Jackson Habib Khoury (Arabic: جاكسون حبيب خوري; born 13 October 2002) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for MLS Next Pro club Tacoma Defiance and the Lebanon national team. Born in Australia, Khoury made his international debut for Lebanon in 2024.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jackson Habib Khoury[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 13 October 2002[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Baulkham Hills, New South Wales, Australia[3] | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[4] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Tacoma Defiance | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2015 | Marconi Stallions | ||
| 2016–2017 | Bonnyrigg White Eagles | ||
| 2018 | Parramatta FC | ||
| 2018–2020 | Sydney United | ||
| 2022–2023 | Central Coast Mariners | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2021 | Sydney United | 21 | (4) |
| 2022–2023 | Central Coast Mariners Academy | 21 | (2) |
| 2023–2024 | South Georgia Tormenta | 52 | (7) |
| 2025– | Tacoma Defiance | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2024– | Lebanon | 1 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 31 October 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 26 March 2024 | |||
Early life
editKhoury was born in Baulkham Hills, New South Wales, a western suburb of Sydney, Australia, the eldest of three siblings to an Australian mother and Lebanese father.[5]
Club career
editEarly career
editKhoury began his senior career with Sydney United in the National Premier Leagues NSW,[3] being named as a breakout star in July 2021.[6] He scored in the Grand Final against Rockdale Ilinden in October 2020 and contributed to United's 4–3 victory in the penalty shootout following a 3–3 draw in regular time.[7]
Khoury later joined Central Coast Mariners Academy, who played in NSW League One, in 2022.[8] He played in the 2–1 Grand Final defeat to St George City at the Sydney United Sports Centre on 3 September 2022.[9] Despite the loss, the Mariners were promoted to the National Premier Leagues.[10]
Tormenta FC
editIn February 2023, Khoury signed a two-year contract, with an option to extend for a year, for American club Tormenta FC in the USL League One.[3] After accumulating seven goals and six assists in 31 appearances in his first season, Khoury was named the USL League One Young Player of the Year in November 2023,[11][12] and, subsequently, Tormenta's Newcomer of the Year Award in December 2023.[13] His 13 goal contributions was the joint third-highest for a player in their debut season in the league's history.[14]
Tacoma Defiance
editOn 9 December 2024, it was announced that Khoury would joined MLS Next Pro side Tacoma Defiance ahead of their 2025 season.[15][16]
International career
editEligible to represent Lebanon through his father's side, Khoury was called up into the Lebanese national team for a local training camp in Beirut from 19 December to 28 December 2023.[17][18][19] This was in preparation ahead of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, commencing on 14 January 2024.[17] However, Khoury was not listed in the final squad.[20][21]
In March 2024, Khoury was recalled to the Lebanese squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against his native nation Australia.[5][22][23] Khoury made his international debut on 26 March, after missing the initial fixture in Western Sydney Stadium, as a late substitute in a 5–0 defeat to the Socceroos at Canberra Stadium.[24]
Career statistics
editInternational
edit- As of match played 26 March 2024
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lebanon | 2024 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Jackson Khoury". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ "Jackson Khoury | MLS Soccer". Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on 11 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
- ^ a b c "Tormenta FC Adds Jackson Khoury to 2023 USL League One Roster". South Georgia Tormenta FC. 1 February 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
- ^ "Jackson Khoury".
- ^ a b Williams, Paul (20 March 2024). "Lebanese-Australian players eager to make community proud against Socceroos". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ "Breakout 2021 NPL NSW Men's Performers". NPL Men's NSW. Football NSW. 1 July 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ "Sydney United 58 prevail on penalties in NPLNSW Grand Final epic". MyFootball. 27 October 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
- ^ Triebsch, Ethan (16 March 2023). "2023 Season Preview: Top Young Players". USL League One. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
- ^ "St George City crowned 2022 League One Champions". Football NSW. 3 September 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
- ^ "Mariners fall in League One Grand Finals". Central Coast Mariners. 4 September 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
- ^ "Jackson Khoury Named USL League One Young Player of the Year". South Georgia Tormenta FC. 9 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
- ^ "Jackson Khoury wins best player in the USA". Australasian Soccer Academy. 10 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
- ^ "Jackson Khoury Named Tormenta FC Newcomer of the Year". South Georgia Tormenta FC. November 15, 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ Maffit, Gillian (29 May 2024). "Culture and courage: Jackson Khoury's journey from Sydney to Statesboro". USL League One. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ Staff, USLLeagueOne com (December 9, 2024). "South Georgia's Jackson Khoury joins Seattle Sounders FC organizaion". USL League One.
- ^ Defiance, Tacoma. "Tacoma Defiance Signs Midfielder Jackson Khoury". Tacoma Defiance.
- ^ a b "South Georgia's Jackson Khoury called up to Lebanon national team training camp". USL League One. 19 December 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ "جاكسون خوري يلفت الأنظار بصفوف منتخب لبنان". Alahed News (in Arabic). 24 December 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ "جاكسون خوري بصفوف منتخب لبنان.. والتحاق الحارس خليل وسوني والاخوين ملكي". Belwasat | بالوسط (in Arabic). 21 December 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ Blondel, Gabriel (12 January 2024). "Lebanon's national football team faces uphill battle in Asian Cup, says former captain". Lorient Today. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ Younes, Tarek (24 December 2023). "اللاعب جاكسون خوري يترك إنطباعاً جيداً". El Maestro Sport (in Arabic). Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ Boykin, Caroline (22 March 2024). "Jackson Khoury Covered in The Guardian Ahead of Lebanon National Team Matches". Tormenta FC. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ Younes, Tarek (15 March 2024). "بعثة المنتخب اللبناني تغادر الى سيدني للقاء منتخب استراليا". El Maestro Sport (in Arabic). Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ Monteverde, Marco (26 March 2024). "Socceroos smash Lebanon as Goodwin stars, and Yengi, Iredale score first international goals". Code Sports. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.