Jonathan Spector

Early life

Spector was born and raised in Arlington Heights, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, as the youngest of four children. He is Lutheran; his paternal grandfather was Jewish. His father has Russian, English, and Irish ancestry, and his mother was born in Siegen, Germany, which gave Spector a German passport and allowed him to play in England without a work permit. His grandfather, Art Spector, was an NBA player and the first signed by the Boston Celtics in 1946. Spector attended St. Peter Lutheran Junior High School and St. Viator High School, played club soccer for Schwaben AC and Chicago Sockers, and also played youth soccer with Chicago Fire and Manchester United. He graduated from the U.S. Soccer Federation's Bradenton Academy in summer 2003.

Club career

A Manchester United scout discovered Spector while watching the U.S. Under-17 squad at the Milk Cup in 2003; originally a striker, Spector was playing in defense due to injuries and impressed the scout. He joined Manchester United in summer 2003 and won the club's Young Player of the Year award for 2003–04. His first-team debut came in the FA Community Shield against Arsenal in August 2004. A planned loan to Blackburn Rovers in December 2004 was postponed because of injuries in United's defense, and the move fell through when the transfer window closed.

Before the 2005–06 season, Spector went on a season-long loan to Charlton Athletic, making 16 starts and eight substitute appearances. In June 2006, manager Alan Pardew signed him for West Ham United for an initial £500,000, ending his Manchester United tenure after eight appearances. He debuted for West Ham in a UEFA Cup first-round defeat to Palermo on September 28, 2006, and made 28 appearances in all competitions that season. Brought as defensive backup, he played extended minutes due to injuries and his ability to play anywhere in the back four.

A goal he appeared to score against Derby County on November 10, 2007, was later credited as an own goal by Eddie Lewis.

International career

Spector played for the U.S. at the 2003 World Under-17 Championship in Finland and earned his first senior cap on November 17, 2004, in a World Cup qualifier against Jamaica. He was part of the U.S. Under-20 team at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands. A shoulder injury on April 17, 2006, ended his chances of making the 2006 World Cup squad. He was a member of the U.S. team that beat Mexico 2–1 in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final in Chicago; during the final he collided heads with Andrés Guardado and was substituted by Frankie Simek, after which Benny Feilhaber scored the winning volley.

After injuries to Steve Cherundolo and Frankie Hejduk, Spector was included in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup roster and started at right-back for the entire tournament. He assisted Clint Dempsey in scoring a vital goal against Egypt in the last group match, helping the U.S. advance to the semifinals, and again assisted Dempsey in the final against Brazil. Returning from a long injury lay-off, Spector was ever present at right-back for the remaining 2010 World Cup fourth-round qualifiers in 2009 and occasionally partnered Carlos Bocanegra in central defense due to Oguchi Onyewu's long-term injury.

He was rested for the final qualifier against Costa Rica on October 14, 2009, and was recalled for friendlies in November and March. Coach Bob Bradley included him in the final 23-man squad for the 2010 World Cup, though he did not appear in any games. Later in 2010, he started friendlies against Brazil and Colombia. He received his first call-up in 18 months ahead of September 2015 friendlies against Peru and Brazil, playing as a second-half substitute in a 4–1 defeat to Brazil. He earned 36 caps between 2004 and 2015.