Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | September 26, 2002 | ||
Place of birth | Brampton, Ontario, Canada | ||
Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | ||
Position(s) | Winger | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Rosenborg | ||
Number | 11 | ||
Youth career | |||
–2016 | Brampton YSC | ||
2016–2018 | Toronto FC | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2017–2018 | Toronto FC III | 8 | (1) |
2018–2019 | Toronto FC II | 14 | (0) |
2020–2022 | Toronto FC | 45 | (1) |
2021 | → Toronto FC II (loan) | 9 | (3) |
2023– | Rosenborg | 24 | (4) |
International career‡ | |||
2017 | Canada U15 | 4 | (0) |
2019 | Canada U17 | 9 | (5) |
2020– | Canada | 5 | (2) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 3 December 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of July 4, 2023 |
Jayden Nelson (born September 26, 2002) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a winger for Rosenborg and the Canada national team.
Nelson grew up in Brampton, Ontario[1] and began playing soccer at age four with Brampton YSC.[2] He later joined the Toronto FC Academy at age 14.[3][4]
Nelson made his debut for Toronto FC III in League1 Ontario on September 2, 2017, in a game against Toronto Skillz FC in his only appearance of the season.[5] The following season, he made seven appearances,[6] scoring his first goal for Toronto FC III on June 17, 2018, against Windsor TFC.[7]
Nelson made his professional debut for Toronto FC II in USL League One on April 6, 2019, coming on as a substitute against Orlando City B.[8]
On January 23, 2020, Nelson signed a Homegrown Player contract with first-team Toronto FC.[9][10] He made his MLS debut for Toronto during the MLS is Back tournament, starting their round of 16 match against New York City FC.[11] He was loaned to the second team for some matches in 2021.[12][13] He scored his first professional goal for Toronto FC II on June 16, 2021, against Fort Lauderdale CF.[14]
In December 2021, after the conclusion of the 2021 MLS season, Nelson joined Belgian club Anderlecht for a training stint.[15] He scored his first MLS goal on April 9, 2022, against Real Salt Lake.[16][17][18]
In February 2023, Toronto announced they had transferred Nelson to Eliteserien side Rosenborg.[19][20] He made his official debut on April 16 against Molde.[21] Nelson scored his first goal for his new club on June 4 against HamKam, netting the third goal in an eventual 4-0 victory.[22]
Nelson attended his first Canadian youth camp in 2016.[23] Nelson made his debut for the Canada national under-15 team in the 2017 CONCACAF Boys' Under-15 Championship on August 13, 2017, against the United States.[2]
Nelson made his debut for the Canada national under-17 team in the 2019 CONCACAF Under-17 Championship on May 2, 2019, against the United States.[2] Against Guatemala in the second game of the group stage, Nelson scored a hat-trick in a 4–2 win.[24] Nelson scored twice more in the tournament – against Curaçao and Costa Rica respectively – as Canada qualified for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup for the first time since 2013.[25] At the end of 2019, Nelson was named the Canadian Men's Youth International Player of the Year.[26][27]
Nelson was named to the Canadian U-23 provisional roster for the 2020 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship on February 26, 2020.[28]
In January 2020, Nelson was called up to the Canadian senior team ahead of friendlies against Barbados and Iceland.[29] He made his debut on January 7 against Barbados, coming on as a substitute in a 4–1 victory[30] and scored his first goal three days later, also against Barbados.[31][32]
In June 2023 Nelson was named to Canada's preliminary roster for the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[33] Initially left off the roster, on June 26 he was called into the final squad along with Liam Fraser as replacements for Sam Adekugbe and Stephen Eustáquio.[34]
Jayden was born in Canada and is of Jamaican descent.[35] In 2022, Nelson made a donation to his former elementary school to restart a snack program which had been discontinued.[36]
Club | Season | League | Playoffs | National Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Toronto FC III | 2017[5] | League1 Ontario | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
2018[6] | 7 | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 9 | 1 | |||||
Total | 8 | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 10 | 1 | |||||
Toronto FC II | 2019 | USL League One | 14 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 14 | 0 | ||||
Toronto FC | 2020 | Major League Soccer | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[a] | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
2021 | 7 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | ||||
2022 | 31 | 1 | — | 4[b] | 0 | — | — | 35 | 1 | |||||
Total | 45 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50 | 1 | ||
Toronto FC II | 2021 | USL League One | 8 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 8 | 3 | ||||
Rosenborg | 2023 | Eliteserien | 24 | 4 | — | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | — | 30 | 6 | ||
Career total | 99 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 112 | 11 |
Canada | ||
---|---|---|
Year | Apps | Goals |
2020 | 3 | 1 |
2021 | 0 | 0 |
2022 | 1 | 0 |
2023 | 1 | 1 |
Total | 5 | 2 |
Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first.
No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | January 10, 2020 | Championship Soccer Stadium, Irvine, United States | 2 | Barbados | 4–1 | 4–1 | Friendly | ||||
2. | July 4, 2023 | Shell Energy Stadium, Houston, United States | 5 | Cuba | 3–1 | 4–2 | 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup | ||||
Correct as of July 5, 2023 |
Toronto FC
Individual