union Berlin2022–23Bundesliga3143180425
2023–24Bundesliga101020
2024–25Bundesliga001010
Total3245180455
Borussia Mönchengladbach (loan)2023–24Bundesliga25522277
Career total25280181261379313102

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
United States202181
202210
Total91

Scores and results list the United States' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Pefok goal.

Honors

Reims

2017–18

Rennes

2018–19

Young Boys

2020–21[33]

United States

2019–20[34]

Individual

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Jordan Pefok . 1. FC Union Berlin . 4 August 2022.
  2. Web site: Jordan Siebatcheu BSC Young Boys. 2021-09-26. Swiss Football League – SFL.
  3. Web site: Theoson-Jordan Siebatcheu – Stade de Reims. Stade de Reims. October 9, 2015. February 4, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180204220937/http://stade-de-reims.com/sdrplayers/theoson-jordan-siebatcheu/. dead.
  4. Web site: Toulouse vs. Reims – 31 January 2015 – Soccerway. soccerway.com. 23 May 2015.
  5. Web site: Bordeaux vs. Reims – 9 August 2015 – Soccerway. soccerway.com. 15 August 2015.
  6. Web site: STEVE MANDANDA ET THEOSON SIEBATCHEU, JOUEURS DU MOIS DE SEPTEMBRE !. UNFP.org. 25 October 2017.
  7. Web site: LIGUE 2 : LE LEADER REIMS ÉCRASE VALENCIENNES !. December 16, 2017 . Le Figaro. 16 December 2017.
  8. Web site: Ensemble, fêtons nos champions ! - Stade de Reims. 7 May 2018. May 11, 2018. June 12, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180612144821/http://stade-de-reims.com/ensemble-fetons-nos-champions/. dead.
  9. Web site: Officiel : Jordan Siebtcheu signe à Rennes. 12 June 2018. L'Équipe. French.
  10. Web site: USMNT Weekly Youth Update: The Christian Cappis Saga. 12 November 2018. SB Nation. English.
  11. Web site: Jordan Siebatcheu makes SofaScore's Ligue 1 Team of the Week. 23 December 2018. Twitter. English.
  12. Web site: Transferts : Jordan Siebatcheu (Rennes) s'engage avec les Young Boys Berne (officiel). 13 September 2020. L'Équipe. French.
  13. Web site: Jordy Siebatcheu unterschreibt bis 2024 . Bscyb.ch . 22 September 2021 . German.
  14. Web site: Young Boys-Man. United UEFA Champions League. 2021-09-26. UEFA.com. en.
  15. Web site: American Pefok wins Swiss league scoring title with 22 goals. May 22, 2022 . Associated Press. English.
  16. Web site: 30 June 2022 . Union signs Jordan Siebatcheu . 30 June 2022 . fc-union-berlin.de . . de.
  17. Web site: Chemnitzer FC vs. 1. FC Union Berlin. ESPN. 1 August 2022.
  18. Web site: FC Union Berlin vs. Hertha Berlin. ESPN. 6 August 2022.
  19. Web site: Borussia Mönchengladbach. BORUSSIA LEIHT JORDAN SIEBATCHEU VON UNION BERLIN AUS. BORUSSIA ARE LOANING JORDAN SIEBATCHEU FROM UNION BERLIN. August 31, 2023. August 31, 2023. de.
  20. Web site: First Steps with the USMNT: Learn more about Jordan Siebatcheu and Bryan Reynolds. www.ussoccer.com.
  21. Web site: ASN article: Here's a Name to Know: Theoson Jordan Siebatcheu. americansoccernow.com.
  22. Web site: JORDAN SIEBATCHEU. fff.fr. May 23, 2017. May 18, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180518130033/https://www.fff.fr/equipes-de-france/tous-les-joueurs/fiche-joueur/2027127410-jordan-siebatcheu. dead.
  23. Web site: U.S. soccer: Joseph Gyau steps up to German 2nd division. washingtonpost.com.
  24. Web site: Sources: USMNT search for dual nationals continues with two U.S.-born, Europe-based players. theathletic.com.
  25. Web site: Johnson. Jonathan. 2021-03-10. Jordan Siebatcheu commits to USMNT: Young Boys striker primed for call-up 'if that possibility is presented'. 2021-03-10. CBSSports.com. en.
  26. Web site: U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM OPENS TWO-GAME EUROPEAN TOUR WITH 4-1 VICTORY AGAINST JAMAICA IN AUSTRIA TO EXTEND UNBEATEN RUN TO EIGHT MATCHES. ussoccer.com.
  27. Web site: Jordan Siebatcheu scores late winner to send USA to Concacaf Nations League final. cbssports.com. June 4, 2021.
  28. U.S. Men's National Soccer Team . USMNT . 1375806426686185472 . March 27, 2021 . @Yaznasty @Theosonsmith For club and country Jordan wears "Pefok" on the back of his jersey, which is his mother's maiden name. . en . December 13, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220831054137/https://twitter.com/usmnt/status/1375806426686185472 . August 31, 2022 . live.
  29. Web site: The story behind Siebatcheu debut jersey with the USMNT . March 30, 2021 . AS . 14 September 2021.
  30. 1. FC Union Berlin . 1. FC Union Berlin . fcunion . 1544697198587351040 . July 6, 2022 . https://t.co/UpdoDxiQD7 . en . December 13, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220707014141/https://twitter.com/fcunion/status/1544697198587351040 . July 7, 2022 . live.
  31. Web site: Union Signs Jordan Siebatcheu . FC Union Berlin . 6 July 2022.
  32. Web site: 1. FC Union Berlin .
  33. Web site: Young Boys win fourth straight Swiss league title. Yahoo. 18 April 2021. 19 April 2021. April 18, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210418230513/https://sports.yahoo.com/young-boys-win-fourth-straight-171147271.html. dead.
  34. News: 6 June 2021 . U.S. edge Mexico in thrilling style to win first CNLF . CONCACAF . 18 January 2023.
  35. https://www.sfl.ch/statistik-archiv/superleague/spieler/torschuetzen/ Torschützenliste 2021/22