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John Smits

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John Smits
Personal information
Date of birth (1988-09-07) September 7, 1988 (age 36)
Place of birth Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
Serbian White Eagles
Youth career
A.C. Diavoli
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2011 Toronto Varsity Blues 28 (0)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2015 FC Edmonton 38 (0)
2015Montreal Impact (loan) 0 (0)
2016 Wilmington Hammerheads 18 (0)
2022 Unionville Milliken SC 1 (0)
2022– Serbian White Eagles 1 (0)
International career
2024– Canada (futsal) 1 (0)
Managerial career
2017– Toronto Varsity Blues (goalkeeping coach)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of September 1, 2022
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of April 14, 2024

John Smits (born September 7, 1988) is a Canadian soccer player and coach.

Early life

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Smits played youth soccer with A.C. Diavoli.[1]

University career

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From 2008 to 2011, Smits attended the University of Toronto, where he played for the men's soccer team.[1] In 2009, he was named an OUA East Second Team All-Star, after recording a CIS-leading 11 shut outs in 2009.[2] In 2010, he helped the team win the 2010 OUA championship, earning player of the match honours in the final, and was also named an OUA First Team All-Star.[2]

Club career

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In March 2012, Smits signed with FC Edmonton of the North American Soccer League in 2012.[2] Smits made his professional debut against the Atlanta Silverbacks on May 12, 2012, posting a shutout.[3] In 2014, Smits won the NASL Golden Glove as the league's top goalkeeper, after finishing with the lowest goals against average in the league that season.[4] In April 2015, Smits joined the Montreal Impact on a short-term loan for the 2014–15 CONCACAF Champions League semi-final.[5][6][7] He re-joined on another short-term loan for the final.[8][9][10] He served as the backup for Montreal and did not make an appearance, before returning to Edmonton for the remainder of the season.[11] After the 2015 season, he was released by the club, after losing his starting spot during the season.[12]

In February 2016, Smits signed with the Wilmington Hammerheads of the USL.[13][14] Smits would only spend one season in Wilmington, as the club announced that they would not participate in the 2017 USL season.[15][16]

In April 2022, he played one match for Unionville Milliken SC in League1 Ontario.[17]

In May 2022, he made a lone appearance for Canadian Soccer League side Serbian White Eagles FC but broke his foot in the match and had to be substituted.[18]

International career

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Smits has played for the Canada national beach soccer team.[19]

In April 2024, he was named to the Canada national futsal team roster for the 2024 CONCACAF Futsal Championship.[20][21]

Coaching career

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In July 2017, Smits returned to his university team, the Toronto Varsity Blues, as goalkeeper coach.[22]

Other playing

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In 2023, he played with Sports Leagues Canada FC at The Soccer Tournament, finishing in second place.[23]

Statistics

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Statistics accurate as of May 1, 2022[24]

Club Season League Domestic Cup Playoffs Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
FC Edmonton NASL 2012 7 0 0 0 7 0
NASL 2013 7 0 0 0 7 0
NASL 2014 20 0 4 0 24 0
NASL 2015 4 0 0 0 4 0
Total 38 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 42 0
Montreal Impact (loan) MLS 2015 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Wilmington Hammerheads USL 2016 18 0 1 0 19 0
Unionville Milliken SC League1 Ontario 2022[17] 1 0 1 0
Career total 57 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 62 0

References

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  1. ^ a b "John Smits Varsity Blues profile". Toronto Varsity Blues.
  2. ^ a b c "Smits signs with FC Edmonton". Toronto Varsity Blues. March 27, 2012.
  3. ^ Sandor, Steven. "Smits Gets The Shutout In His First NASL Start As FCE Beats Atlanta". The 11. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015.
  4. ^ Swane, Brian (November 19, 2014). "FC Edmonton's John Smits win NASL Golden Glove award". Edmonton Sun.
  5. ^ "Goalkeeper John Smits on loan with the Impact". Montreal Impact. April 4, 2015.
  6. ^ "Eddies goalkeeper John Smits will join Montreal Impact on temporary loan". North American Soccer League. April 3, 2015.
  7. ^ "L'impact acquiert le gardien John Smits" [Impact acquires goaltender John Smits]. La Presse (in French). April 4, 2015.
  8. ^ "Impact re-acquires goalkeeper John Smits on short-term loan". Montreal Impact. April 19, 2015.
  9. ^ "FC Edmonton goalkeeper John Smits joins Impact on loan for CCL final". North American Soccer League. April 20, 2015.
  10. ^ Swane, Brian (April 19, 2015). "FC Edmonton goalkeeper John Smits to join Montreal Impact for CONCACAF Champions League final". Edmonton Sun.
  11. ^ Itel, Dan (April 28, 2015). "From CIS to CCL: John Smits' unlikely path to brink of Champions League glory with Montreal Impact". Major League Soccer.
  12. ^ Sandor, Steven (October 28, 2015). "Smits, Jonke among the five players released by FC Edmonton". The 11. Archived from the original on October 29, 2015.
  13. ^ "Wilmington Hammerheads Sign Goalkeeper John Smits". Wilmington Hammerheads FC. 25 February 2016. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  14. ^ Brown, McLeod (16 April 2016). "Smits happy with fresh start". Wilmington Star-News. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  15. ^ Smits, John. "John Smits on Instagram: "I would like to thank everyone I've met during my time in Wilmington, NC for an amazing experience that I'll truly never forget. The..."". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-26.
  16. ^ "Wilmington Hammerheads signs removed from Legion Stadium". WECT. September 30, 2016.
  17. ^ a b "UMSC 2022 Stats". League1 Ontario.
  18. ^ "Solid Eagles in Season Opening". Serbian White Eagles FC. 29 May 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  19. ^ "John Smits Varsity Blues coaching profile". Toronto Varsity Blues.
  20. ^ "Canada Soccer unveils roster for the 2024 CONCACAF Futsal Championship". Canadian Soccer Association. April 5, 2024.
  21. ^ Davidson, Neil (5 April 2024). "Canada futsal players put club rivalry aside to join forces at CONCACAF Championship". The Canadian Press.
  22. ^ U of T Varsity Blues [@Varsity_Blues] (July 17, 2017). "Men's soccer welcomes home Varsity Blues alumnus John Smits as the teams new goalkeeper coach! WE ALL #BLEEDBLUE #WeAreTO" (Tweet). Retrieved November 18, 2021 – via Twitter.
  23. ^ "Canadian entry finishes runner-up at US$1-million 7vs7 soccer tournament". Winnipeg Free Press. June 4, 2023.
  24. ^ John Smits at Soccerway
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