James Hoban Sands (born July 6, 2000) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a center-back or defensive midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Rangers, on loan from New York City FC, and the United States national team. He became NYCFC's first ever homegrown player in July 2017.
Personal information | ||||||||||
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Full name | James Hoban Sands[1] | |||||||||
Date of birth | (2000-07-06) July 6, 2000 (age 22) | |||||||||
Place of birth | Rye, New York, United States | |||||||||
Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.86 m) | |||||||||
Position(s) | Center-back, defensive midfielder | |||||||||
Club information | ||||||||||
Current team |
Rangers (on loan from New York City FC) | |||||||||
Number | 19 | |||||||||
Youth career | ||||||||||
2010–2015 | New York Soccer Club | |||||||||
2015–2017 | New York City FC | |||||||||
Senior career* | ||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||
2017– | New York City FC | 65 | (0) | |||||||
2018 | → Louisville City FC (loan) | 3 | (0) | |||||||
2022– | → Rangers (loan) | 18 | (0) | |||||||
National team‡ | ||||||||||
2016–2017 | United States U17 | 42 | (1) | |||||||
2021– | United States | 7 | (0) | |||||||
Honours
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of November 12, 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of September 8, 2021 |
Sands joined New York Soccer Club, an affiliate team of New York City FC, at the age of 10. In 2015, he joined New York City after the inception of the Under-16 Academy side, alongside his twin brother, Will Sands.[2] Sands credits English coach Chris Leaver as his most influential and important mentor of his youth career.
In January 2017, Sands became the first Academy player to be included in the New York City FC roster for pre-season.[3] On June 27, 2017, he signed his first professional contract to begin on July 1.[2] The deal made him the club's first ever homegrown player.[4] Sands made his professional debut on September 16, 2017, coming on as a substitute for Andrea Pirlo in a 1–1 draw against Colorado Rapids.
In 2019, Sands has been a regular starter for NYCFC, first as a defensive midfielder, and then as the central defender in a three-man back line once the Pigeons switched formations.
In 2018, Sands joined Louisville City in the second-division USL on a short-term loan from August 15 through September 1. Sands worked in Louisville under John Hackworth, who had previously coached Sands with the United States U17 team.[5]
On January 5, 2022, Sands joined Scottish Premiership side Rangers on an initial 18-month loan deal with an option to buy.[6] On January 18, he made his Rangers debut during a 1–1 draw with Aberdeen.
Sands regularly featured for the United States under-17s in 2017 and helped his nation finish second in the CONCACAF Under-17 Championship in May.[7] The United States eventually lost to Mexico in a penalty shootout, although Sands scored and was named to the "Team of the Tournament."[8]
In July 2021, Sands was called up to the senior team for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup and made his debut against Haiti as a substitute.[9]
Club | Season | League | National cup[lower-alpha 1] | League cup[lower-alpha 2] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
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Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Louisville City (loan) | 2018 | USL | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||||
New York City FC | 2017 | MLS | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
2018 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||||
2019 | 19 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 19 | 0 | ||||||
2020 | 16 | 0 | — | — | 3[lower-alpha 3] | 0 | 2[lower-alpha 4] | 0 | 21 | 0 | ||||
2021 | 26 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 0 | |||||
Total | 65 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 75 | 0 | ||
Rangers (loan) | 2021–22 | Scottish Premiership | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 5[lower-alpha 5] | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | ||
2022–23 | 11 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 8[lower-alpha 6] | 0 | — | 20 | 0 | ||||
Total | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 0 | ||
Career total | 86 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 112 | 0 |
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
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United States | 2021 | 7 | 0 |
Total | 7 | 0 |
Louisville City FC
New York City FC
Rangers
United States
Individual
Rangers F.C. – current squad | |
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United States squad – 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup winners (7th title) | ||
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