Where Are They Now? Checking in With Former Shorewood and Current MLS Player George John

The Shoreline area has had no shortage of talented soccer players in the past decade. One of its most successful is now playing in Major League Soccer.

George John played at Shorewood in the early 2000's before heading off to the University of Washington and ultimately to FC Dallas of the MLS. Now, in his third year with the team, John has emerged as one of the anchors of the FC Dallas defense and one of the better defenders in the league. Patch spoke with John on Thursday and caught up with the former Thunderbird, as he offered his thoughts on the weather in Dallas, the transition moving to Texas and the MLS explosion that has taken place in Pacific Northwest.

Northwest Roots

John grew up in Shoreline and played his college ball down the road at the University of Washington. Those Northwest roots have never left John and his affinity for the area remains as strong as ever.

The major aspect of the Northwest that seems to stay with John is his love for the outdoors and the natural beauty that abides in the area. After spending his high school and college playing careers in Western Washington, John was drafted by FC Dallas. The move to Texas came with a new appreciation for the temperate northwest weather.

“Anybody who’s ever been to Texas knows it doesn’t really have a lot of natural beauty," John said. "So it was definitely tough for me coming from Shoreline. I definitely learned to appreciate the natural beauty of the Northwest.”

John said he has not followed his old high school much since leaving the area, but remembers fondly attending the 2008 state tournament quarterfinal game between Shorewood and Todd Beamer that ended in a Thunderbird loss after 15 penalty kicks from each side.

“I remember watching them, being really proud of how they did,” John said.

John does still keep in contact with his old coach, Drew Thompson. Thompson switched over to coaching at Shorecrest after John went to college, a choice that John derides in a tongue-in-cheek manner.

"He’s the coach at Shorecrest now so I’m kind of pissed at him," John said with a chuckle.

The Lone Star State Transition

Following a decorated career at the University of Washington (second-team All Pac-10, 2008 Pac-10 Men's Soccer Scholar Athlete of the Year, two years as co-captain of nationally-ranked team), John was drafted 14th overall in the 2009 MLS draft by FC Dallas.

The transition from college and the Northwest to the MLS and Texas was an initially difficult one for John.

“It was pretty tough for me at first, John said. "Getting drafted, not really knowing what anything was like. I’d never been to Texas before in my life

In addition to the move to a new state and new situation, John was also dealing with the fickle world of professional soccer, where players can fall in and out of favor as quickly as the weather changes in Seattle. But John showed strong in his first dealings with the team and has only gotten better in the 2+ years he has been with the team.

John has established himself as a force on the team and, although Texas has become his in-season home, he still relishes the off-seasons he spends back home. Because of the timing of the MLS season, John only gets to enjoy the winter months in the area, but said he does not mind dealing with the dreary winter weather.

“I don’t mind, I like soaking it in," John said. "I like soaking in all the rain, it doesn’t matter to me.”

The return to the Northwest also offers John a glimpse into how the additions of the Sounders, Portland and Vancouver has raised interest in professional soccer as a whole in the area.

"It is a bit of surprise to me in terms of how many people are starting to follow the league [in the northwest]," John said. "I don’t think many people really followed MLS before the Sounders.  Now when I go back to the community, I have strangers come up to me and ask me about so-and-so and so-and-so teams'.”  

Advancing His Career

In his first year in the MLS, John quickly established himself, starting 15 of 30 games. Last year, that total rose to 25 of 30 games. This season, he has started every game.

"I was lucky enough to make the team my first year, last year I really came on and this year I’m really doing well for myself," John said.

His rise in the MLS has been accompanied by a rise in international interest. John recently was contacted by the Greek National team and, while not playing with the team, spent time with the group when they traveled to New York in June. John said the experience was an eye-opener in terms of the experience of playing at a higher level.

"Over there, being a soccer player is similar to being an NBA star." John said. "Those guys were rock stars all over New York, despite the fact that they weren’t in their home country, all the Greek-Americans recognized them. It was pretty fanatical and being part of that was a lot of fun.”

The career arc for John is on the rise and, if his current trajectory is any indication, it should keep getting better.