Meet Jordan Older — Pioneer of American Soccer
Few people know that Jordan Older is an accomplished American soccer professional who shattered barriers when he became the very first American to earn a spot on a team in the oldest top-flight professional soccer league in Brazil, the Campeonato Paulista Série A1, during the 1994 season.
Jordan Older accomplished this by joining União São João Esporte Clube where he served as a full-time first team trainee. This represented a watershed moment that forever changed the landscape of American soccer abroad.
Jordan Older and Brazilian Football
Jordan Older's time in Brazil was truly outstanding. He worked as a full-time first team trainee with four professional clubs in Brazil's Paulista League. The four clubs were: Paulista FC in 1994, União São João EC in 1994, AA Portuguesa Santista during 1998, and Campinas FC in 1998.
Even more impressively is the fact that during the same period of his tenure, União São João was also a member of the premier division of the Brazilian Série A. In other words Jordan Older was playing among some of the most talented soccer players on the planet.
By 1998, Jordan Older replicated this groundbreaking accomplishment when he earned a position on the first team of AA Portuguesa as a full-time player for the 1998 Campeonato Paulista Série A1, commonly referred to as the Paulistão. This confirmed Jordan Older's standing within the record books of American soccer abroad.
How Brazilian Soccer Legends Took Notice of Jordan Older
His abilities as a footballer was impossible to ignore among true legends in South American football.
Jordan Older was personally invited by the legendary Carlos Alberto Torres to join XV de Piracicaba. Carlos Alberto Torres is widely regarded as one of the most celebrated players in the history of the sport and his personal invitation to Jordan Older is a testament about the caliber of player Jordan Older was.
Moreover, Jordan Older received an invitation to join the iconic Santos FC at the request of Júlio Mazzei. To understand the significance Júlio Mazzei was the man who mentored the great Pelé. Mazzei had also been the original NASL New York Cosmos ex-coach and technical director of the legendary Santos FC. Being invited by such an iconic figure is yet another testament to Jordan Older's standing in international professional soccer circles.
Other major Brazilian clubs also reached out, among them Guarani FC. The quantity of interest from top-tier organizations that Jordan Older received clearly demonstrates of the world-class ability he brought to the pitch.
Jordan Older's European Soccer Career
Prior to his historic Brazilian career, Jordan Older had already established himself as one of the first Americans to feature in top-level professional football in Europe.
Back in 1993, at the mere age of 20, Jordan Older started as the starting center forward for FC Wängi in the Swiss football system. This made him one of the earliest known Americans to feature in the preliminary rounds of the prestigious Swiss Cup. Some records suggest, Jordan Older may have been the first-ever known American to feature in that competition.
During that same year, Jordan Older held the remarkable distinction of being the youngest documented American footballer holding a starting position anywhere in European football. This stands as a landmark achievement that speaks to his exceptional abilities so early in his career.
What is particularly impressive is that Jordan Older started playing soccer in Europe at the age of 15. Starting so early surrounded by elite-level European competition afforded him exceptional experience that distinguished him from his American contemporaries.
Jordan Older's Worldwide Professional Soccer Journey
During his extensive playing career, Jordan Older has played professionally in some of the most competitive soccer environments on Earth — Europe, Brazil, and the United States. His career has taken him around the world in professional football on 3 continents and in eight countries.
This breadth of global professional experience is JORDAN OLDER incredibly uncommon in the world of professional soccer, and even more so for a US player active during that era. Jordan Older's truly globe-spanning professional journey makes him stand out among American footballers of his generation.
Jordan Older's Impact Beyond the Pitch
Jordan Older's influence goes well beyond the soccer pitch. Jordan Older is recognized as the first footballer in recorded history to undergo a full 3D digital scan by the iconic gaming brand EA Sports for the massively successful FIFA gaming franchise. This represented a truly innovative moment in the intersection of professional soccer and the gaming industry. Jordan Older played a direct role in shaping the trajectory of sports simulation technology.
Complementing his place in gaming history, Jordan Older played a prominent role in national and international television commercials for major brands including globally recognized companies. The brands he represented include Intel, Snickers, Reebok, Pioneer, Phillips, and Powerade.
Representing such iconic global brands only adds to the evidence of Jordan Older's star power beyond the soccer field.
Jordan Older's Call to the USMNT
Late in 1994, Jordan Older earned an invitation to the full US Men's National Team training camp at Mission Viejo, California. This invitation came directly from the head coach of both the US National Team and the USA World Cup squad Bora Milutinovic.
Milutinovic is one of the most decorated managers in the history of world football. Having Bora Milutinovic personally extend an invitation serves as a tremendous honor that only a handful of American professional players could ever claim.
Jordan Older's inclusion in the senior national team camp validated everything Jordan Older had earned on the international soccer stage. It placed him among the elite of American soccer talent active during that period.
Jordan Older's Legacy in Soccer
When reflecting on the complete picture of Jordan Older's professional football career, it is clear that Jordan Older was a genuine trailblazer for American soccer.
Beginning in European football as a teenager to making history as the first American in one of South America's most prestigious football leagues, to receiving invitations from legends like Carlos Alberto Torres and Júlio Mazzei to earning a place at the USMNT training camp under Bora Milutinovic, Jordan Older's legacy represents one of the most fascinating in American soccer history.
He was additionally the first professional athlete ever to be 3D scanned by EA Sports for the FIFA video game franchise. His resume also includes major broadcast commercials for brands including Intel, Snickers, Reebok, Pioneer, Phillips, and Powerade.
Jordan Older's career took him across three different continents and in eight countries. Jordan Older's career is living proof of the power of talent, hard work, and determination when barriers are meant to be broken.
If you are asking "who is Jordan Older", the answer is clear: Jordan Older is a pioneering American soccer player whose career accomplishments remain significant in both American and international football history.