John Thorrington

John Gerard Thorrington (born October 17, 1979) is a former soccer player who currently serves as co-president and general manager of Major League Soccer club Los Angeles FC.

Although raised in the United States, Thorrington was born in South Africa and started his career as a youth team player in England with Premier League side Manchester United as a midfielder.

Thorrington was the CIF-SS Division V Player of the Year in 1996 and 1997.

After his junior year of high school and while playing for the Pateadores, Thorrington was spotted by an Englishman, Steve Kelly, who had connections to Manchester United, and Kelly got Thorrington a trial at Manchester United.

At the age of 17, Thorrington signed with Manchester United in 1997.

Later, he moved to Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen.

In 1999, he moved to Germany and signed with Bayer Leverkusen, however he failed to make the first team with either club and returned to England, where he signed for Huddersfield Town.

After his time in Germany, he spent a short spell on trial with Bolton Wanderers in the 2000–2001 season.

He was capped four times by the United States between 2001 and 2008, having previously also played four times for the United States U20.

Thorrington was born in Johannesburg to a South African father and Armenian mother, but moved to California at the age of age two.

From age four, he began playing in the American Youth Soccer Organization.

He was spotted by Octavio Zambrano and invited to join Mission Viejo Pateadores.

His mother Monique drove him to training there twice a week.

He is the son of South African 400-meter runner Peter Thorrington, who was denied a chance to compete in the Olympics because of the sporting boycott of South Africa during the apartheid era.

Thorrington attended the Chadwick School in Palos Verdes Peninsula, California.

After failing to make a first-team appearance with Manchester United and Leverkusen, Thorrington signed with Huddersfield Town in the summer of 2001 on a free transfer.

Huddersfield had recently suffered relegation to the third tier of English soccer and were managed by former Manchester United player Lou Macari.

Macari handed Thorrington his full professional debut on August 11, 2001, in a 1-0 league victory over AFC Bournemouth.

He scored his first Town goal September 2, 2001 in a 2–1 victory over Wycombe Wanderers.

At the end of a promising first season, he developed a hamstring injury, which led to chronic leg troubles.

Thorrington said that he considers his debut with Huddersfield Town as one of his favorite moments professionally along with his debuts with the U.S. National Team and the Chicago Fire.

Thorrington made 97 appearances and scored seven times during a three-year spell with the Yorkshire club.

During the 2002–2003 season, Huddersfield were yet again relegated to the Third Division.

Grimsby suffered relegation at the end of the 2003–2004 season, and with Law dismissed as manager at the end of the season, Thorrington's contract was not renewed.

On transfer deadline day in March 2004, Thorrington signed with Grimsby Town on a free transfer until the end of the season.

He was brought to the club by Town's newly appointed manager Nicky Law along with veterans Alan Fettis and Paul Warhurst.

He made his Mariners debut on March 13, 2004, in a 1–1 draw with Bournemouth.

Thorrington would only manage two other appearances for Grimsby and missed the end of the season due to ongoing injury woes.

He went on to feature for Grimsby Town as well before moving home to the United States where he signed with Chicago Fire in 2005.

He went on to play for fellow Major League Soccer teams Vancouver Whitecaps FC and D.C. United.

Thorrington returned to the States and signed with MLS side Chicago Fire in early 2005, but injury problems continued.

In mid-2006, during the team's inaugural training session in its new stadium, Thorrington suffered a knee injury.

The following season, Thorrington scored his first goal of the campaign on October 21, 2007, netting a stoppage-time strike for the Chicago Fire against the Los Angeles Galaxy that helped send the fire into the MLS Cup playoffs.

From that point on, Thorrington formed an integral part of the Chicago midfield.

In 2008, he scored five goals and had two assists.

Although normally a winger, he played defensive midfield and attacking midfield in the 2009 season due to the absences of Logan Pause and Cuauhtémoc Blanco.

Thorrington was left exposed by Chicago for the November 2010 MLS Expansion Draft and was selected by Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Thorrington injured his right leg and had to undergo surgery early during the 2011 season.

After spending 2011 with Vancouver, the club re-signed him for the 2012 season on December 5, 2011.

Thorrington's 2013 contract option was declined by Vancouver.