Jarosław Niezgoda
Jarosław Niezgoda (born 15 March 1995) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Major League Soccer club Portland Timbers.[2]
 Niezgoda with the Portland Timbers in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jarosław Niezgoda | ||
| Date of birth | 15 March 1995 | ||
| Place of birth | Poniatowa, Poland | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Portland Timbers | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2008 | Opolanin Opole Lubelskie | ||
| 2008–2012 | Wisła Puławy | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2012–2016 | Wisła Puławy | 64 | (24) |
| 2016–2020 | Legia Warsaw | 51 | (27) |
| 2016–2019 | Legia Warsaw II | 17 | (12) |
| 2016–2017 | → Ruch Chorzów (loan) | 27 | (10) |
| 2020– | Portland Timbers | 80 | (20) |
| 2020 | Portland Timbers 2 | 1 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2017 | Poland U21 | 5 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23 August 2023 | |||
Career
Professional
Jarosław Niezgoda started his career with the Lublin club Opolanin Opole Lubelskie in 2006. His second junior club was Wisła Puławy, which he joined in 2008. The striker made his debut for the first team in 2012, coming off the bench in a match against Pelikan Łowicz in the 67th minute. Niezgoda had a breakout 2013-14 season, appearing in 29 games and scoring 12 goals.
In 2016, Legia Warsaw signed Niezgoda. He primarily played with their reserves team and was loaned out to Ruch Chorzów. He scored his first goal for Legia's first team on August 20, 2017 in a 1–0 win against Wisła Płock in the sixth matchday of the 2017–18 season. On September 1, 2019, he scored a hat-trick in a 3–1 win against Raków Częstochowa.
He was acquired by Portland in January 2020.[2] He suffered a torn ACL during a November 2020 match against Vancouver Whitecaps.[3] On June 25, 2022, Niezgoda recorded a brace in the second half, during a 3-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids.[4] As of April 2023, Niezgoda is the most efficient goal scorer in MLS history, converting on over 48% of his attempts.[5] On August 20, 2023, he suffered another ACL tear during a league game against Houston Dynamo, ruling him out of play for approximately nine months.[6]
International
Niezgoda made five appearances and tallied one goal for the under-21 team, including three outings during the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
Personal life
Niezgoda was born in Poniatowa, Poland. Growing up his family had a big yard, where he, his brothers and father would play soccer.[7] Niezgoda proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Izabela Kujawska in October 2020 on the Oregon Coast. Six months later, the couple would welcome their daughter Zofia in March, 2021. Jarosław has a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Leo.
Career statistics
Club
- As of 23 August 2023[8]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other1 | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Wisła Puławy | 2012–13 | II liga | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | II liga | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 3 | |||
| 2014–15 | II liga | 28 | 12 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 12 | |||
| 2015–16 | II liga | 18 | 9 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 9 | |||
| Total | 64 | 24 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 67 | 24 | ||||
| Legia Warsaw | 2015–16 | Ekstraklasa | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | Ekstraklasa | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2017–18 | Ekstraklasa | 27 | 13 | 5 | 2 | — | 1 | 0 | 33 | 15 | ||
| 2018–19 | Ekstraklasa | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||
| 2019–20 | Ekstraklasa | 18 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 21 | 14 | ||
| Total | 51 | 27 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 60 | 29 | ||
| Ruch Chorzów (loan) | 2016–17 | Ekstraklasa | 27 | 10 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 10 | ||
| Portland Timbers | 2020 | Major League Soccer | 17 | 7 | — | — | 4 | 1 | 21 | 8 | ||
| 2021 | Major League Soccer | 13 | 3 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 3 | |||
| 2022 | Major League Soccer | 30 | 9 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 31 | 9 | ||
| 2023 | Major League Soccer | 20 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | 3 | 0 | 25 | 3 | ||
| Total | 80 | 20 | 7 | 2 | — | 7 | 1 | 94 | 23 | |||
| Career total | 222 | 81 | 17 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 249 | 86 | ||
1 Including Polish Super Cup, MLS is Back Tournament and Leagues Cup
Honours
Legia Warsaw
Portland Timbers
References
- "Jarosław Niezgoda". Portland Timbers. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
- "Timbers acquire forward Jaroslaw Niezgoda as Designated Player | Portland Timbers".
- "Timbers forward Jaroslaw Niezgoda to miss remainder of season | Portland Timbers".
- Oregonian/OregonLive, Ryan Clarke | The (26 June 2022). "Boosted by a brace from Jaroslaw Niezgoda, Portland Timbers handle Colorado Rapids, 3-0". oregonlive. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
- Database, OSDB-Online Sports. "OSDB - Jaroslaw Niezgoda - Portland Timbers". OSDB - Online Sports Database. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
- "Timbers forward Jaroslaw Niezgoda to undergo season-ending surgery". Portland Timbers. 23 August 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
- "Naturally 'very shy,' Jaroslaw Niezgoda may now also be a key piece for Timbers". 90minut.pl. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- "Jarosław Niezgoda". 90minut.pl. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
- "Dario Zuparic goal clinches MLS Back is Tournament for Portland Timbers". The Guardian. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 12 August 2020.