| John "JMi" Tolkin | |
| Fullname: | John Michael Tolkin[1] |
| Birth Date: | 31 July 2002 |
| Birth Place: | Chatham, New Jersey |
| Height: | [2] |
| Currentclub: | New York Red Bulls |
| Clubnumber: | 47 |
| Position: | Left-back |
| Youthyears1: | 2015–2019 |
| Youthclubs1: | New York Red Bulls |
| Years1: | 2019–2021 |
| Clubs1: | New York Red Bulls II |
| Caps1: | 26 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2020– |
| Clubs2: | New York Red Bulls |
| Caps2: | 114 |
| Goals2: | 7 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2018–2019 |
| Nationalteam1: | United States U17 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 8 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2023–2024 |
| Nationalteam2: | United States U23 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 11 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 0 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2023– |
| Nationalteam3: | United States |
| Nationalcaps3: | 4 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | September 28, 2024 |
| Ntupdate: | August 2, 2024 |
John Michael Tolkin (born July 31, 2002), nicknamed "JMi", is an American professional soccer player who plays as a left-back for Major League Soccer club New York Red Bulls and the United States national team.
Tolkin was raised in Chatham Borough, New Jersey,[3] where he attended Chatham High School.[4] Tolkin joined the New York Red Bulls Academy in 2015.[5] During the 2019 USL Championship season he appeared for New York Red Bulls II.[6] He made his professional debut on July 10, 2019, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 4–3 victory over Bethlehem Steel. During the match, he recorded his first professional assist on Tom Barlow's equalizer in the 82nd minute.[7]
After appearing for New York Red Bulls II in 2019, Tolkin moved up to the club's MLS roster on January 14, 2020.[8] Tolkin made his MLS debut on May 8, 2021, appearing as a substitute against Toronto FC in a 2–0 victory.[9] On May 29, 2021, Tolkin made his first start for the club in a 2–1 victory over Orlando City SC, earning praise for his play during the match.[10] Tolkin scored his first professional goal on August 18, 2021, in a 1–0 win against the Columbus Crew.[11]
On May 10, 2022, Tolkin scored his first goal of the season for New York in a 3–0 victory over DC United, helping his club advance to the round of 16 in the 2022 U.S. Open Cup.[12] On August 18, 2022, Tolkin helped New York to a 2–1 victory over Atlanta United scoring the deciding goal.[13] On October 5, 2022, Tolkin signed a new contract with New York tying him to the club until 2027, with an option for 2028 [14] On November 18, 2022, Tolkin was named New York Red Bulls Defender of the Year for the 2022 season.[15] On August 20, 2023, Tolkin scored his first goal of the season for New York, an 88th-minute free kick, to help his club to a 1–0 victory over rival DC United.[16] On October 21, 2023, Tolkin scored from the penalty spot in stoppage time to lead New York to a 1–0 victory over Nashville SC. With this win the club qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs for a record 14 straight seasons.[17] On October 25, 2023, Tolkin scored on a freekick and assisted on two other goals for New York in a 5–2 victory over Charlotte FC, helping his club advance to the first round of the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs.[18]
On 1 June 2024, Tolkin made his 100th league appearance for New York, a match in which he scored on a free kick in a 1-0 victory over Orlando City SC.[19] On 30 November 2024, Tolkin assisted Andrés Reyes on his headed set piece goal against Orlando City SC, sending the Red Bulls to MLS Cup 2024 in a 1-0 victory.[20]
Tolkin's uncle gave him the nickname "JMi" when he was young, and his teammates and family refer to him as "JMi".[21] He says he does not answer to "John".[22]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| New York Red Bulls II | 2019 | USL | 13 | 0 | — | — | — | 13 | 0 | ||||
| 2020 | 12 | 0 | — | — | — | 12 | 0 | ||||||
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 26 | 0 | — | — | — | 26 | 0 | ||||||
| New York Red Bulls | 2020 | MLS | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2021 | 28 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 29 | 1 | |||||
| 2022 | 31 | 1 | 5 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | 37 | 2 | ||||
| 2023 | 27 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 36 | 4 | |||
| 2024 | 28 | 2 | — | — | 4 | 0 | 32 | 2 | |||||
| Total | 114 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 134 | 9 | |||
| Career total | 140 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 160 | 9 | |||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2023 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 4 | 0 | ||
Individual