John Michael Tolkin (born July 31, 2002), nicknamed "JMi", is an American professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player who plays as a

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

for club

Holstein Kiel Kieler Sportvereinigung Holstein von 1900 e.V., commonly known as Holstein Kiel () or KSV Holstein, is a German association football and sports club based in the city of Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein. From the 1900s through the 1960s, the club was o ...

and the

United States national team The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

Club career

Youth and early career (including New York Red Bulls II)

Tolkin was raised in Chatham Borough, New Jersey, where he attended Chatham High School. Tolkin joined the

New York Red Bulls Academy The New York Red Bulls Academy is the multi-layered youth system of the New York Red Bulls. It is the first cost-free program in Major League Soccer that provides a professional soccer training environment for youth players in the New York Tri-S ...

in 2015. During the 2019

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the second tier of the United States soccer league system#Men's leagues, United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) a ...

season he appeared for

New York Red Bulls II New York Red Bulls II is an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Montclair, New Jersey. They are the reserve team of the New York Red Bulls and play in MLS Next Pro, the third tier in the American soccer pyramid. Hi ...

. He made his professional debut on July 10, 2019, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 4–3 victory over

Bethlehem Steel The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Until its closure in 2003, it was one of the world's largest steel-producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its success ...

. During the match, he recorded his first professional assist on Tom Barlow's equalizer in the 82nd minute.

New York Red Bulls

After appearing for

in 2019, Tolkin moved up to the club's

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 on January 14, 2020. Tolkin made his MLS debut on May 8, 2021, appearing as a substitute against

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...

in a 2–0 victory. On May 29, 2021, Tolkin made his first start for the club in a 2–1 victory over

Orlando City SC Orlando City Soccer Club is an American professional soccer club based in Orlando, Florida. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Owned by Zygi, Leonard, and Mark Wilf, it is the sister club of ...

, earning praise for his play during the match. Tolkin scored his first professional goal on August 18, 2021, in a 1–0 win against the

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew are an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team began play in 1996 as one of the 10 cha ...

. On May 10, 2022, Tolkin scored his first goal of the season for New York in a 3–0 victory over

DC United D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Suppor ...

, helping his club advance to the round of 16 in the 2022 U.S. Open Cup. On August 18, 2022, Tolkin helped New York to a 2–1 victory over

Atlanta United Atlanta United FC is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Atlanta. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. Domestically, the club has won o ...

scoring the deciding goal. On October 5, 2022, Tolkin signed a new contract with New York tying him to the club until 2027, with an option for 2028 On November 18, 2022, Tolkin was named New York Red Bulls Defender of the Year for the 2022 season. 2023 MLS All Star Game 2023-07-19 Fabio Vieira John Tolkin

2023 MLS All Star Game 2023-07-19 Fabio Vieira John Tolkin

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. 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 Nashville Soccer Club is an American professional soccer club based in Nashville, Tennessee. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team spent two seasons in the USL Championship before joining ...

. With this win the club qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs for a record 14 straight seasons. 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 Charlotte Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team is owned by David Tepper, who was awarded the e ...

, helping his club advance to the first round of the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs. 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. 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 MLS Cup 2024 was the 29th edition of the MLS Cup, the championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top-flight association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada. The match was played on December 7, 2024, at Dignity Health ...

in a 1–0 victory, where they went on to lose 2-1 to the

LA Galaxy The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Gal ...

Holstein Kiel

On January 16, 2025, Tolkin transferred to

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 ...

club

for a

transfer fee In professional football, a transfer is the action taken whenever a player under contract moves between clubs. It refers to the transferring of a player's registration from one association football club to another. In general, the players can onl ...

of $3 million including a sell on fee. 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. Tolkin had previously liked social media posts mocking the

LGBTQ community The LGBTQ community (also known as the LGBT, LGBT+, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIA+, or queer community) comprises LGBTQ individuals united by a common culture and social movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individu ...

, critical of the response to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, questioning the existence of gravity and the

January 6 United States Capitol attack On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., was attacked by a mob of supporters of Donald Trump, President Donald Trump in an attempted self-coup,Multiple sources: * * * * * * * * * * * * * two months afte ...

and supporting flat Earth beliefs. Tolkin had also previously apologized for the behavior in a CBS Golazo interview during the

2024 Olympic games The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

. 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 Verein für Leibesübungen Wolfsburg e. V., commonly known as VfL Wolfsburg (), is a German professional sports club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. The club grew out of a multi-sports club for Volkswagen workers in the city of Wolfsburg. I ...

on January 24.

Personal life

Tolkin's uncle gave him the nickname "JMi" when he was young, and his teammates and family refer to him as "JMi". He says he does not answer to "John".

Career statistics

Club

International

Honors

Individual *

MLS All-Star The Major League Soccer All-Star Game is an annual Association football, soccer game held by Major League Soccer featuring selected players from the league against an international club or selected players from another league. MLS initially ado ...

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

References

External links

* *
John Tolkin
at

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conferenc ...

John Tolkin
at

U.S. Soccer Development Academy The U.S. Soccer Development Academy (DA) was an American soccer league. Formed in 2007, the league featured youth academies and youth clubs from various organizations, including Major League Soccer and the United Soccer League. The DA's mission ...

(archived) * * *
John Tolkin
at the

Paris 2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

(archived
alternate link
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tolkin, John 2002 births Living people American men's soccer players Homegrown Players (MLS) New York Red Bulls II players New York Red Bulls players Holstein Kiel players American expatriate men's soccer players American expatriate men's soccer players in Germany Men's association football defenders Chatham High School (New Jersey) alumni People from Chatham Borough, New Jersey Soccer players from Morris County, New Jersey USL Championship players United States men's youth international soccer players Major League Soccer players United States men's international soccer players 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup players United States men's under-23 international soccer players Footballers at the 2024 Summer Olympics Olympic soccer players for the United States 21st-century American sportsmen 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup players