Jeremiah White facts for kids

Jeremiah White, born on April 3, 1982, is a former American soccer player. He was known for his amazing speed on the field. Jeremiah usually played in midfield. Sometimes, he also played as a striker or a fullback.

Early Soccer Days

Jeremiah White went to The Haverford School for high school. He was a star player on the soccer team there. He even earned "All-American" honors, which means he was one of the best high school players in the country.

He also played for a youth club called FC Delco. While still in high school, he was named the club's player of the year. Jeremiah was also part of special teams like Region I ODP and adidas ESP. These programs help find and train talented young soccer players.

College Soccer Career

After high school, Jeremiah chose to play college soccer at Wake Forest University. He picked Wake Forest over other great schools like Duke and Maryland.

In his first year, he played as a forward for the Demon Deacons. He scored his very first college goal against UNC-Charlotte. This goal was super important because it won the game in overtime!

His second year was even better. Jeremiah led the ACC in scoring. He was the first Wake Forest player to do this since 1983. During this season, he also scored his first career hat-trick (three goals in one game) against the University of Richmond.

Jeremiah faced some injuries in his third year. These injuries kept him from starting games until late October. But even with the injuries, he still led his team in scoring. He was also named to the All-ACC team for the second year in a row.

In 2003, his final year at Wake Forest, Jeremiah was named ACC Player of the Year. This was a huge honor! He was also named to the All-ACC team for the third year in a row.

Playing Soccer Professionally

After finishing college, Jeremiah White decided to play soccer in Europe. He wanted to show that he could succeed there.

Playing in Serbia

In January 2004, Jeremiah signed with a Serbian club called OFK Beograd. He chose this over offers from Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States. He had been picked by the New England Revolution in the MLS draft.

His time with OFK Beograd was short. In March 2004, he had an unpleasant experience that gained international attention. A month later, on April 6, 2004, Jeremiah asked to leave his contract, and the club agreed. He said his departure was not because of the incident.

Playing in Greece

After leaving OFK Beograd, Jeremiah tried out for several clubs in Europe. He almost signed with a Belgian club. But instead, he signed a one-year contract with Panserraikos, a team in the Greek Second Division.

Jeremiah played his first game for Panserraikos on September 19, 2004. He helped his team win 1–0. While playing for Panserraikos, Jeremiah often played in a position that was not his usual one. He was asked to play as a target forward, which is unusual for someone who is 5 feet, 8 inches tall.

He also had some issues with his contract and played while hurt. He even had a serious head injury that kept him out for two months. After he recovered, Jeremiah asked to leave the club. After some discussion, he was allowed to leave in January 2005.

Playing in France

For the second time in six months, Jeremiah was without a team. He again tried out for clubs across Europe. On June 6, 2005, he signed a two-year contract with FC Gueugnon, a French club.

Jeremiah spent some time with Gueugnon's reserve team at first. But on November 25, 2005, he scored his first goal in the French league. It was a game-winning goal from a free kick! Even though he led the team in scoring with four goals after ten games, he didn't always get to play consistently.

Playing in Denmark

Jeremiah then looked to play in Scandinavia. He tried out for clubs in Norway and Denmark. On January 28, 2007, he signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with AGF Aarhus in Denmark.

AGF had been moved down from the top Danish league in 2006. But with new players like Jeremiah, they hoped to return to the top league. Jeremiah played his first game for AGF on April 1, 2007. He scored his first goal for the club in that game, which AGF won 4–1.

AGF earned promotion back to the top Danish league on June 17, 2007. Jeremiah played the whole game that day. During a friendly game in late 2007, Jeremiah had an accidental collision. This caused three facial fractures, which needed surgery. But he recovered very quickly and was back on the field in record time. In December 2009, Jeremiah and AGF agreed to end his contract early.

Playing in Saudi Arabia

In January 2010, Jeremiah White signed with Saudi Arabian club Ettifaq FC. He was one of the first American players to play soccer in a Middle Eastern country.

Playing in Poland

In the summer of 2010, he moved to a Polish club called GKS Bełchatów. He signed a one-year contract with them.

Playing in MLS Again

Jeremiah White returned to the United States and was signed by the New England Revolution on March 9, 2012. He made his debut for the Revolution on March 17, 2012. He played in only one more league game before leaving the team on June 27, 2012.

Playing for His Country

Jeremiah White played for the United States national team. He made his first international appearance on January 19, 2008. This was in a friendly match against Sweden. Jeremiah came into the game as a substitute, and the U.S. team won 2–0.