Jordan Older is an American soccer player, and one of the first American-born players to play professional soccer in Europe and Brazil - Campeonato Brasileiro & Campeonato Paulista.
He started his profession career with FC Wängi of Switzerland and has played with Paulista Futebol Clube, União São João EC, and AA Portuguesa Santista. He has also trained with the United States National Soccer Team, played professionall in Germany, Slovakia, and in the USL Professional League with the Valley Golden Eagles and San Diego Gauchos.
Jordan Older speaks and writes 6 languages English, Portuguese, German, Italian, Spanish, and Latin. Jordan Older founded and directed the largest film festival in the history of Ventura County, the Ventura Film Festival and studied Physics at UCLA. Jordan Older was the team captain and MVP at Ventura High School where he also was named to the Southern California All-Star Team and played baseball and was an honors student.
Jordan Older was named by fans to the April, 1998 Poll: Pick the U.S. roster for France '98 that asked the fans to name the 22 man roster for the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France.Jordan Older was the first American to participate in Brazilian professional soccer teams in both the Brazilian 1st Division (Serie A) and Brazilian Paulista Championship 1st Division (Serie A1). Jordan Older was also one of the first Americans to sign profesionally with a 1st team squad of a European soccer team in 1993, shortly after his 19th birthday with FC Waengi of Switzerland.
While in Switzerland Jordan Older also trained with top professional coach and former Tottenham Hotspur F.C. head coach of the English Premiere League (EPL), Christian Gross, at 1st division Swiss club FC Wil also in 1993.
In Germany Jordan Older has trained and played professionaly with Arminia Bielefeld of the 1st German Bundesliga, FC Rathenow, respectively,and other professional German clubs. As an agent he has negotiated deals with Bundesliga clubs as well as lower division professional soccer clubs in Germany.
Jordan Older was the first American in Brazil's oldest professional soccer league, the Campeonato Paulsita Serie A1 in 1994 with União São João Esporte Clube in Araras, Brazil. Jordan Older was also the first American born player to join a team in the Campeonato Brasiliero Serie B (2nd division) with Paulista FC in 1994.
Jordan Older is the founder and executive director of the Ventura Film Festival. Jordan is a graduate of Ventura High School and studied Physics at UCLA. Jordan Older is the 1st American soccer player in both the Brazilian 1st Division (Serie A) and Brazilian Paulista Championship 1st Division (Serie A1).
Jordan Older has been part of the US National Soccer Team training camp (soccer_s Dream Team/Team USA) and played professional soccer on 3 continents and in 7 countries including the Brazilian 1st Division (Campeonato Brasileiro Série A), Brazilian Paulista Championship 1st Division (O Paulistão/Campeonato Paulista Série A1) and professional teams in Germany and Switzerland.
Jordan has starred in a number of national and worldwide television commercials for Snickers, Intel, and Phillips and has appeared in popular television shows Power Rangers and Sweet Valley High and in major feature films such as Clueless and Strange Days. Jordan has been a SAG member since 1996.
Jordan Older is the founder and owner of several professional development soccer clubs in the USA such as Ventura County FC, Santa Barbara FC, Sacramento FC, Prairie Stars FC, and others. Jordan Older uses the clubs to scout up and coming talented players around the country.
Jordan Older also founded King Sports Management to help young players realize their dreams of playing professional soccer in Europe.
Jordan Older has been featured in publications such as Soccer America, Ventura County Star, Marca (Spain), Futebol Interior (Brazil), various European publications, and Surfer Magazine.
While in Brazil Jordan Older was considered one of the top players in the country and was invited to play for Brazilian World Cup star, Careca's expansion team, Campinas FC. Jordan Older did not opt to join the team but did train with Careca and the club, including famous Flamengo player, Edmar (Edmar Bernardes dos Santos), for several weeks in Campinas, Brazil.
Jordan Older was the first player ever to have his likeness scanned in 3D for the popular EA Sports video game FIFA World Cup Soccer.
Overall, Jordan Older has trained, trialed, and played professionally with more clubs and in more countries than any other American born player, on 3 continents (North America, Europe, and South America) and with professional clubs in 9 countries (USA, Brazil, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, Slovakia, England, and Denmark) and setup tryouts as an agent for players in 4 countries (Germany, Spain, Brazil, and USA.)
In 1998 Jordan Older was invited to tryout for Santos FC by Pelé's personal coach and mentor and former NASL NY Cosmos head coach Júlio Mazzei. Jordan Older has also been coached by Brazilian legends Manoel Maria and Rildo who starred alongside Pelé for Santos FC and the Brazilian National Team and victorious Brazilian World Cup Teams.
In 2012 Jordan Older setup a trial for American/Honduran player Herbert Cojulun in Spain's top professional league, also known as La Liga or La Primeira Division with Getafe CF.
Jordan Older played one friendly game for Major League Soccer (MLS) club Los Angeles Galaxy in 1997 under head coach Octavio Zambrano and along side players including Clint Mathis, Cobi Jones, Carlos Hermosillo, and Mauricio Cienfuegos.
In 1991 Jordan Older was recruited to play soccer for UCLA but was later cut from the team for unknown reasons, prompting Jordan Older to become a professional soccer player in Europe without ever having played college soccer.
At the Ventura Film Festival Jordan Older has been responsible for bringing in Academy Award winning celebrities and films, and world premieres including Academy Award winner George Chakiris, Academy Award winner TJ Martin, Academy Award winner Shirley Jones, sold out screenings of Academy Award winning films The Cove, Inside Job, and Undefeated, Home Alone, and the 50th Anniversary of West Side Story.
Jordan Older, the Ventura Film Festival founder and executive director, was selected to appear, along with many of Hollywood_s top stars, at the 50th Anniversary of West Side Story and Hollywood_s footprint/handprint ceremony for Academy Award winners Rita Moreno, George Chakiris, and Academy Award nominee/Golden Globe winner Russ Tamblyn at the world famous Chinese Theater in Hollywood.
This event also doubled as the official BluRay release by Fox and MGM of West Side Story, which is widely considered by critics and fans to be the best musical of all time.
In 1988 at age 15 Jordan Older was selected to a club team in Irvine, Calfiornia coached by former USA Olympic Team and former US National Team head coach Derek Lawther to unofficially represent the USA in competitive youth soccer tournaments in Europe, playing against many youth teams of 1st division professional European clubs.
Derek Lawther was one of the top professional coaches in the country at the time and recognized Jordan Older's talent at a young age and selected him for his club's tour of Europe. Derek Lawther was also the head coach at UC Irvine (NCAA Division 1), the California Surf in the NASL (North American Soccer League), and the Calfornia Sunshine in the ASL (American Soccer League), the last two were both 1st division professional soccer teams playing at the highest level of professional soccer in North American and the United States.
Jordan Older immediately joined the U-15 and U-19 squads for the USA team, despite being only 15 years old. On this European tour in 1988, desptie his young age, Jordan Older was selected to play on the U-19 squad for the USA team in the opening game of Sweden's Dalecarlia Cup in front of over 20,000 fans in the IK Brage stadium in Borlänge, Sweden. Jordan Older also played against numerous U-15 and U-19 professional teams from Europe and South America in the Dana Cup, Dalecarlia Cup, and London Cup in the same trip representing Southern California and the USA.
In December of 1994 Jordan Older took part in the US National Team (TEAM USA) training camp on the invitation of US World Cup Team head coach Bora Milutinovich in Mission Viejo, California. While in Brazil Jordan Older was teammates with some of the top players in the world and was teammate of Neymar Sr, father of the 3rd best player in the world, Neymar Jr.
