Nate Jones (soccer)
American soccer player (born 2001)

Nate Jones
Personal information
Full name Nathaniel Jones[1]
Date of birth (2001-08-23) August 23, 2001 (age 24)
Place of birth Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Position Defender
Youth career
Harbor Premier
Washington Premier
Crossfire Premier
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2023 Washington Huskies 58 (5)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022 Crossfire Redmond
2023 Vermont Green 9 (0)
2024–2025 Colorado Rapids 0 (0)
2024 → Colorado Rapids 2 (loan) 25 (0)
2025 → Las Vegas Lights (loan) 17 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of October 12, 2025

Nathaniel Jones (born August 23, 2001) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender.

Early life

Jones began playing youth soccer in local Gig Harbor leagues in his hometown, before joining the Harbor Premier and later Washington Premier FC.[2]

Jones attended Gig Harbor High School, where he earned All-League, All-County and All-State honors, while playing for the soccer team.[3]

College career

In August 2019, he committed to attend the University of Washington to play for the men's soccer team in the fall of 2020.[2] He made his collegiate debut on February 4, 2021 against the Northwest Eagles and made his first start on March 20, 2021 against the Stanford Cardinal.[4] On October 21, 2022, he scored his first collegiate goal against the Oregon State Beavers.[5] In his junior season, he helped the team win the Pac 12 title[6] and at the end of his junior season, he was named to the All-Pac-12 Second Team.[7] Ahead of his senior season, he was named to the All-Pac 12 Preseason Team,[8] and at the end of the season, he was selected to the All-Pac-12 First Team.[9] After the season, he was invited to attend the MLS College Showcase.[10][11]

Club career

In 2022, he played with the Crossfire Redmond in the National Premier Soccer League.[12]

In 2023, he played with Vermont Green FC in USL League Two, appearing in nine matches.[13][14]

At the 2024 MLS SuperDraft, he was selected in the first round (fifth overall) by Austin FC.[15][16] However, his rights were immediately traded to the Colorado Rapids in exchange for $250,000 in General Allocation Money.[17] In January 2024, he signed a professional contract with the Rapids.[18][19] Training with the first team, he spent most of the season playing with the second team, Colorado Rapids 2, in MLS Next Pro.[20] He made his professional debut on March 17 with Rapids 2, against St. Louis City 2.[21] In January 2025, Jones was loaned to USL Championship club Las Vegas Lights for the 2025 season.[22][23] He made his debut for Las Vegas on March 8 against the Tampa Bay Rowdies.[24] On November 26, the Colorado Rapids announced that they had declined his contract option.[25]

Career statistics

As of match played October 12, 2025[1]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Playoffs National cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Vermont Green FC 2023 USL League Two 9 0 — – – 9 0
Colorado Rapids 2024 Major League Soccer 0 0 0 0 – 0 0 0 0
Colorado Rapids 2 (loan) 2024 MLS Next Pro 25 0 – 1 0 – 26 0
Las Vegas Lights FC (loan) 2025 USL Championship 17 0 – 0 0 2 0 19 0
Career total 51 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 54 0

References

  1. ^ a b Nate Jones at Soccerway. Retrieved October 12, 2025.
  2. ^ a b Whitford, Jordan (August 9, 2019). "Gig Harbor's Nate Jones commits to University of Washington soccer". The News Tribune.
  3. ^ Hutchens, Patty (April 2, 2019). "Athletes of the Month: Nate Jones & Audrey Krishnadasan". Gig Harbor Living Local.
  4. ^ "Nate Jones Washington profile". Washington Huskies. September 20, 2025.
  5. ^ Hans, Rajan (October 22, 2022). "Jones' equalizer preserves unbeaten season for No. 1 Washington". The Daily of the University of Washington.
  6. ^ "Q&A with #13 Nate Jones". Vermont Green FC. June 29, 2023.
  7. ^ "Ten Huskies Tabbed Pac-12 Postseason Honorees". Washington Huskies. November 15, 2022.
  8. ^ "Four Named To Pac-12 Preseason Team". Washington Huskies. August 22, 2023.
  9. ^ "Seven Huskies Tabbed Pac-12 Postseason Honorees". Washington Huskies. November 14, 2023.
  10. ^ "Jones, Kossa-Rienzi Invited To 2023 adidas MLS Showcase". Washington Huskies. December 5, 2023.
  11. ^ Minton, Sam (December 5, 2023). "Former Vermont Green FC Defender Nate Jones Invited to 2023 College Showcase". The Blazing Musket.
  12. ^ "2022 National Championship Matchday Guide". National Premier Soccer League. August 2022.
  13. ^ Minton, Sam (February 19, 2023). "Vermont Green FC Signs Defender Nate Jones". The Blazing Musket.
  14. ^ "Nate Jones, Zach Zengue selected in 2024 MLS SuperDraft". Vermont Green FC. December 20, 2023.
  15. ^ West, Phil (December 19, 2023). "Austin FC selects Nate Jones in MLS SuperDraft with No. 5 pick, then moves him to Rapids". Verde All Day.
  16. ^ "Jones, Kossa-Rienzi Selected In 2024 MLS SuperDraft". Washington Huskies. December 19, 2023.
  17. ^ Goodman, Eric (December 19, 2023). "Updated: Austin FC Trades Nate Jones for General Allocation Money in MLS SuperDraft". The Austin Chronicle.
  18. ^ "Colorado Rapids sign midfielder Wayne Frederick, forward Kimani Stewart-Baynes and defender Nate Jones". Colorado Rapids. January 17, 2024.
  19. ^ "Colorado Rapids sign SuperDraft picks Frederick, Jones & Stewart-Baynes". MLSsoccer.com. January 17, 2024.
  20. ^ Pollard, Matt (April 14, 2024). "Nate Jones: Finding His Way by Working Hard and Being a Good Person". The Blazing Musket.
  21. ^ "Recap: Colorado Rapids 2 defeat St. Louis CITY2 in first match of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season". Colorado Rapids. March 18, 2024.
  22. ^ "Las Vegas Lights FC Signs Defender Nate Jones". Las Vegas Lights FC. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  23. ^ Nye, Josh (January 15, 2025). "Patrick Leal and Nate Jones Join Las Vegas Lights FC". The Blazing Musket. Archived from the original on February 6, 2025.
  24. ^ Gonzalez, Emilio (July 1, 2025). "Loan Watch: Three Colorado Rapids making strides in USL". Colorado Rapids.
  25. ^ "Colorado Rapids announce 2025 year-end roster updates". Colorado Rapids. November 26, 2025. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
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