Jhonny Arteaga

Jhonny Arteaga is a former professional soccer player who has always shared his time and experiences with young soccer players. Arteaga moved from Cali, Colombia, to the United States at age 12. Jhonny grew up in Stamford, played in the local youth soccer leagues, and also played at Westhill High School in Stamford.

On a soccer scholarship, Jhonny attended Dominican College (NY), NCAA Division II. Jhonny played four years of college soccer and, in 2008, graduated with a B.S. in marketing management. During his four years at Dominican College, Jhonny was a 3-time CACC (Conference) champion, and in 2005, was a key part of the team that achieved the highest-ever program NCAA national ranking, placing 5th in the nation. The 2005 team was recently inducted into Dominican College’s Hall of Fame.

In 2007, he was named Player of the Year, top goal scorer in the CACC, and was named the Dominican College Most Valuable Player. That same year, he was also announced as part of the NCAA Division II Daktronics All-American 1st Team, as well as the NCAA Division II All-Region 1st Team.

After his college career, he turned professional, signing with the Western Mass Pioneers (USLPRO) in 2008. In 2010, he decided to look for opportunities abroad and joined the Polish team, LKS Lomza. After having a successful year at LKS Lomza, he returned to the United States to continue his professional soccer career.

In 2011, Jhonny signed with FC New York (USLPRO). While at FCNY, Jhonny earned the 2011 USL PRO Golden Boot, being the top goal scorer of the league and setting a single-season scoring record with 13 goals in 21 league games and 16 goals overall. He was a US PRO Most Valuable Player finalist and was also selected to the USL PRO All-League 1st Team.

In 2011, Jhonny Arteaga also made appearances with the New York Red Bulls reserve team (MLS), scoring twice in 2 games played. The New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer announced on March 5, 2012, the signing of Jhonny Arteaga to their 2012 roster. Jhonny was an option off the bench for Coach Hans Backe all season, behind starting forwards Thierry Henry and Kenny Cooper.

In early 2013, Jhonny Arteaga signed a multi-year agreement to play for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the USL-PRO, where he would finish out his professional playing career.

Alongside playing professionally, Arteaga founded JA Elite Soccer Academy in 2011 to provide young athletes with elite soccer training and education. Jhonny played professional soccer from 2008 to 2014.

Contact: jaelitefc@gmail.com