David Johnson '22 Recruiting Profile

Coach,

In August of 2010, my father drove me to a local recreational Sunday league for my first time. One year later I was playing competitively. Although I was originally drawn to defense, I developed to be a multi-functional player. My ability to play multiple positions is displayed in my positional history at my high school. As a freshman on varsity, I played outside forward (7 and 11). Last fall, my coach (Gilbert Antoine, see references) moved me to center back to help solidify the defensive third. Last summer, he informed me that he had planned to move me back up top this fall (most likely 9); however, I will not be playing scholastic soccer this school year (2020-21), as I am currently play center back for Empire United MLS Next.

I have played the majority of my career with older and more experienced players. Because of this, I have developed to be an extremely physical player. Not only am I a physical player, but I have the technical ability to beat players 1 vs. 1 (both defensively and offensively). I am also extremely open to advice and very coachable.

I am a fierce competitor. When my father beat me at chess when I was nine, I took it upon myself to improve and beat him. I read every chess book I could get my hands on, and within four months I was able to consistently defeat him. Since then, I have increased my rating to ~1800 (masters are generally 2200+). Between January 1 and August 1 of 2020, I played over 3500 chess games, and I continue to improve my game. In 6th grade, one of my friends solved a Rubik's cube in under a minute. Within two weeks, I had memorized all the algorithms I needed to do the same. In one year, my personal best was 10.10 seconds, with a computer-given scramble. After that, I went on to teach myself how to solve 4x4 and 5x5 puzzles without a tutorial.

I am dedicated to everything I do, both on and off the field. I have developed strong leadership and communication skills through experience as both a club captain of a local team and a representative in student government.

** I do not have access to the messaging system within NCSA, so the best way to contact me is through my email: [email protected]

Best wishes,

David Johnson, Ithaca 2022