It was a homecoming on February 28 at Subaru Park for Jackson Gilman, but this time, he was not wearing the blue and gold. The Philadelphia Union Academy alum and University of Pittsburgh defender and captain, who also spent time with Union II in 2022 before leaving for college, was drafted by Toronto FC in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft and signed to Toronto FC II.
Wearing the captain’s armband, Gilman made his TFC II debut in that familiar environment with a large contingent of family and friends. The Schwenksville, PA native would be against many familiar faces, but he was all business in his performance and very nearly found the equalizer against Union II after Malik Jakupovic had put the home squad up 1-0. While the result was not what his squad had hoped for, Gilman and his squad battled for 90 minutes, with the captain putting forth a strong performance.
That moment of taking the field as a professional soccer player was the culmination of a journey from the local club and academy ranks and then being a standout collegiate defender at Pitt, and a lot of dedication to achieving goals. We at The One Team We Agree On wanted to catch up with Jackson and discuss his journey and his goals as he begins this new chapter in his soccer career. The following is our interview with him, conducted by myself and Kyle Almoney:
Jackson, first of all, can you tell us how you got into soccer in the first place growing up, then Did you play any other sports too as you were coming up?
So my dad was an athlete growing up. He came from a family of athletes. His dad, my grandfather, played baseball. His brothers played basketball and baseball and football, and he played everything. He played baseball, he played soccer, he played basketball. He kind of just was an athlete. They have three brothers and a family… it’s, you know, a lot of competition and whatnot. So he had a basis of everything it takes to be an athlete growing up.
So I think when I was a child, they threw me into some things, just like every parent does, and I fell in love with baseball and soccer. So I played those two primarily growing up and eventually made the decision to kind of leave baseball, because my passion and heart was fully in in soccer, completely. But yeah, I would say my dad kind of got me into things and pushed me and drove me to be a competitor.
So, coming up through the Philadelphia Union Academy, what was the process like for you getting started?
Yeah, it was a bit of a surreal experience. I think I never really thought much until I played for the local club team near my house, and grew through the ranks there. It got to a point where I was excelling at that level, but I don’t think we knew much about like the academy or the the high level local teams, it was more just, you know, I’m playing ball at the at the club, and I’m enjoying it.
There was a summer camp at YSC sports, which is where the Union Academy and Juniors and Pre Academy all started, and used to train. It was, I believe it was just a YSC Academy/YSC Sports summer camp, and I signed up for it. My mom signed me up for I was just kind of like, okay, well, we’ll do this.
And I happened to be scouted and coached by one of the Union Juniors coaches. It was more like a summer camp just playing soccer, and it wasn’t Union affiliated, so we weren’t really locked in on anything, and he saw me and thought I had potential and growth to do something special. And he had come up to my family and myself after the camp, after the week, and said, “I think you should start coming to Union Juniors trainings.”
So from that summer camp, over the next few months, that process kind of began, of, what does this look like on a weekly basis compared to like, what my team dynamic is? So that was a bit of like an eye-opening moment of “I can do something with this, if I really put my head down for it.” And eventually joined the the Juniors and started training with them. I can’t remember if it was once or twice a week, and all of the kids that trained were still with their local club teams, so they would still train and play games, and they were also getting scouted by the the Union Juniors and Union Academy staff. So that was a really cool experience for all of us.
Prior to your match with Union two recently, we were talking to Coach Ryan Richter, and he spoke very highly of you and your family. Just talk about your time with him in the Academy and what it was like to work with him.
Yeah, we’ve known Ryan for a long time. He’s one of the best coaches I’ve had through my career. You know, he’s a guy that’s similar to me. He played at a high level, and then he went to college and excelled there, and then went into the MLS ranks and played a long professional career, came back home and started coaching. And, you know, it’s someone that I really look up to, because he’s done the path that I’m kind of on right now. So to see that someone can do it and excel at it, and have a long, good, professional, respected career, that’s something I look up to.
And he was a coach I had my U-17 year. Primarily, he was a head coach and an assistant through that season, and obviously the team had success that year, so that was awesome to be a part of. And you know, when you look back in the memories, he’s one of the coaches, but just his mentality and his determination and the way he pushed us in our standards, that’s someone that I really remember when I look back on my Union Academy career and say, wow, like he had a huge impact of not only as a player, but as a person, and just growing up in my mentality. So I give a lot of respect and credit to him in that that year, in that process, just leading by example, holding the standards, and then just being a good person to get advice from.
And then Jackson, I want to switch to a little bit of your time at Pittsburgh. First, how did the going through the Academy and playing prepare you for college, and then, going through the college recruiting process, what ultimately led you to choose the University of Pittsburgh?
I think playing at the Academy set me up completely for playing college. I think people underestimate the level that college has and the competitiveness and the quality that the players have in American college soccer, and I think playing in the Union Academy system for from 11 to 18 set me up completely to be able to not only play at the college level, but from day one to be able to start and play meaningful minutes at the college level. Because without that experience of playing in the Union Academy, and it’s a very professional environment, and then playing with the second team there for a year and a half without an experience of, you know, it’s not just about development, it’s about quality, it’s about winning games, about performing.
I think, you know, you go into college a little bit overwhelmed and unaware of what it takes to play at that level. So I think the Union Academy did a lot in helping me set up for the for the level of what college was like. And then when going through the recruitment process, the school had a college counselor that really helped. And she knew different people in different colleges and reputations, and she had relationships with others, and she helped all of us to kind of balance this school versus that school, and what you were looking for, what your family was looking for.
Some guys wanted completely soccer, no academics. Some guys wanted all academics, no real soccer. And I kind of wanted to balance it both. And she was able to kind of navigate the different schools and recruiters and assistant coaches and helping me understand what certain calls and what certain things meant when I got off of calls, and I think when I came back to deciding Pittsburgh, when I think of the first call I had with them, and the very last one, they were very steady and consistent in how they approached calls and how they spoke and their enthusiasm. It was very consistent the entire time.
And I think some other schools kind of ebbed and flowed. You know, some days they were really, really excited. Like maybe that first call, they were super excited. Three months down the road, they were a little bit less enthusiastic, and Pittsburgh was very consistent. I took that as honesty and trust, and they were telling me, you know, exactly what they they thought. And I respected that completely. Funny enough, they were actually the first call I ever had. My college counselor… I was, you know, deciding, like, when do I set up calls? Do I wait? Do I do it immediately? And she was like, “Let’s do tomorrow. You start calling people and have Pittsburgh be your first one.” And they ended up being the school that I committed to.
And then a little bit about your time with coach, Jay Vidovich. He’s very well-respected in the US Soccer landscape. What wisdom did he impart with you? What was it like working with him and the staff?
Yeah, I mean, like you said, he’s one of the most well-respected coaches in that landscape, and he’s even had time in the in the MLS and the pro ranks. So I think that was a big piece, wanting to work for a coach that had a professional experience and is so well respected at that level. Because my goal was always to play in the professional realm. So I think when I was looking at potential colleges, and his name was on one of the schools that I was looking at, that was a big piece of choosing Pittsburgh. And then my four, three and a half years there, four seasons there, I think I grew a lot as a player under him. You know, he—kind of like Ryan Richter—he demands excellence, and his standards for even the littlest details, littlest qualities are are as high as I’ve ever seen. His attention to detail and watching film and preparation off the field for the game at the end of the week is huge.
So he helped me grow a lot as a as a player and as a leader. I was a captain from a young age at Pitt, and I think he helped me grow in that aspect as well. Obviously, I have to give a lot of thanks and credit to him for allowing me to take that role. But he helps guide me along the way of growing into by my senior year, it kind of came very natural. But yeah, he was huge in my development as a player and taking this next step into the the pro ranks at Toronto. And he’s one of those coaches I can look back on and say, “Wow, he really helped my development as a player and a person.”
And we have to ask you about one of your former teammates, Gavin Wetzel, who also came from the union. Just how would you rate his adaptation, not only college soccer, but just college in general?
He was awesome. Unfortunately, I only got to spend one semester with him. Obviously, we’d known each other from Philadelphia. He’s a few years younger than me, so I got to train with him once or twice in the second team before we left, or if I’d gone back. So we had a bit of a relationship already. But once he came in, it was a similar thing to when I stepped in at Pittsburgh. He had played in the Union Academy his whole career. He had joined the school, so he was, you know, completely immersed in the Union Academy system and family, and he spent some time with the second team as well, and he played meaningful minutes.
So coming into college, of course, it’s a new atmosphere, a new league, college versus pro. But you know, he came with a mentality of “I’ve played at a professional organization.” This is a very professional organization in Pittsburgh, and coming in and just wanting to do the work and being ready to do whatever is asked.
With him, and he was a guy that just put his head down and grinded and proved himself in the in the summer before the season started, and had a good preseason. And he’s a really good locker room dude, guy that works hard, and, of course, he performs on the field. So his adaptation was similar to to mine, and he had the experience already, and it was just about doing it at a new place and and learning the new system. So he’s been awesome, and I’ve heard nothing but great things in his second semester there. So hoping for a huge sophomore fall for him.
And we enjoyed following you guys at Pitt last season, especially. You had a good squad there, and it was definitely neat to see the just the presence Gavin brought there as well as a freshman. So that was pretty cool. Let’s now talk about your current squad, Toronto FC II. First, can you share your emotions when you found out that you’d be selected 36th overall in the MLS SuperDraft by the club?
That was one of the coolest moments of my life. I was just like, overtaken with emotions, and just being able to celebrate that with my family, and, you know, seeing the emotions on my parents, and their joy and just, almost that relief of, like, wow. Like, we’ve all put so much time and effort into this whole journey and to see that it’s paid off, not that it’s finished, you know, the journey has just began, but to see wow, he has an opportunity to go and chase his dreams. I think that was just unreal for us all.
So be able to share that and see how much pride they had in that, because the sacrifices my parents and my sister and my family members and my friends, they’ve all made and seen all of us take for this, it was so cool to see everybody in my in my life, how excited they were for me. So I was beyond happy and grateful that Toronto was willing to take a chance on me and just super happy of my time so far in Toronto and what that’s been like.
And then for you personally, going from college now to professional soccer, was been the biggest adjustment for you in that realm. And I guess, you know, you’ve been in MLS Next Pro before, when you were with Philadelphia, but just that evolution now to this next stage. What’s been the biggest adjustment?
I think it’s, you know, we’re back in a professional environment. You know, college, and especially at Pittsburgh, has a reputation for being very successful and professional, but again, you’re there for four years, and you can play and train and be there for four years and move on with your life. And this is a lot more cutthroat.
So just trying to take it day by day, and just being the best you can be on a daily basis and continue to improve. That’s been huge for myself, and I think for everybody in this building. But, yeah, everybody here is a pro, or is on track to be a pro. And the level, obviously is much high, much higher. You know, there’s great college players, but when you come into a professional environment, everybody’s good. So it’s you’ve got two or three players in each position that are ready to start on the weekend, and you have to make sure that again, on a daily basis, you’re showing up and you’re doing everything you can to prove yourself and to put your best foot forward.
So I think just coming in and trying to be myself and not, you know, do anything out of the ordinary, just to be the person I am, the leader I am, and the player I am, and show what I can bring to the table and do for the club, and help the team win games.
And then working with Coach Gianni Cimini, talk about him. What have been your impressions and just overall thoughts of him guiding the team?
He’s been amazing so far. I got to spend some time with preseason with him. And now coming back from Spain and being with the group, he’s been, again, a guy that really holds the standard and the level and his attention to detail is massive. I don’t know many coaches that spend that much time and care into the little things. But again, when you go into playing games and winning games, the fine margins are what separates good from great teams.
So I think the time he spends to really help and support the players to grow and to help them develop. It’s been great so far, and his standards and level and his understanding of the game is top. So I’ve had a great time in my few weeks here so far, and I’m excited to see what the season holds.
You spoke about your family and friends being all excited. I was down at the game when you guys played Union II, and your first start there against your old club. You had quite the cheering section. I saw, I think it was about 50 percent your fans and 50 percent Union II fans. It was pretty cool. But just talk about that match and what that experience was like for you.
Yeah, it was, it was really cool. Obviously, even if fans weren’t there, it would have been surreal, because, you know, growing up in that family, and playing in that stadium, and making my debut before college in that stadium… coming back there, and that being my first game with Toronto, that was a cool moment. And then you add on top of that, 26 or so supporters just there to support me and my journey. That was a special moment.
Of course, going into the game, put that all behind me and my experience there, because now it’s time to to compete and perform and play for Toronto. So during the game, it was all about competing and playing. And I thought the guys put up a good match, and unfortunate on the result on the day, but it was a cool experience.
And afterwards it was nice to see some familiar faces, you know, see my family and my loved ones, and then, of course, see Coach Richter and some of their assistants and players that I had played with. That was cool. But again, going into the match, it was more about, let’s focus on what’s ahead of us, if we can enjoy it and say hi and all the those things after the match.
And then, while it is early in the MLS Next Pro season, what has impressed you about the squad as a whole, and what are you looking forward to this coming Sunday against Crew 2?
I think the squad has had a really good mentality going into games and after games. I think our ability as a team to continue to push and continue to drive and the effort that everybody’s shown day in and day out in trainings in games has been great. I think that’s going to take us a long way. I think you know, as seasons go on, you continue to grow and adapt and perform, and I think that’s only going to improve our quality and the results. But this early in the season, to see the commitment and the effort every single day in training and games, that’s something that’s going to drive us throughout the season, and we’ll only continue to help and support the team’s results.
And then final question for us is, what are your future goals for yourself moving forward?
Yeah, obviously the main thing is just to do whatever the club and the team needs of me this season. I’m just trying to be available and to be a strong player and performer in whatever way the club needs me from a personal standpoint. Obviously, you know, the goal is to be in BMO Stadium with the first team. So the hope is that eventually, when we look back on this interview in the beginning of the season, we can look back and say, you know, he wanted to be in that first team environment, and that I got there.
So I think that’s the main goal for me, is whenever I can, is to break in and break through, but until that time, is to continue to support the guys that are on the field and in the stadium and then continue to drive the level in training and efforts of T2 and being a big piece of their their group and their games in the MLS Next Pro season.
Kyle Almoney contributed to this article.
Special thank you to Jackson Gilman, as well as Nikk Kadbet/Toronto FC Communications.
Main article photo courtesy of Philadelphia Union II.
The One Team We Agree On 
Leave a comment