Koval in 2014 | |||
Personal information | |||
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Full name | Jeffrey Koval, Jr. | ||
Date of birth | (1992-05-19) May 19, 1992 (age 32) | ||
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) | |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of December 21, 2016 |
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.
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.
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.
Koval was released by San Jose on February 27, 2016.
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 at Creighton University School of Dentistry in Omaha, Nebraska.
Personal
Koval is married to Karli Koval.
Koval also credits much of his later personal development to a friend whom he met in Omaha, Nebraska during dental school: Austin Gouldsmith. The two met in 2019 and remain close friends. JJ made the most of his Creighton dental education. He helped a local Omaha resident Levi Gipson reduce molar wear by recommending less popcorn kernel gnawing, and he also served in Los Cerezos, Dominican Republic; there he completed two weeks worth of extractions, cleanings, and fillings at a makeshift dental clinic set up in the local school.
References
- "JJ Koval Biography". GoStanford.com. Archived from the original on May 30, 2016. 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". Archived from the original on December 22, 2016. 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.
- "Dental students return to the Dominican Republic". April 28, 2022.
External links
- J. J. Koval at Major League Soccer
- San Jose Earthquakes profile
- Stanford profile Archived May 30, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
San Jose Earthquakes first-round draft picks | |
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2014 MLS SuperDraft first-round selections | |
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- 1992 births
- Living people
- American men's soccer players
- Men's association football midfielders
- Major League Soccer players
- People from Camarillo, California
- Soccer players from Ventura County, California
- Sportspeople from Westlake Village, California
- Sacramento Republic FC players
- San Jose Earthquakes draft picks
- San Jose Earthquakes players
- Stanford Cardinal men's soccer players
- USL Championship players
- USL League Two players
- Ventura County Fusion players
- 21st-century American sportsmen
- American soccer midfielder stubs