Jason Griffiths

A central midfielder who excels on the defensive side of the ball and enjoys breaking up the opposition’s attack ... is fearless and a strong tackler … has great vision and is an effective distributor from his defensive midfield position … deceptively skillful on the dribble and is a threat to shoot from long distance … plans to join the team in the spring after graduating from Kentucky. 

COLLEGE: Started 64 of 65 games in which he appeared during his four-year career at Kentucky, registering 12 goals and 10 assists … earned All-Midwest Region honors as a senior, ranking second on the team with three goals and adding one assist … named to the All-Conference USA first team in both his junior and senior seasons, while he also earned C-USA All-Tournament team honors as a junior … helped lead the Wildcats to the C-USA title game in both 2006 and 2008 … finished his collegiate career 8-for-8 on penalty kicks, serving as the team’s first-choice penalty taker all four years. 

PERSONAL: Son of Ricky Griffiths and Karen Clark … has an older sister, Lucie (24), and a younger brother, Jacob (17) … goes by the nickname “Jase” … was just the second-ever Kentucky men’s soccer player to be drafted in the MLS SuperDraft, following Andy Gruenebaum (third overall in 2005 by the Columbus Crew) … most memorable soccer moment was when he scored two goals and added one assist in a Conference USA semifinal game against Tulsa in 2006, his freshman year at Kentucky … lists his favorite movie as The Hangover, while he also enjoys the standup comedy of Ricky Gervais and Michael McIntyre … musical tastes include techno and hip hop … favorite soccer team is Liverpool, and his favorite player is Steven Gerrard … enjoys hanging out with friends, watching movies, and playing tennis and golf in his spare time.