Luke Johnson '21 Recruiting Profile

My name is Luke Johnson, I am 18 years old and I recently relocated back to the USA. My family moved to Austria when I was 7 years old. It was tough to start school and learn a new language and in order to ease the transition, my parents enrolled me in a soccer academy. I never looked back and I have played youth academy soccer all-year around for over 10 years. For the last 3 years in Austria my youth team played in the Landesliga (regional level), the second highest division in the country. In Austria youth football ends at U17 and so I transferred to an adult team to take football more seriously. The division I played in was called "Unterliga". There are two types of players in this league, the young talented guys around my age, trying to climb the divisions and the older veterans (26-35) who play for the love of the game and the competition. Playing with and against these players taught me a tremendous amount. I was one of the youngest players on the team and after a few games of showcasing myself, the coach decided to put me in the starting 11. Playing against ex pro's and future prospects is where I think I saw the biggest growth in myself so far. 

What makes me different to other athletes is: I can play offensively and defensively. As a fullback, I play with overlapping and I am often in the opponent's half, crossing the ball or cutting inside to support the offense. I have good stamina and I am fast. I am never negative on the field and never bad mouth the referee or my teammates. I am not intimidated by any teams or players, in fact I love the competition, the better the team the more motivated I am to perform. 

I went to an International Bilingual school in Austria and I speak fluent English and German and I completed 5 years of French, as well as 3 years of Latin. I also took part in a rigorous IB program with 6 subjects including Biology SL, Economics HL, German SL, English Literature HL, Psychology HL and Mathematics SL.  

I am looking forward to settling in the USA and starting the next chapter in my life. I hope to find a college that will allow me to continue to grow both as a student athlete and as a person. I look forward to the challenges that lie ahead. Let the journey begin!