A. J. Paterson
Arthur Precious Paterson Jr. (born 31 January 1996) is a professional footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Birmingham Legion in the USL Championship. Born in the United States, he plays for the Grenada national team. He is married to Samantha Paterson (m. 2024) and together they share a son (born July 2023).
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Arthur Precious Paterson Jr.[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 31 January 1996 | ||
| Place of birth | Key Largo, Florida, United States | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder, Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Birmingham Legion | ||
| Number | 20 | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2017 | Wright State Raiders | 76 | (15) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016 | SW Florida Adrenaline | 10 | (2) |
| 2018 | Bethlehem Steel | 1 | (0) |
| 2019–2023 | Charleston Battery | 102 | (7) |
| 2024– | Birmingham Legion | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2018– | Grenada | 21 | (4) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12 December 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12:39, 31 March 2023 (UTC) | |||
Career edit
College edit
Paterson spent his entire college career at Wright State University. He made a total of 76 appearances for the Raiders and tallied 15 goals and seven assists.[2] During his senior year at Wright State, he was named; USC First Team All-Great Lakes Region, Horizon League Player for the Year, First Team All-Horizon League, and OCSA First Team All-State.[3]
While at college, Paterson played for Premier Development League side SW Florida Adrenaline during their 2016 season.[4]
Professional edit
On January 19, 2018, Paterson was selected 42nd overall in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft by the New York City FC.[5] However, he was not signed by the club.
On February 19, 2018, he signed with USL club Bethlehem Steel FC.[6] He made his professional debut on March 24, 2018, starting in a 2-0 loss against Tampa Bay Rowdies.[7]
Bethlehem Steel released Paterson at the end of the 2018 season.[8]
Paterson joined USL Championship side Charleston Battery on March 8, 2019.[9] He left Charleston following the 2023 season.[10]
Paterson signed with Birmingham Legion in December 2023.[11]
International edit
In October 2018, Paterson received his first international call-up to the Grenada national team ahead of the CONCACAF Nations League qualification match against Cuba. Paterson is eligible to play for Grenada via his father.[12] Paterson made his debut for Grenada in a 1-0 CONCACAF Nations League loss to Cuba national football team on 12 October 2018.[13]
International goals edit
- Scores and results list Grenada's goal tally first.[14]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 16 November 2018 | Kirani James Athletic Stadium, St. George's, Grenada | Saint Martin | 4–1 | 5–2 | 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League qualification |
| 2. | 5–2 | |||||
| 3. | 24 March 2019 | Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium, Bayamón, Puerto Rico | Puerto Rico | 2–0 | 2–0 | |
| 4. | 8 September 2019 | Isidoro Beaton Stadium, Belmopan, Belize | Belize | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League B |
References edit
- ^ "National team roster 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup Group D" (PDF). CONCACAF. 17 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
- ^ "Ricky Lopez-Espin - 2017 - Creighton University". gocreighton.com.
- ^ "Wright State University Athletics". www.wsuraiders.com.
- ^ . USL PDL. Archived from the original on 17 October 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
- ^ Sansuste, Maira (19 January 2018). . Nycfc.com. Archived from the original on 24 December 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
- ^ "Bethlehem Steel FC Signs Midfielder AJ Paterson". Philadelphiaunion.com. 19 February 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
- ^ . www.uslsoccer.com. Archived from the original on 26 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ Peters, Evan (7 March 2019). . Charleston Battery - USL. Archived from the original on 24 December 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
- ^ nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, NICHOLAS MURRAY- (1 December 2023). "Barajas leads Charleston Battery returnees in first roster moves". USL Championship.
- ^ Hernandez, K. "Birmingham Legion FC Signs Defender AJ Paterson". BHMLegion.com. Birmingham Legion. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ "Bethlehem Steel FC defender to join Grenada for first time ahead of CONCACAF Nationals League match against Cuba". Bethlehem Steel FC. 9 October 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2018.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Game Detail". www.concacafnationsleague.com.
- ^ "Paterson, A.J." National Football Teams. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
External links edit
- Wright State bio
- A. J. Paterson at Major League Soccer