Jun Endo (遠藤 純, Endō Jun, born 24 May 2000) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a forward or attacking midfielder for Angel City FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the Japan national team.[2] She previously played for Nippon TV Beleza of the Japanese Nadeshiko League and won the 2019 AFC Women's Club Championship.[3]
 Endo in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jun Endo[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 24 May 2000 | ||
| Place of birth | Shirakawa, Fukushima, Japan | ||
| Height | 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward, Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Angel City | ||
| Number | 18 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2013–2018 | JFA Academy Fukushima LSC | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2021 | Tokyo Verdy Beleza | 41 | (13) |
| 2022– | Angel City | 40 | (4) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2016 | Japan U-17 | 4 | (3) |
| 2018 | Japan U-20 | 6 | (2) |
| 2019– | Japan | 42 | (5) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:30, 1 November 2023 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 02:06, 1 December 2023 (UTC) | |||
Early life
Endo was born in Fukushima Prefecture on 24 May 2000. Endo is the youngest of four children. Her father is a football coach, and her mother is a teacher, and her family lived next door to her grandparents in her hometown of Shirakawa in the Fukushima Prefecture of Japan.[4]
The April 2011 Fukushima earthquake struck while Endo, then 10 years old, was in class and heavily damaged her school. Her family and their homes survived, and they were not required to evacuate from the subsequent release of radiation at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant; as she wasn't allowed to go outside, she continued to practice football inside her home, which contributed to her ability to handle the ball in confined spaces.[5] In a 2023 interview, Endo said that at the time she had been bullied by youth players who would often act like players from Fukushima were "contaminated" by radioactivity. Despite this, the subsequent Japanese victory at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup inspired Endo to continue her football career.[5]
Club career
Tokyo Verdy Beleza, 2018–2021
In 2018, she joined L.League club Nippon TV Beleza from JFA Academy Fukushima LSC. In 2019, Endo won the 2019 AFC Women's Club Championship with Nippon TV Beleza.[3]
Angel City FC, 2022–
On 20 December 2021, Endo signed with NWSL club Angel City FC for the club's inaugural season.[3] On 29 April 2022, she assisted the first goal and scored the second in Angel City's first-ever regular season game, a win over North Carolina Courage,[6] and was awarded Player of the Match.[7] In her first season with Angel City, Endo played 22 games and racked up 1,925 minutes.[8] The club finished their first season in eighth place with a 8–9–5 record.[9]
Endo returned to Angel City for the 2023 season and started in 10 of the 18 games she played in addition to playing in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.[10] She notched her first goal and assist of the season in a 3-2 win over Kansas City Current in May.[11]
During a 2-2 draw against Chicago Red Stars on 17 September, she scored the club's second goal.[12] She scored Angel City's last goal in a 5-1 rout against Portland Thorns FC on 15 October.[13] Angel City finished in fifth place during the regular season and advanced to the playoffs for the first time[14] where they were eliminated by Seattle Reign FC in the quarter final match.[15]
On 29 November 2023, Angel City announced they would exercise their one-year option to extend Endo's contract through 2024.[16] In February 2024, Endo suffered a season-ending ACL injury to her left-knee during a preseason training camp in Melbourne, Florida.[17] On 5 September 2024, Angel City announced Endo would be signing a new contract with Angel City beginning in 2025, keeping her at the club through 2027.[18]
International career
Youth
In 2016, Endo was selected for the Japan U-17 national team for the 2016 U-17 World Cup.[19] She played in four matches and scored three goals, helping Japan win second place.
In 2018, Endo was selected for the Japan U-20 national team for the 2018 U-20 World Cup.[20] She played in all six matches and scored two goals, and Japan won the championship.
Senior
In February 2019, Endo was selected for the Japan national team for the SheBelieves Cup. She earned her first cap for the senior nation al team on 27 February during the match against the United States.[21]
In 2019, Endo was the youngest member of the 2019 Japanese World Cup team and played in three of Japan's four games.[22][23]
In February 2023, Endo was selected for the Japan national team for the SheBelieves Cup.[22] She scored in Japan's 3-0 win over Canada. On 13 June 2023, she was included in the 23-player squad for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023.[24]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 21 October 2023
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Tokyo Verdy Beleza | 2018 | Nadeshiko League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 18 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3[c] | 0 | 27 | 6 | ||
| 2020 | 15 | 8 | 5 | 5 | – | – | 20 | 13 | ||||
| 2021–22 | WE League | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 10 | 0 | |||
| Total | 41 | 13 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 61 | 19 | ||
| Angel City | 2022 | NWSL | 22 | 1 | – | 6 | 0 | – | 28 | 1 | ||
| 2023 | 18 | 3 | – | 1 | 0 | – | 19 | 3 | ||||
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 40 | 4 | – | 7 | 0 | – | 47 | 4 | ||||
| Career total | 81 | 17 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 108 | 23 | ||
- Includes Empress's Cup
- Includes Nadeshiko League Cup, WE League Cup, NWSL Challenge Cup
International
- As of match played 30 November 2023[25]
| National Team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 2019 | 12 | 0 |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 14 | 3 | |
| Total | 42 | 5 | |
- Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Endo goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 June 2021 | Kanseki Stadium Tochigi, Utsunomiya, Japan |  Mexico |
5–1 | 5–1 | Friendly | [26] |
| 2 | 27 June 2022 | Veritas Stadion, Turku, Finland |  Finland |
2–1 | 5–1 | [27] | |
| 3 | 22 February 2023 | Toyota Stadium, Frisco, United States |  Canada |
3–0 | 3–0 | 2023 SheBelieves Cup | [28] |
| 4 | 22 July 2023 | Waikato Stadium, Hamilton, New Zealand |  Zambia |
4–0 | 5–0 | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup | [29] |
| 5 | 30 November 2023 | Arena Corinthians, São Paulo, Brazil |  Brazil |
2–3 | 3–4 | Friendly | [30] |
Honours
Tokyo Verdy Beleza
- Nadeshiko League: 2018, 2019[10]
- Empress's Cup: 2019, 2020[10]
- Nadeshiko League Cup: 2018, 2019[10]
- AFC Women's Club Championship: 2019[10]
Japan U20
Japan
References
External links
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