Josh Jones: A Journey from Louisville to Ocean City and the Pros
Breaking the Current Mold in Pursuit of Soccer Dreams
Josh Jones, a Hatfield native, has earned many opportunities throughout his soccer career. He has enjoyed significant success, including winning a state championship with North Penn High as a captain and leading his club team, Ukrainian Nationals, to a spot in the 2019 USYS National Championship.
However, his path to where he is now—with the Ocean City Nor'easters and being drafted by Real Salt Lake—should inspire the next generation of players, as he skipped the MLS Academy model altogether in favor of the traditional high school and club route.
Mark Kelkenberg, a dear friend and contributor to my content, and I sat with Josh for about 45 minutes to talk about his journey so far. We learned about his experiences of turning down MLS Academies, attending the MLS College Showcase, and his hopes for the future, which may or may not include soccer in Europe.
Early Decisions and Their Impact on a Promising Soccer Career
With the more recent recognition and success of homegrown players, the MLS NEXT Academies have garnered a lot of attention lately, especially with the likes of Cavan Sullivan. Everybody is always looking for the next teenage superstar, so it often appears that the priority is on academy products rather than drafted collegiate prospects.
MLS Season Pass on Apple TV has even streamed the MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs and Generation Adidas Cup, so many fans have come to focus on the academy players as the main route to the professional level. There have been plenty of success stories from the MLS SuperDraft, and the draft is as valuable as ever, regardless of whether or not the players have been in an MLS NEXT Academy during their youth.
As the college level has become the ultimate test for many U19 MLS Academy products with hopes of becoming professional players, their affiliation doesn’t necessarily mean they will play professionally one day. In fact, it might not even guarantee they will play meaningful minutes at the college level. Jones has seen this unfold throughout his time in college. There’s been a mystique around the players who come from the kind of MLS NEXT Academies that Jones had turned down, but in an environment where wins matter more than highlight clips, even some MLS scouts will tell you that the demands of the college level further refine and develop more promising U23 player.
"Growing up at the youth level, that’s when the Philadelphia Union Academy took off. It was my dream to play for the Philadelphia Union Academy. They had asked me to train a few times. My dad declined it as he wanted me to experience club ball and try other sports. I arrived at Louisville at the same position as pretty much any other kid that came from a developmental academy. Everyone's path is different."
For Josh, this couldn't be more true as he’s been one of the most promising U23 players at this point. Despite turning down the opportunity to be part of the Philadelphia Union organization, Josh wouldn't have changed how things went. He still found his way to Louisville, a strong contender in the ACC Atlantic Division, and his first three years of performances gained him enough attention from scouts and coaches. Heading into the offseason after the 2023 fall season, he was added to the 2024 Eligible Players List along with the opportunity to attend the MLS College Showcase ahead of the SuperDraft.
MLS Combine and The Results
The annual MLS College Showcase, more commonly referred to as the Combine, was a special experience for Jones, who earned an invitation as one of the 44 players selected. The event, held in Phoenix, was an eye-opening experience for Jones, who left it all on the field, even picking up an injury that diminished his ability to show scouts more of what he was capable of.
“I had a great experience at the Combine. Not a lot of people know this, but I got injured at the Combine. On the first day, we had a training session and did physical testing. The second day was our first match day, and I played the first five to ten minutes, went into a tackle, and got an MCL sprain on my knee. I played the rest of the half, but it continuously got worse. I had to step out of the Combine the last two days.
I don't know if that hurt my draft status going into the draft, but I was definitely aware that teams knew. Then after, I interviewed with 8 or 9 clubs at the Combine.”
With that experience and the guidance of his agent, Jones had a decision to make: return to college and complete his final year of eligibility, or test the waters of MLS via preseason and attempt to earn a first-team contract. Like all drafted players who haven’t yet graduated, as soon as they step foot into an MLS preseason, they are no longer considered an amateur and forfeit their remaining college eligibility. This is why we have seen a lot of players go back to their college teams despite being drafted. With the emphasis placed on a first-team contract, it would have been a gamble since Jones wasn’t interested in taking an MLS NEXT Pro contract.
Returning to Louisville Post-Draft
The decision to return to Louisville for his final season of eligibility was an interesting one for Jones, though ultimately an easy choice based on our conversation. During the draft process, Jones and his agent were clear in their messaging to clubs interested in him: should any club draft him and not offer him a first-team contract, they should know that he would be returning to Louisville to finish his degree. The timing of the injury he sustained right before the draft also proved to be a large factor in when he was selected. Between the MCL sprain and his firm stance in terms of the contract preference, he dropped into Round 2 where Real Salt Lake must have felt very fortunate to have landed arguably the best domestic center-back prospect.
“After I got injured, I did not know how bad it was going to be. After the Combine, I got it looked at, and they told me I would be out 6 to 8 weeks. I would not have been fit for pre-season. I would not have been ready to go and even train. Even back at Louisville, to rehab my knee, I wasn't healthy to train until almost the end of February when the MLS season was starting.
That went into my decision to go back to school because I knew they weren't going to offer me a first-team deal right away. They said I needed to earn it at preseason, forgoing my eligibility. Something I was not willing to do. I guess it all worked out in the end.”
Despite the short window that players have to maximize their careers, it was probably the right decision when all the variables were considered, even if many other players in his position would’ve jumped at the chance to take any professional deal. Furthermore, many critics and scouts could argue that playing ACC soccer is more of a challenge than playing at the MLS NEXT Pro level, especially when competing against several of the best college programs in the country. An ACC school has lifted the NCAA College Cup over the past three seasons, with rivals Clemson (‘23 and ‘21) and Syracuse (‘22) winning the National Championship.
So, with the decision made, Jones had also figured out his plans for the summer season, returning to the USL League Two with the Ocean City Nor'easters.
Ocean City Part Deux
Staying fit and continuing to improve through high-level soccer is imperative for prospects like Josh Jones. Players of his caliber, Division 1 athletes, have to find high-level competition to fill their summer season, as the “grind” never stops.
For Josh, the search for a “home” was not necessarily tough, and frankly, the match he made with Ocean City feels like a great one. In his time with the club, two consecutive summer seasons, the defender has now helped lead the club to back-to-back Mid Atlantic Division titles. After watching Jones play four games this season, it was clear that he is a man amongst boys. Not only did he contribute to the best goals allowed record in the division, he added 5 goals over the season. So, why Ocean City when he could have played anywhere within the league? Well, it went back to conversations that took place in early 2023.
"My teammate (Sander Røed) and I decided we were going to play USL2 together somewhere. We spoke with a few other clubs, including Asheville and Vermont. Kevin Nuss at Ocean City had tried to get me the year before, and I had turned him down. He reached out again, and I said, 'Yeah, I am interested, but I have to bring my teammate with me.'
We ended up deciding to play for Ocean City after talking with Nick Pariano because we knew him from playing against him at Duke, and they had a great year the year before. The team had some great players coming back. We knew we had a chance to do something special and have a fun year. Also, living at the beach, you can't complain about that. Additionally, it was only an hour and a half away from home, so if I needed to, I could go home and see my family, and they could come to see all the games. Having that was one of the big things. My grandparents are getting older, and it's hard for them to get to all of my games at Louisville."
Now, with his season done at Ocean City, Jones makes his way back to Louisville to prepare for his final season and graduate in December, with a path to professional soccer that may seem clear but may have many more avenues to explore considering his family’s background.
Final Season at Louisville and What’s Next
With a final season of eligibility, Jones departs the Ocean City-based club right before playoffs to prepare for what will be a challenging season in the ACC. With all to play for, including boosting his stock with American scouts, Jones also has a different path that he is trying to open, thanks to his grandparents.
“Both of my grandparents were born in Germany, so I have been working on getting my dual citizenship for the past year, but it has been held up for a while. Speaking with my agent, as soon as I get that, it opens up a ton more opportunities. It is a lot easier to talk to teams. The biggest reason why I went back to school, after speaking with my agent, is that now I have a lot more leverage. I can play my senior year and depending on how well I play, if Real Salt Lake doesn't want to offer me a first-team contract, other clubs will. Obviously, I want to go to Real Salt Lake; they are the ones who drafted me. If they offer me a contract, I will sign it. But if there is a chance to go to Europe after the fall season, that is always a possibility as well. I have always wanted to experience going overseas, perhaps going on trial. You never know; I'd be open to anything, to be honest.”
With this additional pathway in the works and a final season of experience in one of the best conferences in collegiate soccer, the path to the professional level is not a hope but a reality for Jones as he will likely have a couple of options. Time will tell whether that is domestic or international, but in the meantime, it looks as though the dedication and decisions have served Jones well as he’s months away from becoming a professional.
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