Jemal Johnson facts for kids
Johnson as a Lokomotiv Sofia player in 2011.
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jemal Pierre Johnson | ||
| Date of birth | May 3, 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | Paterson, New Jersey, United States | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Playing position | Winger Striker |
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| Youth career | |||
| Manchester United | |||
| 2001–2004 | Blackburn Rovers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2004–2006 | Blackburn Rovers | 6 | (0) |
| 2005 | → Preston North End (loan) | 3 | (1) |
| 2006 | → Darlington (loan) | 9 | (3) |
| 2006–2007 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 20 | (3) |
| 2007 | → Leeds United (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2007–2011 | Milton Keynes Dons | 96 | (12) |
| 2010 | → Stockport County (loan) | 16 | (2) |
| 2010 | → Port Vale (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2011 | Lokomotiv Sofia | 14 | (1) |
| 2011 | Southend United | 5 | (0) |
| 2012 | Dover Athletic | 10 | (1) |
| 2012 | Tamworth | 1 | (0) |
| 2013 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 11 | (1) |
| 2013–2014 | New York Cosmos | 20 | (1) |
| 2015–2017 | Jacksonville Armada | 74 | (7) |
| 2018–2019 | Fresno FC | 59 | (16) |
| Total | 356 | (48) | |
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Jemal Pierre Johnson (born May 3, 1985) is a former professional soccer player from the United States. He played as a winger or a striker. During his 15-year career, he scored 53 goals in 391 games.
Jemal started his career at Premier League club Blackburn Rovers. He played several games for them between 2004 and 2006. He had trained in their youth academy before joining the main team. After playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers, he moved to Milton Keynes Dons in 2007.
He also played on loan for many other clubs. These included Preston North End, Darlington, and Leeds United. Later, he played for Stockport County and Port Vale. In 2011, he played for Lokomotiv Sofia in Bulgaria. He then returned to England to play for Southend United. After leaving Southend, he joined Dover Athletic and then Tamworth. Jemal then moved back to the United States. He played for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, New York Cosmos, and Jacksonville Armada. His last club was Fresno FC, where he played until 2019.
Playing Career Highlights
Early Days at Blackburn Rovers
Jemal Johnson was born in the United States. However, his family moved to Macclesfield, England, when he was five years old. He first joined the famous Manchester United youth team. Later, at age sixteen, he moved to the Blackburn Rovers' Academy.
Jemal played his first game for Blackburn's main team on January 8, 2005. He came on as a substitute in an FA Cup match against Cardiff City. He scored his first goal in his first start on January 29. This was in a 3–0 FA Cup win against Colchester United. He also played in three Premier League games during the 2004–05 season.
In October 2005, Jemal went on loan to Championship team Preston North End. He played three games there and scored one goal against Hull City. In March 2006, he joined League Two club Darlington for six weeks. He scored three goals in nine games for Darlington.
Time at Wolverhampton Wanderers
Jemal joined Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 2006. He scored two winning goals in his first two league games for the club. This made his manager, Mick McCarthy, very happy. However, he only scored one more goal that season.
In February 2007, he went on a three-month loan to Leeds United. He played only five games there. When he returned to Molineux, the club decided to put him on the transfer list. This meant he could be bought by another team.
Success with Milton Keynes Dons
In August 2007, Milton Keynes Dons bought Jemal Johnson. He signed a two-year contract with them. In his first season, he scored important goals. One goal against Swansea City helped the Dons reach the Football League Trophy final.
Jemal played at Wembley in the final, where the Dons beat Grimsby Town 2–0 to win the trophy. He also helped the club finish first in the League Two table.
In the 2008–09 season, Jemal scored six goals. The Dons finished just two points away from getting promoted to the Championship. His contract ended in May 2009, but he signed a new two-year deal in July 2009.
Jemal started the 2009–10 season well. He scored three goals in a friendly game against Northampton Town. However, he lost his regular spot in the team in November. In January 2010, he joined Stockport County on loan for six months. He scored two goals in sixteen games for Stockport.
In August 2010, Jemal tried out for two Major League Soccer clubs in the United States. These were D.C. United and Kansas City Wizards. However, neither club offered him a contract. He also had an offer from Wellington Phoenix FC in New Zealand, but nothing came of it.
He then joined Port Vale on a one-month loan in September 2010. The manager wanted him to play on the wing. His loan was cut short when his main club called him back. In January 2011, Jemal left Milton Keynes Dons.
Moving to Bulgaria and Back to England
In January 2011, Jemal decided to play in Bulgaria. He joined top-flight team Lokomotiv Sofia. He played his first game for them on February 28 in a 2–0 win. He left the club in the summer after they finished fourth in the league.
In July 2011, Jemal returned to England. He signed a contract with League Two team Southend United. He played seven games for them. In December 2011, Southend United decided to release him from his contract.
Non-League Football and Return to the US
In February 2012, Jemal signed with Dover Athletic until the end of the season. He had impressed the coach during a trial. However, he was not offered a new contract and left in May 2012.
Jemal then joined Conference National team Tamworth in September 2012. He played only 18 minutes as a substitute before leaving the club.
After this, Jemal returned to the United States. He joined the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in 2013. On June 23, he played in a friendly game against Brazilian team Cruzeiro Esporte Clube.
Playing for New York Cosmos
In June 2013, Jemal joined the New York Cosmos. During a pre-season tour, he got a knee injury. This meant he missed the start of the season. He made his Cosmos debut on November 2, playing 18 minutes in a 1–0 win. This was his only game in 2013 due to his injury.
In 2014, Jemal played more regularly for the Cosmos. On July 26, he scored his first goal for the team in a 1–1 draw against his old club, Fort Lauderdale Strikers. He played mostly on the left wing. He scored one goal and had two assists in 19 games during the 2014 season.
Jacksonville Armada and Fresno FC
In December 2014, Jemal moved to the new NASL club Jacksonville Armada. He scored the first goal in the opening game of the 2015 season. This goal was scored just 12 seconds into the game! It set a new record for the fastest goal in modern-era NASL history. He finished the 2015 season with five goals in 29 games. He scored two goals in 24 games in 2016. In 2017, his last season at Hodges Stadium, he played 24 games but did not score.
On January 18, 2018, Jemal signed a one-year contract with the new United Soccer League team Fresno FC. He scored nine goals in 30 games during the 2018 season. In the 2019 season, he scored seven goals in 33 games. Fresno reached the Conference Quarterfinals but lost 3–2.
How He Played
Jemal Johnson was known as a very fast player. He was also good at shooting from far away. He was very effective when he had to face an opponent one-on-one.
Career Statistics
| Club | Season | Division | League | National cup | League cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Blackburn Rovers | 2004–05 | Premier League | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| 2005–06 | Premier League | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 6 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | ||
| Preston North End (loan) | 2005–06 | Championship | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Darlington (loan) | 2005–06 | League Two | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2006–07 | Championship | 20 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 3 |
| Leeds United (loan) | 2006–07 | Championship | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| MK Dons | 2007–08 | League Two | 39 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 46 | 8 |
| 2008–09 | League One | 33 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 6 | |
| 2009–10 | League One | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 1 | |
| 2010–11 | League One | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | |
| Total | 96 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 112 | 16 | ||
| Stockport County (loan) | 2009–10 | League One | 16!!2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 2 | |
| Port Vale (loan) | 2010–11 | League Two | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Lokomotiv Sofia | 2010–11 | A PFG | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
| Southend United | 2011–12 | League Two | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Dover Athletic | 2011–12 | Conference South | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 |
| Tamworth | 2012–13 | Conference National | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 2013 | North American Soccer League | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 12 | 1 | ||
| New York Cosmos | 2013 | North American Soccer League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2014 | North American Soccer League | 19 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 20 | 1 | |||
| Total | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 21 | 1 | ||||
| Jacksonville Armada | 2015 | North American Soccer League | 28 | 5 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 29 | 5 | ||
| 2016 | North American Soccer League | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 24 | 2 | |||
| 2017 | North American Soccer League | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 24 | 0 | |||
| Total | 74 | 7 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 77 | 7 | ||||
| Fresno | 2018 | United Soccer League | 28 | 9 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 30 | 9 | ||
| 2019 | USL Championship | 31 | 7 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 33 | 7 | |||
| Total | 59 | 16 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 63 | 16 | ||||
| Career total | 356 | 48 | 19 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 391 | 53 | ||
Awards and Trophies
Milton Keynes Dons
- League Two: 2007–08 (Champions)
- Football League Trophy: 2007–08 (Winners)
New York Cosmos
- North American Soccer League: 2013 (Champions)
See also
In Spanish: Jemal Johnson para niños
