Leon Flach

Leon Flach
Personal information
Full name Leon Maximilian Flach[1]
Date of birth (2001-02-28) February 28, 2001 (age 23)
Place of birth Humble, Texas, United States
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder, left-back
Team information
Current team
 Jagiellonia Białystok
Number 31
Youth career
2006–2008 Sereetzer SV
2008–2016 VfB Lübeck
2016–2020 FC St. Pauli
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2021 FC St. Pauli 9 (1)
2020 FC St. Pauli II 3 (1)
2021–2024 Philadelphia Union 116 (2)
2025– Jagiellonia Białystok 1 (0)
International career
2019 Germany U18 2 (0)
2020 United States U20 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of January 15, 2025

Leon Maximilian Flach (born February 28, 2001) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder or left-back for Polish club Jagiellonia Białystok.[3][4][5]

Club career

FC St. Pauli

Flach made his professional debut for FC St. Pauli in the 2. Bundesliga on September 27, 2020, coming on as a substitute in the 85th minute for Jannes Wieckhoff against 1. FC Heidenheim, which finished as a 4–2 home win.[6]

Flach scored his first professional goal for FC St. Pauli on January 3, 2021, scoring in the 82nd minute against Greuther Fürth in a 2–1 loss.[7]

Philadelphia Union

In March 2021, Flach signed a two-year contract with Philadelphia Union competing in Major League Soccer.[8] Flach's debut with the Union was starting in the club's first CONCACAF Champions League match, defeating Deportivo Saprissa 1–0.[9] Flach scored his first goal for the Union on October 3 against reigning MLS Champions, Columbus Crew in a 3–0 win.[10] His performances throughout the 2021 season made Flach a regular starter in the Union midfield and was recognized as being named among the MLS's 22 under 22.[11]

Jagiellonia Białystok

On January 15, 2025, free agent Flach joined Polish defending champions and UEFA Conference League participants Jagiellonia Białystok on a two-and-a-half-year deal, with an option for another year.[12]

Personal life

Flach was born in Texas to German parents while his father was working in Houston before returning to Hamburg as a child. He has represented Germany and the United States at youth level. Flach is a fan of the Houston Texans.[3]

Career statistics

As of match played October 20, 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
FC St. Pauli II 2020–21 Regionalliga Nord 3 1 — — — 3 1
FC St. Pauli 2020–21 2. Bundesliga 9 1 — — — 9 1
Philadelphia Union 2021 MLS 34 1 — 6[b] 0 3[c] 0 43 1
2022 MLS 34 0 1 0 — 3[c] 1 38 1
2023 MLS 25 1 1 0 4[b] 0 5[d] 0 35 1
2024 MLS 23 0 0 0 — 6[e] 0 29 0
Total 116 2 2 0 10 0 17 1 145 3
Jagiellonia Białystok 2024–25 Ekstraklasa 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Career total 129 4 2 0 10 0 17 1 158 5
  1. ^ Includes U.S. Open Cup
  2. ^ a b Appearances in CONCACAF Champions League
  3. ^ a b Appearances in MLS Cup Playoffs
  4. ^ Three appearances in Leagues Cup, two appearances in MLS Cup Playoffs
  5. ^ Appearances in Leagues Cup

Honours

Philadelphia Union

References

  1. ^ "National team roster, 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup: USA" (PDF). CONCACAF. June 18, 2021. p. 1. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  2. ^ "Leon Flach". Philadelphia Union. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "ASN: Flach seeks roles with the U.S. U-20s & St. Pauli first team in 2020". americansoccernow.com. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  4. ^ Leon Flach at WorldFootball.net Edit this at Wikidata
  5. ^ "Leon Flach | Philadelphia Union player profile". philadelphiaunion.com. March 31, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  6. ^ "Germany » 2. Bundesliga 2020/2021 » 2. Round » FC St. Pauli – 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 4:2". WorldFootball.net. September 27, 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  7. ^ "Nur geschnuppert: St. Pauli-Trainer Schultz über Tor-Debüt von Flach". Morgenpost (in German). January 3, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  8. ^ "Philadelphia Union Sign Midfielder Leon Flach". philadelphiaunion.com. March 31, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  9. ^ Jonathan Tannenwald (April 8, 2021). "Leon Flach fits in right away during Union win in debut on Concacaf Champions League stage". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  10. ^ Jonathan Tannenwald (October 3, 2021). "Union rout Columbus Crew, 3-0, headlined by Jack Elliott's free kick goal: Observations and analysis". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  11. ^ "2021 22 Under 22 presented by BODYARMOR". MLSsoccer.com. October 12, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  12. ^ Bońkowski, Robert (January 15, 2025). "Grał przeciwko Messiemu. Leon Flach będzie nową gwiazdą PKO BP Ekstraklasy?". sport.tvp.pl (in Polish). Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  13. ^ Sigal, Jonathan (November 5, 2022). "Hollywood ending! LAFC win legendary MLS Cup 2022 over Philadelphia Union". Major League Soccer. Retrieved April 27, 2023.