Florian Jungwirth (born 27 January 1989) is a German professional former
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who played as a
defender or
midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
.
Club career
1860 Munich
Jungwirth began his career as a defender with his hometown club
TSV Eintracht Karlsfeld when he was ten years old, before moving to
TSV 1860 Munich
, commonly known as TSV 1860 München (; ''sechzig'' locally ; lettered as ) or 1860 Munich, is a sports club based in Munich. The club's association football, football team plays in the 3. Liga, the third tier of German football league system ...
, and progressing through the
reserve team
In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players who are under contract to a club but who do not regularly play in matches for the club's primary team. Reserve teams usually include players who are part of the larger first-team squad but ...
from age groups U-11 to U-19. He won the Deutsche Fußballmeisterschaft der B-Junioren (German B-Juniors Championship) with the U-17 team in 2006 and again in 2007 with the U-19s. Jungwirth became a member of the U-23 squad during the
2007–08 season, making his senior debut with a start on 15 September 2007 in a 3–0 victory at home against
VfR Aalen
Verein für Rasenspiele 1921 Aalen e.V., known simply as VfR Aalen, is a Football in Germany, German football club based in Aalen, Baden-Württemberg. The football team is part of a larger sports club which also offers its members gymnastics, tab ...
. At the end of the 2009 season, he had made 48 appearances for the reserve side. He was named to the first team in the summer of 2008, but appeared only as an unused substitute eleven times during the
2008–09 season and was entirely unused for the first half of the
2009–10 season, before moving to
Dynamo Dresden
Sportgemeinschaft Dynamo Dresden e.V., commonly known as SG Dynamo Dresden or Dynamo Dresden, is a German association football club based in Dresden, Saxony.Grüne, Hardy (2001). Enzyklopädie des deutschen Ligafußballs 7. Vereinslexikon. Kasse ...
in January 2010.
Dynamo Dresden
Jungwirth made his debut in a
3. Fußball-Liga match during a 2–0 home win against
Bayern Munich II
FC Bayern Munich II (''FC Bayern Munich Amateure'' until 2005) are the German reserve football teams, reserve team of Football in Germany, German association football club FC Bayern Munich, Bayern Munich, currently playing in the Regionalliga B ...
. However, after making only eleven appearances for Dresden, he tore his
cruciate ligament
Cruciate ligaments (also cruciform ligaments) are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee joint, wrist joint
and the atlanto-axial joint. In a fashion similar to the cords in ...
on 10 April 2010 during a match against
FC Ingolstadt 04
Fußballclub Ingolstadt 04 e. V., commonly known as FC Ingolstadt 04 or FC Ingolstadt, is a German football club based in Ingolstadt, Bavaria. The club was founded in 2004 out of the merger of the football sides of two other clubs: ESV Ingolsta ...
and thus was sidelined until October. He helped Dresden win promotion to the
2. Bundesliga and stayed with the club, making 53 appearances over the next seasons, until his contract was up in 2013. Despite a desire to stay in Dresden, the club did not renew his contract.
VfL Bochum
Jungwirth signed with
VfL Bochum
Verein für Leibesübungen Bochum 1848 Fußballgemeinschaft, commonly referred to as VfL Bochum (), is a Football in Germany, German professional association football club based in the city of Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia. They currently play ...
in June 2013. However, due to the club's financial struggles, he moved to
Darmstadt 98
Sportverein Darmstadt 1898 e.V., commonly known as Darmstadt 98 (), is a German professional association football club based in Darmstadt, Hesse. The club was founded on 22 May 1898 as FC Olympia Darmstadt. Early in 1919, the association was bri ...
in the 2014 summer transfer window.
Darmstadt 98
Jungwirth joined SV Darmstadt 98, newly promoted from the
third division, in time for the
2014–15 season. He helped the club get promoted yet again, this time to the
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...
, and made his Bundesliga debut on opening day of the
2015–16 season against
Hannover 96
Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96 (), is a German professional association football, football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony. They played in the Bundesliga for a total of 30 years between 19 ...
. He was released in January 2017 after requesting a transfer to
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
several months earlier. Darmstadt coach and former MLS player
Torsten Frings
Torsten Klaus Frings (born 22 November 1976) is a German former Association football, footballer and Manager (association football), manager, who last managed SV Meppen.
A former midfielder, throughout his career he played for several German clu ...
tried to block his move and criticized him heavily in the media after leaving him out of the squad in what ended up being a 6–1 defeat at home to
1. FC Köln
1. Fußball-Club Köln 01/07 e. V., better known as simply 1. FC Köln () or FC Cologne in English language, English, is a German professional association football, football club based in Cologne in North Rhine-Westphalia. It was formed in 1948 ...
. Jungwirth responded, "Sure, the coach can criticize my training performances in public. But whether that belongs on a news conference following a 6–1 defeat where I wasn't even in the squad is anyone's guess." His signing by the
San Jose Earthquakes
The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional association football, soccer club based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Origin ...
was announced several days later.
San Jose Earthquakes

Jungwirth moved to MLS, signing a contract with the San Jose Earthquakes in February 2017. His first start for the club came on 4 March 2017 in the season-opening 1–0 home victory over the
Montreal Impact. His first MLS goal was scored in stoppage time in a 2–1 road loss to
Sporting Kansas City
Sporting Kansas City is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The ad ...
on 18 March 2017. On 14 October 2017, Jungwirth was announced as a nominee for three different league awards: the
Landon Donovan MVP Award
The Landon Donovan MVP Award is an annual award for Major League Soccer players. It is voted on by media, MLS players, and club management and is given to the player deemed the most valuable player in the league each season.
From 1996 to 2007, ...
alongside teammate
Chris Wondolowski
Christopher Elliott Wondolowski (born January 28, 1983) is an American former professional Association football, soccer player who played as a Forward (association football), forward. He was MLS's MLS Golden Boot, top scorer in the 2010 Major ...
, the
MLS Defender of the Year Award
The Major League Soccer Defender of the Year Award is an annual award handed out to the top defender in Major League Soccer annually since the league's inception in 1996. along with teammate
Nick Lima
Nicholas Lima (born November 17, 1994) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Major League Soccer club San Jose Earthquakes.
Early life
Lima played four years of college soccer at the University of California, B ...
, and the
MLS Newcomer of the Year Award
The MLS Newcomer of the Year Award is awarded by Major League Soccer to a player who has professional experience in another league and has an outstanding season in his first season of play in MLS. The award was introduced in 2007; its votes are c ...
.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
On 6 August 2021, Jungwirth was traded to the
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Vancouver. The Whitecaps compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The MLS ite ...
in exchange for $200,000 in General Allocation Money and a further $100,000 in conditional GAM. On 2 December 2021, Vancouver confirmed they had exercised his contract option, keeping him at the club through 2022.
On 27 January 2023, Jungwirth announced his retirement from playing professional footballer, and was named an assistant coach for Vancouver's first team.
International career
Jungwirth has represented Germany at various
youth
Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood (Maturity (psychological), maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as bei ...
levels, and was the captain of the team that won the
2008 UEFA Under-19 Championship, despite being ejected from the championship game prior to half-time on a second yellow card.
Personal life
Jungwirth is known for his animal welfare work and specifically his efforts aiding the rescue of dogs from Spanish kill shelters. He has also stated that he would never play in China, because of his opposition to the annual
Yulin Dog Meat Festival
The Dog Meat Festival (), also known as the Yulin Dog Meat Festival or Lychee and Dog Meat Festival, is an annual festival held in Yulin, Guangxi, China, during the summer solstice from 21 June to 30 June in which festival observers consume dog ...
and general treatment of dogs in the country.
He married his wife Kathleen officially on 23 December 2015, and on 4 June 2016 they married in the church.
As of 27 February 2018, Jungwirth holds a
U.S. green card, qualifying him as a domestic player for
MLS
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanctioned by the United ...
roster purposes.
Career statistics
Honours
Individual
*
Fritz Walter Medal
The Fritz Walter Medal is a series of annual awards given by the German Football Association to youth footballers in Germany. First awarded in 2005, it is named in honour of Fritz Walter, captain of West Germany's 1954 FIFA World Cup-winning team ...
Silver: 2008
* San Jose Earthquakes Defensive Player of the Year: 2017
References
External links
*
Florian Jungwirthat MLSSoccer.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jungwirth, Florian
1989 births
Living people
German men's footballers
Germany men's youth international footballers
Men's association football defenders
TSV 1860 Munich players
TSV 1860 Munich II players
Dynamo Dresden players
VfL Bochum players
VfL Bochum II players
SV Darmstadt 98 players
San Jose Earthquakes players
Bundesliga players
2. Bundesliga players
3. Liga players
Regionalliga players
Major League Soccer players
Vancouver Whitecaps FC players
Whitecaps FC 2 players
German expatriate sportspeople in the United States
German expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States
MLS Next Pro players
Vancouver Whitecaps FC non-playing staff
21st-century German sportsmen