 Tolkin with Holstein Kiel in 2025 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Michael Tolkin[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (2002-07-31) July 31, 2002 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Chatham, New Jersey, United States | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Left-back | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Holstein Kiel | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 47 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2019 | New York Red Bulls | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2019–2021 | New York Red Bulls II | 26 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2020–2024 | New York Red Bulls | 114 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Holstein Kiel | 27 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | United States U17 | 8 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | United States U23 | 11 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023– | United States | 10 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of December 28, 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of November 18, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||
John Michael Tolkin (born July 31, 2002), nicknamed "JMi", is an American professional soccer player who plays as a left-back for 2. Bundesliga club Holstein Kiel and the United States national team. He competed for the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics.[3]
Club career
Youth and early career (including New York Red Bulls II)
Tolkin was raised in Chatham Borough, New Jersey,[4] where he attended Chatham High School.[5] Tolkin joined the New York Red Bulls Academy in 2015.[6] During the 2019 USL Championship season he appeared for New York Red Bulls II.[7] He made his professional debut on July 10, 2019, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 4–3 victory over Bethlehem Steel. During the match, he recorded his first professional assist on Tom Barlow's equalizer in the 82nd minute.[8]
New York Red Bulls
After appearing for New York Red Bulls II in 2019, Tolkin moved up to the club's MLS roster on January 14, 2020.[9] Tolkin made his MLS debut on May 8, 2021, appearing as a substitute against Toronto FC in a 2–0 victory.[10] On May 29, 2021, Tolkin made his first start for the club in a 2–1 victory over Orlando City SC, earning praise for his play during the match.[11] Tolkin scored his first professional goal on August 18, 2021, in a 1–0 win against the Columbus Crew.[12]
On May 10, 2022, Tolkin scored his first goal of the season for New York in a 3–0 victory over DC United, helping his club advance to the round of 16 in the 2022 U.S. Open Cup.[13] On August 18, 2022, Tolkin helped New York to a 2–1 victory over Atlanta United scoring the deciding goal.[14] On October 5, 2022, Tolkin signed a new contract with New York tying him to the club until 2027, with an option for 2028 [15] On November 18, 2022, Tolkin was named New York Red Bulls Defender of the Year for the 2022 season.[16]
On August 20, 2023, Tolkin scored his first goal of the season for New York, an 88th-minute free kick, to help his club to a 1–0 victory over rival DC United.[17] On October 21, 2023, Tolkin scored from the penalty spot in stoppage time to lead New York to a 1–0 victory over Nashville SC. With this win the club qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs for a record 14 straight seasons.[18] On October 25, 2023, Tolkin scored on a freekick and assisted on two other goals for New York in a 5–2 victory over Charlotte FC, helping his club advance to the first round of the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs.[19]
On 1 June 2024, Tolkin made his 100th league appearance for New York, a match in which he scored on a free kick in a 1–0 victory over Orlando City SC.[20] On 30 November 2024, Tolkin assisted Andrés Reyes on his headed set piece goal against Orlando City SC, sending the Red Bulls to MLS Cup 2024 in a 1–0 victory,[21] where they went on to lose 2-1 to the LA Galaxy.
Holstein Kiel
On January 16, 2025, Tolkin transferred to Bundesliga club Holstein Kiel for a transfer fee of $3 million including a sell on fee.[22] A day after the signing, due to outcry from some fans, the club released a statement in which Tolkin distanced himself again from his controversial social media likes, maintaining they are incompatible with his personal values and that he respects all people.[23] Tolkin had previously liked social media posts mocking the LGBTQ community, critical of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, questioning the existence of gravity and the January 6 United States Capitol attack and supporting flat Earth beliefs.[24][25] Tolkin had also previously apologized for the behavior in a CBS Golazo interview during the 2024 Olympic games.[26]
Tolkin made his debut for Holstein Kiel, when he came on in the 79th-minute for Dominik Javorček in a 2–2 draw with VfL Wolfsburg on January 24.[27][28]
Personal life
Tolkin's uncle gave him the nickname "JMi" when he was young, and his teammates and family refer to him as "JMi".[29] He says he does not answer to "John".[30]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played August 30, 2025
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| New York Red Bulls II |
2019 | USL | 13 | 0 | — | — | — | 13 | 0 | |||
| 2020 | 12 | 0 | — | — | — | 12 | 0 | |||||
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 26 | 0 | — | — | — | 26 | 0 | |||||
| New York Red Bulls | 2020 | MLS | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| 2021 | 28 | 1 | — | — | 1[a] | 0 | 29 | 1 | ||||
| 2022 | 31 | 1 | 5 | 1 | — | 1[a] | 0 | 37 | 2 | |||
| 2023 | 27 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4[b] | 0 | 3[a] | 1 | 36 | 4 | ||
| 2024 | 28 | 2 | — | — | 5[a] | 0 | 33 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 114 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 135 | 9 | ||
| Holstein Kiel | 2024–25 | Bundesliga | 11 | 0 | — | — | — | 11 | 0 | |||
| 2025–26 | 2. Bundesliga | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 5 | 2 | |||
| Total | 15 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 155 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 177 | 11 | ||
- ^ a b c d Appearance(s) in MLS Cup Playoffs
- ^ Appearances in Leagues Cup
International
- As of match played November 18, 2025[31]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2023 | 3 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 10 | 0 | |
Honors
Individual
- MLS All-Star: 2023[32]
References
- ^ "National team roster – 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals: USA" (PDF). CONCACAF. May 19, 2023. p. 8. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 19, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
- ^ "John Tolkin". New York Red Bulls. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
- ^ "TOLKIN John". Paris 2024 Olympics. Archived from the original on October 7, 2024. (alternate link)
- ^ Havsy, Jane. "Chatham teen to represent U.S. in CONCACAF U-17 championship", Daily Record (Morristown), April 22, 2019. Accessed October 1, 2019. "John Tolkin of Chatham has been called in to the U.S. Soccer under-17 national team ahead of the CONCACAF U-17 Championship at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida."
- ^ John Tolkin, TopDrawerSoccer.com. Accessed October 1, 2019. "High School: Chatham"
- ^ "New York Red Bulls". nyrb.ussoccerda.com. Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
- ^ "John Tolkin - uslchampionship.com". www.uslchampionship.com.
- ^ "Match Recap: NYRB II Complete Three-Goal Comeback at Bethlehem". newyorkredbulls.com.
- ^ "NYRB sign academy product John Tolkin". www.newyorkredbulls.com.
- ^ "Red Bulls earn second shutout". www.newyorkredbulls.com.
- ^ "Recap: New York Red Bulls 2, Orlando City SC 1". www.mlssoccer.com.
- ^ "Recap: New York Red Bulls 1, Columbus Crew 0". www.mlssoccer.com.
- ^ "Red Bulls Roll to 3–0 Victory, Advance to Open Cup Round of 16". www.newyorkredbulls.com.
- ^ "TOLKIN SCORES LIFT RED BULLS PAST ATLANTA UNITED 2–1". www.foxsports.com.
- ^ "New York Red Bulls Sign Chatham, N.J. Native John Tolkin to a New MLS Contract".
- ^ "New York Red Bulls Announce 2022 Team Awards". newyorkredbulls.com. November 18, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
- ^ "JMi's Free Kick Goal Secures Win vs. D.C." newyorkredbulls.com. August 20, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ "'New Finish Line': Red Bulls Win When It Means The Most, Look To Start 'Real Season'". newyorkredbulls.com. October 21, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
- ^ "New York Red Bulls make statement in Wild Card rout: "Not too bad, huh?"". mlssoccer.com. October 26, 2023. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
- ^ "Tolkin Free Kick Powers Red Bulls to Three Points". newyorkredbulls.com. June 1, 2024. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
- ^ "Red Bulls Win, Advance to MLS Cup". New York Red Bulls.
- ^ "Rekordtransfer perfekt: Kiel holt Tolkin aus den USA" [Record transfer perfect: Kiel sign Tolkin from the USA]. Kicker (in German). January 16, 2025. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
- ^ "KSV-Stellungnahme zu Kritik an John Tolkin". Holstein Kiel (in German). January 17, 2025. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
- ^ Vertelney, Seth (January 17, 2025). "Tolkin regrets social media activity amid outcry from Holstein Kiel fans". Pro Soccer Wire. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
- ^ "US national team player John Tolkin says he has regrets over past social media activity". Associated Press. January 17, 2025. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
- ^ @CBSSportsGolazo (July 26, 2024). "NY Red Bulls and USYNT defender John Tolkin addresses the controversial social media posts he interacted with recently" (Tweet). Retrieved January 19, 2025 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Wolfsburg vs. Holstein Kiel". Soccerway. January 24, 2025. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
- ^ "Holsten Kiel strikes late to grab point at Wolfsburg and end road losing streak". Associated Press. January 24, 2025. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
- ^ "New York Red Bulls - John Tolkin". Red Bull. February 28, 2024. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
New York Red Bulls defender John Tolkin—known professionally as JMi—has always wanted more from life.
- ^ Davis, Noah (May 24, 2023). "John Tolkin's hair, impressive play are impossible to ignore". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
- ^ John Tolkin at National-Football-Teams.com
- ^ "2023 MLS All-Star Team Roster". Major League Soccer. July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
External links
- John Tolkin at Major League Soccer
- John Tolkin at USL Championship
- John Tolkin at New York Red Bulls
- John Tolkin at U.S. Soccer Development Academy (archived)
- John Tolkin at U.S. Soccer
- John Tolkin at Team USA
- John Tolkin at Olympics.com
