Jeremiah White
Jeremiah White is an American former soccer player. He was known for his speed and normally played in midfield, though he was also used as a striker or fullback.
Youth career
White attended The Haverford School for high school, and was a member of the soccer team, earning All-American honors. He also played on the Region I ODP and adidas ESP teams. White played with the youth club FC Delco while in school, and was named the club's player of the year while still a senior in high school.White chose to play collegiate soccer for Wake Forest University, over other top universities such as Duke, Clemson, Maryland, and South Carolina. White played as a forward during his freshman season with the Demon Deacons, scoring his first collegiate goal against UNC-Charlotte, a goal that won that particular match in overtime.
White's sophomore season was a success, as he led the ACC in scoring, becoming the first Wake Forest player to do so since 1983. He recorded his first career hat-trick against the University of Richmond during this season.
Injury plagued White's junior season at Wake Forest, keeping him out of the starting eleven until October 29. Despite the injuries, White still led the team in scoring, and was named to the All-ACC team for the second year in a row.
In 2003, White's senior year, he was named ACC Player of the Year, and was named to the All-ACC team for the third straight year.
Professional career
OFK Beograd
Following graduation from Wake Forest, White went to Europe, in an effort to prove that he could succeed there. He signed with Serbian club OFK Beograd, in January 2004, shunning offers from Major League Soccer, where he had been drafted in the third round of the MLS SuperDraft by the New England Revolution. White's short time with OFK Beograd was marred by a racism incident that occurred in March 2004, and received international media attention. White and a group of friends, including two black Brazilians, were confronted by a group of angry youth, one of whom, according to White, was "throwing around Nazi signs." Fierce words were exchanged, punches were thrown, and the groups eventually separated with no serious damage incurred. News organizations like BBC, RAI, and CNN picked up on the story, and White was headline news around the world for a short time. A month later, White asked for, and was granted, release from his contract on April 6, 2004, which led to speculation that White was leaving the team as a result of the incident. White dismissed this, saying, "That's the farthest thing from the truth."Panserraikos
After his release from OFK Beograd, White set up a series of trials with clubs throughout Europe, including Dutch club Feyenoord, and Belgian club K.V.C. Westerlo. White was close to having a deal completed with Westerlo, but he instead signed with Greek Second Division side Panserraikos on a one-year contract.White made his debut for the club on September 19, 2004, against AEL. He had a shot stopped by the AEL keeper in the 82nd minute, but the ensuing corner kick led to the match's only goal, scored by Kelvin Sebwe, giving Panserraikos a 1–0 win. While with Panserraikos, White was frequently played out of position as a target forward, as opposed to his preferred withdrawn striker position. Playing as a target forward is extremely unusual for a player who is only 5 feet, 8 inches tall. In addition, White claimed that the club physically altered his contract after he signed, attempting to claim that he signed for two years instead of one. White was also forced to play through injury, and eventually suffered a severe concussion that kept him out of action for two months. Following his recovery, White asked for, and after a dispute, was granted his release from the club in January 2005.
FC Gueugnon
For the second time in six months, White found himself without a team, and again set up trials across Europe, spending time with FC Nordsjælland of the Danish Superliga and FC Gueugnon of French Ligue 2. White signed with the French club on June 6, 2005, agreeing to a two-year contract.White spent most of his early time with Gueugnon's reserve team, but eventually got his first goal of his Ligue 2 career on November 25, 2005, scoring the game-winning goal on a free kick from 28 yards out to beat Le Havre AC. Ten games into the season, White led the team in scoring with four goals, yet still failed to see consistent playing time.