Jeremiah White

Infobox Football biography
playername= Jeremiah White
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1982|4|4
cityofbirth = Washington, D.C.
countryofbirth = United States
height = height|ft=5|in=8
position = Right midfielder, striker
currentclub = AGF Aarhus
clubnumber = 15
youthyears =
2000-2003
youthclubs = FC Delco
Wake Forest University
years = 2004
2004-2005
2005-2007
2007-present
clubs = OFK Beograd
Panserraikos
FC Gueugnon
AGF Aarhus
caps(goals) = 0? 0(?)
20 (12)
25 0(9)
40 0(5)
nationalyears = 2008-present
nationalteam = United States
nationalcaps(goals) = 01 0(0)
pcupdate = 13 September 2008
ntupdate = 20 January 2008

Jeremiah White (born April 4, 1982, in Washington, D.C.) is an American soccer player currently playing in midfield and as a striker for AGF Aarhus of the Danish Superliga. He is known for his exceptional pace. [http://www.soccertimes.com/americans/2004/apr08.htm Americans Abroad: White returns to U.S. following mob incident in Belgrade.] ]

Youth career

White attended The Haverford School for high school, and was a member of the soccer team, earning All-American honors. He also played on the Region I ODP and adidas ESP teams. White played with the youth club FC Delco while in school, and was named the club's player of the year while still a senior in high school.

White chose to play collegiate soccer for Wake Forest University, choosing the school over Duke, Clemson, Maryland, and South Carolina. White played as a forward during his freshman season with the Demon Deacons, scoring his first collegiate goal against UNC-Charlotte, a goal that won that particular match in overtime.

White's sophomore season was a stunning success, as he led the ACC in scoring, becoming the first Wake Forest player to do so since 1983. He recorded his first career hat-trick against the University of Richmond during this season.

Injury plagued White's junior season at Wake Forest, keeping him out of the starting XI until October 29. Despite the injuries, White still led the team in scoring, and was named to the All-ACC team for the second year in a row. [ [http://wakeforestsports.cstv.com/sports/m-soccer/mtt/white_jeremiah00.html Wake Forest Biography] ]

In 2003, White's senior year, he was named ACC Player of the Year, and was named to the All-ACC team for the third straight year. [ [http://www.matchnight.com/scouting/player.cfm?ID=299 MatchNight Central Scouting Database] ]

Professional career

OFK Beograd

Following graduation from Wake Forest, White went to Europe, in an effort to prove that he could succeed there. He signed with Serbian club OFK Beograd, in January 2004, shunning offers from Major League Soccer, where he had been drafted in the third round of the MLS SuperDraft by the New England Revolution. White's short time with Beograd was marred by a racism incident that occurred in March 2004, and received international media attention. White and a group of friends, including two black Brazilians, were confronted by a group of angry youth, one of whom, according to White, was "throwing around Nazi signs." Fierce words were exchanged, punches were thrown, and the groups eventually separated with no serious damage incurred. News organizations like BBC, RAI, and CNN picked up on the story, and White was headline news around the world for a short time. A month later, White asked for, and was granted, release from his contract on April 6, 2004, which led to speculation that White was leaving the team as a result of the incident. White dismissed this, saying, "That's the farthest thing from the truth." [ [http://yanks-abroad.com/content.php?mode=yax&id=540 Yanks Abroad - Maybe A Little Too Naive] ]

Panserraikos

After his release from Beograd, White set up a series of trials with clubs throughout Europe, including Dutch club Feyenoord, and Belgian club K.V.C. Westerlo. White was close to having a deal completed with Westerlo, but he instead signed with Greek Second Division side Panserraikos on a one-year contract.

White made his debut for the club on September 19, 2004, against AEL 1964. He had a shot stopped by the AEL keeper in the 82nd minute, but the ensuing corner kick led to the match's only goal, scored by Kelvin Sebwe, giving Panserraikos a 1-0 win. While with Panserraikos, White was frequently played out of position as a target forward, as opposed to his preferred withdrawn striker position. [http://www.soccertimes.com/americans/2004/apr08.htm Americans Abroad: White returns to U.S. following mob incident in Belgrade.] ] Playing as a target forward is extremely unusual for a player who is only 5 feet, 8 inches tall. White found that the club physically altered his contract after he signed, attempting to claim that he signed for two years instead of one. White was also forced to play through injury, and eventually suffered a severe concussion that kept him out of action for two months. Following his recovery, White asked for, and after a dispute, was granted his release from the club in January 2005.

FC Gueugnon

For the second time in six months, White found himself without a team, and again set up trials across Europe, spending time with FC Nordsjaelland of the Danish Superliga and FC Gueugnon of French Ligue 2. [ [http://yanks-abroad.com/content.php?mode=news&id=770 Yanks Abroad - White Up For Gueugnon Audition] ] White signed with the French club on June 6, 2005, agreeing to a two-year contract. [ [http://yanks-abroad.com/content.php?mode=news&id=842 Yanks Abroad - White Pens Gueugnon Pact] ]

White spent most of his early time with Gueugnon's reserve team, but eventually got his first goal of his Ligue 2 career on November 25, 2005, scoring the game-winning goal on a free kick from 28 yards out to beat Le Havre AC. In what seems to be a common theme of White's career, in the early throes of the 2006-07 season, White and Gueugnon manager Victor Zvunka came to conflict. Ten games into the season, White led the team in scoring with four goals, yet still failed to see consistent playing time. White criticised the coach, saying:

"I think [Zvunka] is not honest. He aligns himself with the older players, and if you don't get close to those guys, you don't play.

Last week, me, Wilfried Niflore and Mohamed Louhkiar all played in the reserves. One of us has been involved in every single goal this year, either the goal or the assist. How do you explain leaving us off the team? [ [http://yanks-abroad.com/content.php?mode=news&id=2232 Yanks Abroad - White, Gueugnon Coach At Odds] ]

White's lack of playing time and discontent with Gueugnon management continuted, culminating in his release from the club on January 3, 2007.

AGF Aarhus

Again left without a team, White turned his eyes towards Scandinavia, landing trials with F.C. Lyn Oslo of the Norwegian Tippeligaen and with AGF Aarhus of the Danish First Division. White agreed to a three-and-a-half year contract with the Danish club on January 28, 2007. The club was relegated from the Danish Superliga in 2006, but after signing players like Olof Persson and Kári Árnason, they were widely expected to make a return to the top flight for the 2007-08 season. [ [http://yanks-abroad.com/content.php?mode=news&id=2685 Yanks Abroad - White Joins AGF Promotion Fight] ] White made his debut for AGF on April 1, 2007, starting as a midfielder against Fremad Amager. AGF won the match 4-1, with White scoring his first goal for the club in the 15th minute. [ [http://www.agffodbold.dk/docs/aktuelt/Indhold_detaljeret.asp?id=4298 AGF - Fremad Amager 4-1 (3-1) (Danish)] ] AGF secured promotion to the Danish Superliga by beating Kolding 2-0 on June 17, 2007, with White playing the full 90 minutes. The 2007-08 season marks the first time White has ever played top-flight professional football. During a friendly against FC Midtjylland over the 2007-08 winter break, White was involved in an accidental collision, which resulted in three facial fractures that required surgery, and is expected to be out of action for a month. [ [http://yanks-abroad.com/get.php?mode=content&id=3688 Yanks Abroad - Facial Surgery Shelves US Striker] ]

National team

White made his international debut for the United States on January 19, 2008, in a friendly match against Sweden. The squad was largely composed of MLS players, with a few players from Scandinavian leagues also included, meaning the US squad was not at full strength. White came on as a substitute for Landon Donovan in the 81st minute of the 2-0 win. [ [http://www.ussoccer.com/articles/viewArticle.jsp_4849665.html Donovan Sets Goal Scoring Mark as U.S. Opens 2008 with 2-0 Victory vs. Sweden ] ]

References

External links

*da icon [http://www.agffodbold.dk/docs/holdet/SpillerProfil.asp?id=1262 AGF profile]
* [http://nationalsportsgroup.com/ National Sports Group (Player's representation)]

Persondata
NAME = White, Jeremiah
ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
SHORT DESCRIPTION = American footballer
DATE OF BIRTH = April 4, 1982
PLACE OF BIRTH = Washington, D.C.
DATE OF DEATH =
PLACE OF DEATH =