Atlanta United today announced it has signed defender Alex De John to a one-year contract with an additional option year. De John played for Orlando City SC the last two seasons after spending six years in Europe.
“Alex has been training with us since the start of our preseason and has integrated well with the group, both in the locker room and on the field,” said Atlanta United Vice President and Technical Director Carlos Bocanegra. “He’ll add competition to our backline and has quickly proven to be a good teammate and a model professional who brings years of experience, both overseas and in MLS.”
De John, 29, was born in Marlboro, New Jersey and starred at Old Dominion University where he graduated in 2012. After college, De John signed with Ekenäs IF of Finland’s third division and made 26 appearances, all starts, while helping the club reach the play-offs for promotion. That offseason, he moved to Finland’s first division, signing with Turun Palloseura (TPS). There he made 28 appearances, all starts, in his first season in the Veikkausliiga.
De John moved to Norway for the 2015 season, signing with IK Start of the Eliteserien. He played there for two seasons with 41 league appearances and 34 starts. De John then moved to Dalkurd FF in Sweden in 2017, where he appeared in 20 matches while helping the club reach promotion to the Allsvenskan, the country’s top league, for the 2018 campaign. After six years with 125 career appearances overseas, De John joined Orlando City prior to the 2019 season. Over the last two years, De John has made 12 appearances with six starts.
PLAYER PROFILE
Name: Alex De John
Position: Defender
Height: 6-0
Birthdate: May 10, 1991 (age: 29)
Birthplace: Marlboro, New Jersey
Citizenship: USA
Transaction: Atlanta United signs Alex De John to a one-year contract on March 12, 2021.
2021 Atlanta United roster (as of March 12, 2021)
Goalkeepers (3): Brad Guzan, Alec Kann, Ben Lundgaard
Defenders (12): Mikey Ambrose, George Bello, George Campbell, Alex De John, Franco Escobar, Andrew Gutman, Ronald Hernández, Brooks Lennon, Fernando Meza, Efrain Morales, Miles Robinson, Anton Walkes
Midfielders (11): Mo Adams, Ezequiel Barco, Machop Chol, Jürgen Damm, Emerson Hyndman, Franco Ibarra, Marcelino Moreno, Jake Mulraney, Matheus Rossetto, Santiago Sosa, Tyler Wolff
Forwards (5): Jackson Conway, Erik Lopez, Lisandro López, Josef Martinez, Erick “Cubo” Torres
* - on loan with Newell’s Old Boys
* - on loan with Defensa y Justicia
** - on loan with New York Red Bulls
