| Ryan James | |
| Fullname: | Ryan Lee James |
| Birth Date: | 21 April 1994 |
| Birth Place: | Mississauga, Ontario, Canada |
| Height: | 1.76 m |
| Position: | Defender |
| Youthyears1: | –2011 |
| Youthclubs1: | Dixie SC |
| Youthyears2: | 2012 |
| Youthclubs2: | Toronto FC |
| Collegeyears1: | 2012–2015 |
| College1: | Bowling Green Falcons |
| Collegecaps1: | 79 |
| Collegegoals1: | 9 |
| Years1: | 2012 |
| Clubs1: | TFC Academy |
| Years2: | 2015 |
| Clubs2: | Toronto FC III |
| Caps2: | 1 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Years3: | 2016–2017 |
| Clubs3: | Rochester Rhinos |
| Caps3: | 59 |
| Goals3: | 1 |
| Years4: | 2018 |
| Clubs4: | Nashville SC |
| Caps4: | 16 |
| Goals4: | 0 |
| Years5: | 2019–2020 |
| Clubs5: | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC |
| Caps5: | 50 |
| Goals5: | 5 |
| Years6: | 2021–2022 |
| Clubs6: | Birmingham Legion FC |
| Caps6: | 59 |
| Goals6: | 1 |
| Years7: | 2023 |
| Clubs7: | HFX Wanderers |
| Caps7: | 6 |
| Goals7: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | June 22, 2023 |
Ryan Lee James (born April 21, 1994) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a defender.[1]
James began playing youth soccer at age four with Dixie SC. He later joined the Toronto FC Academy.[2] He was a member of the Ontario provincial team at both the U14 and U16 levels, winning a silver medal at both national tournaments.[3]
In 2012, he committed to attend Bowling Green University to play for the men's soccer team.[4] On September 9, 2012, James recorded his first collegiate goal and his first assist in a 3–3 draw against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.[5] On October 30, 2012, he scored a brace in a 3–2 victory over the Wright State Raiders,[6] which earned him Bowling Green's Athlete of the Week honours.[7] 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.[8] [9]
In his junior season, he was named to the NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region Third Team,[10] the All-MAC Second-Team,[11] All-Ohio Second Team,[12] Academic All-MAC Team,[13] a MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete,[14] and a Academic All-Ohio First Team.
Ahead of his senior season, he was named a team captain.[15] He was named a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award,[16] was named to the All-MAC Second Team,[17] Academic All-MAC Team,[18] MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete, and was the male recipient of Bowling Green's Medal of Honor.[19] Ahead of the MLS SuperDraft, he was invited to the MLS Combine.[20] [21] Over his four seasons, he played in all 79 of the team's games, scoring nine goals and adding 15 assists.[22]
In 2012, James began playing with the TFC Academy in the first division of the Canadian Soccer League.[23] He also appeared with TFC Academy in a Premier Development League match in 2015.
At the 2016 MLS SuperDraft, James was drafted in the third round (52nd overall) by Sporting Kansas City.[24] [25] He attended pre-season with the team,[26] [27] however, he did not ultimately sign with the club.[28] [29]
In March 2016, James signed with the Rochester Rhinos of the USL.
In December 2017, James signed with Nashville SC in the USL, for the 2018 season.[30] [31]
In November 2018, James signed a one-year contract, with a club option for 2020 with Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.[32] In April 2019, he was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week for the first time.[33] He scored his first goal for the Riverhounds on August 1, 2020, against Philadelphia Union II.[34] After scoring a brace against the Hartford Athletic on August 28, 2020, James was named USL Championship Player of the Week (and named to the Team of the Week).[35] [36] After another two-goal performance against the Hartford Athletic on September 12, he was once again named to the Team of the Week.[37] [38] For the 2020 season, he was named the Steel Army (the Riverhounds' supporters group) Player of the Year.[39]
In December 2020, James signed a multi-year contract with Birmingham Legion FC.[40] [41] He scored his first goal for the Legion on July 9, 2022, against the Charleston Battery.[42] In July 2022, he was named to the USL Team of the Week.[43]
In February 2023, he signed a one-year contract with a club option for 2024, with the HFX Wanderers in the Canadian Premier League.[44] He was named an assistant captain for the 2023 season.[45] He made his debut for the club on April 15, 2023, against Atlético Ottawa.[46] In July 2023, it was announced that he would miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery due to injury.[47] [48] In December 2023, the Wanderers declined his option for 2024.[49]
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.
James is the younger brother of Evan James, who is also a professional soccer player.[50] [51] In September 2022, he was the inaugural recipient of the Coaching License Scholarship from Kwik Goal, the United Soccer League, and US Soccer, and will begin with B coaching license training with the United States Soccer Federation.[52] [53]
| Club | League | Season | League | Playoffs | Domestic Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| Toronto FC III | Premier Development League | 2015[54] | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Rochester Rhinos | USL | 2016 | 27 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 32 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 0 | |||
| Total | 59 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 64 | 1 | |||
| Nashville SC | USL | 2018 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 19 | 0 | |
| Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | USL Championship | 2019 | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | 17 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 50 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 55 | 5 | |||
| Birmingham Legion FC | USL Championship | 2021 | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 33 | 0 | ||
| 2022 | 27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 1 | |||
| Total | 59 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 63 | 1 | |||
| HFX Wanderers FC | Canadian Premier League | 2023 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| Career Total | 191 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 208 | 7 | |||