Connor James (soccer)

Connor James (born 17 July 1996) is a Canadian former professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper for FC Edmonton.

Connor James

Personal information
Date of birth	(1996-07-17) 17 July 1996 (age 28)
Place of birth	Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Youth career
	Southwest United
	FC Edmonton
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2014–2018	Alberta Golden Bears	67	(0)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2014	FC Edmonton	0	(0)
2019–2021	FC Edmonton	52	(0)
Total		52	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 November 2021

Playing career

On 3 May 2014, James appeared on the bench for FC Edmonton in an NASL match against Fort Lauderdale Strikers.^[1] He would make another bench appearance that season in a Canadian Championship match against Montreal Impact.^[1]

From 2014 to 2019, James attended the University of Alberta, where he would make 67 appearances over five seasons for the Golden Bears.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} While attending university, James played at the amateur level for the Edmonton Green & Gold in the Alberta Major Soccer League, making a total of 23 appearances between 2016 and 2018.^[7][8]

In November 2018, James was selected in the first round of the CPL–U Sports Draft, seventh overall, by his former club FC Edmonton.^[9] On 17 January 2019, James officially signed with FC Edmonton.^[10] On 4 May 2019, James made his professional debut against Valour FC in the club's first match in the Canadian Premier League.^[1] That season, he made a total of 22 league appearances, and was one of the three goalkeepers nominated for the CPL Golden Glove.^[1] On 27 November 2019, James re-signed with Edmonton for the 2020 season.^[11] He once again signed another contract to keep him with Edmonton for the 2021 season on January 11, 2021.^[12] He announced his retirement following the conclusion of the 2021 season.^[13] Overall, James made 52 appearances for FC Edmonton, remaining as the club's number one goalkeeper for its first three years in the CPL, and collected twelve clean sheets.^[14] While these seasons were not successful for the Eddies, as they finished at or near the bottom of the table each time, James was often a bright spot, as seen from his 2019 Golden Glove nomination.

References

1. "Connor James". Soccerway. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
2. "Connor James 2014-15". CWUAA. Archived from the original on 6 May 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
3. "Connor James 2015-16". CWUAA. Archived from the original on 6 May 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
4. "Connor James 2016-17". CWUAA. Archived from the original on 6 May 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
5. "Connor James 2017-18". CWUAA. Archived from the original on 6 May 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
6. "Connor James 2018-19". CWUAA. Archived from the original on 6 May 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
7. "Connor James". AMSL. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
8. "Edmonton Green & Gold 2018". AMSL. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
9. "FC Edmonton selects trio of Golden Bears in inaugural CPL-U SPORTS Draft". Canadian Premier League. 13 November 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
10. "FC Edmonton adds Lars Hirschfeld to coaching staff, signs pair of goalkeepers". Canadian Premier League. 17 January 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
11. "Connor James, Jeannot Esua headline latest group of FC Edmonton re-signings". Canadian Premier League. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
12. Thompson, Marty (January 11, 2021). "FC Edmonton re-signs goalkeeper Connor James".
13. Jacques, John (November 13, 2021). "Connor James Hangs Up His Gloves". Northern Tribune.
14. "Connor James Hangs Up His Gloves". Northern Tribune. 2021-11-14. Retrieved 2021-11-14.

External links

• Connor James at Soccerway