It is not easy to move over 2,000 miles to the other side of the country, let alone as a teenager navigating academics, sports, and life in general. When the opportunity arose for 17-year-old John Ruf, however, he seized it, joining the Philadelphia Union Academy in early 2025—and has been flourishing within the organization as a forward with the U-18s and also now with Union II. The Ojai, California native also attends YSC Academy and is an accomplished student.
Back in the beginning of the 2026 season, John was getting to train with Union II under then-head coach Ryan Richter. From talking to Richter and others “in the know,” what I gathered was that he is a very driven individual with certainly some areas to grow, but a lot of skill and potential. Richter had shared during Union II preseason:
“Yeah, John has surprised a lot of us. You know, he surprised the entire coaching staff, just with his physicality, his work rate, his effort against the ball, his runs behind. He finds a way to make an impact in almost every game that we’ve played through preseason and every training session, he trains like an absolute animal. So he’s made a great impression so far for him. He needs to become a lot more clinical and polished, I would say, in front of goal. But he has a lot of the qualities that we like in a striker, and he has some time here to develop, and he’ll be one that certainly gets the opportunity with Union II.”
Ruf did indeed get those opportunities soon after with Union II, and started the opening match alongside Malik Jakupovic at striker in the 1-0 win over Toronto FC II. While he only got one more start before coming off the bench for most of his appearances during the season, he has had a chance to be more impactful after the loans of Stas Korzeniowski and Eddy Davis, and Jakupovic appearing more with the first team, and has started the past two matches.
Chris Harmon, the current interim head coach of Union II and the head coach of the U-18 squad during the 2025–2026 season, has worked extensively with Ruf at both levels. His thoughts on the young striker echo what Richter said back in February.
“He’s a really driven kid, super coachable,” Harmon said of Ruf prior to the match against NYCFC II. “He wants to get better. He wants to be a pro. He shows up every day with a great mentality and attitude. He doesn’t make anything easy for his teammates. He can test every ball, and I think you know he trains like that. What you see in games is what we see every day in training. He continuously puts himself in great spots, which is why you see how many chances fall to him.”
Ruf recently got his first professional-level goal with Union II on August 30 against FC Cincinnati 2 after coming off the bench. It was a long time coming as the finishing was not always there, but the chances were.
Harmon shared, “He needs to continue to to be cleaner to capitalize on those chances because once he does, it’s going to be scary because of all of the chances he creates. So that’s something we’re working with him on—a little bit more quality and poise in his final actions, and once those start to drop, I would say look out. Because yeah… John Ruf is quiet. You know he’s always in and around it, so we’re really happy with his progression, and we’ll keep pushing because there’s now an expectation and a standard that he’s set for himself that we’re going to continue to push him to.”
Interview with John Ruf
I caught up with John ahead of Union II’s Decision Day match versus NYCFC II to hear about his journey, goals, and thoughts on Union II. The following is that interview, and has been edited for length and clarity. The video can also be found on YouTube and the audio wherever you get your podcasts.
Jillian Almoney: We’ll start the beginning with you. Just with your background, growing up… how did you get into soccer, and did you play any other sports growing up too?
John Ruf: Yes, I grew up in Ojai, California. Just started playing soccer, like I would just play like all the rec leagues. So I played rec basketball, baseball, soccer. I was on the swim team for a long time because my older siblings did that. And then I don’t know. I think just after a while, I decided that I liked soccer the best, and like slowly, like I stopped swimming, and then I stopped playing baseball, and then stopped playing basketball, and then just started playing soccer. And you know, I live in a small town, so went from a local team to further away, and then further away, and then I was at Santa Barbara before I came to the Union, which is like an hour away. So thankfully, my parents were always super committed and drove me.
Jillian: Yeah, I’m intrigued that you mentioned swimming because I was a competitive swimmer. So how old were you? How long did you swim?
John: I don’t exactly remember, probably like from five to 10 or like 11, maybe.
Jillian: What was your best stroke?
John: I think my best stroke was freestyle. I’m pretty sure. I did like most of that. I remember like 25s and like 50s of breaststroke, not really backstroke, but butterfly and freestyle mostly.
Jillian: See, I was a backstroker. So, yeah, actually, an idea for content… [the Union] have a few swimmers. Stas [Korzeniowski] was a really good swimmer. Frankie [Westfield] swam. He apparently says he was pretty good, that he could take anybody. There’s a few swimmers there, so you know, have to have a race sometime.”
John: It’s a hard sport to be good at.
Jillian: Yeah, it takes a lot. I think I saw something on a past social media thing that Theo [Reed] claimed that he was a pretty good swimmer. I don’t know if there’s any truth in that. Maybe we need to find out.
John: So you know, Jordan [Griffin] does sometimes say that he’s a good swimmer. So a race there could be informative.
Jillian: Yeah, that could be great. So you you mentioned about coming from Santa Barbara to the Union Academy. What was that process like for you? How did [you end up] coming to the Union, and how was that transition?
John: Well, I think it was my U-16 year in the fall, I started. I went from playing like eight, central midfield to striker, and you know it was a little hard at first, just because I was on the ball so much less. But then going into [MLS Next] Fest, I played really well. I scored like nine goals in three games, and I know the Union was at a couple different games, and then they reached out to me after that. Had a Zoom call with Paul [Killian] and Chris Mannella, and then came on trial early January, and then like a week later came permanently.
Jillian: That’s a big move. Was it tough adjusting to coming across the country?
John: Yeah, I mean, I think initially I was so excited at all the new stuff, playing for the Union, like you know, living my dream. It was kind of easier, and then after a while, like started missing my parents, missing home, and it got definitely got harder. But I think the guys in the house and Miss Cecilia, Mr. Fred, so welcoming, and the environment is so easy to succeed in that it made it a lot easier for sure.
Jillian: I’ve heard nothing but good things about them. Definitely great to have that support system because it can’t be easy, especially balancing everything with the school and with the sports. So then you spent time with both Chris Harmon and Ryan Richter this season. Can you share what stands out about each of them as a coach and what impact they’ve had on you?
John: Yeah, I think you know, obviously, my experience with Coach Richter, like I was just coming with the second team, so I wasn’t yet really comfortable as much with the level and the guys. But I think that trainings were always like super competitive, but also it wasn’t an environment where you make a mistake and like everybody’s just on you. It was supportive, but at the same time, like really competitive and intense. And it, I think, it was really good. Helped a lot of the guys that were just coming up. You know, me, Matheus [De Paula], Timo [Mendoza], Theo [Reed], like all of us, like really get a lot better really quickly.
And then, obviously, with what happened in the middle of the season. It’s really hard for the players and the coaches coming in. But I think Chris, obviously the guys that play with the 18s had a lot more experience with him. But I think the coaching staff just did a really good job, like getting everybody on board and making sure everyone was committed and ready to continue pushing. And obviously there was, like, some harder results. I think they did a good job helping us bounce back. I remember when we lost badly to Red Bull, and then the next week, you know, beat Revolution. What was it, 4-0? So I think just stuff like that really helped us get the continuity through the season.
Jillian: And speaking of being with with Chris Harmon, of course, being with the 18s, you had quite the memorable season there. Can you share a couple of your favorite moments from the 18s last season, and just the academy level in general?
John: I mean, Dallas Cup is was incredible. The trip, all the players, the coaching staff, and then also, of course, you know, winning back-to-back knockout games in penalties through extra time-like it was just incredible. Coming back against Botafogo in the final from two-nil down. I think that’s just my favorite memory because of how together the team was, you know, everybody was super committed, and like there was a bunch of belief even when we had some really tough moments, and it was just super fun to play with everybody, and I’m super grateful for that experience.
Jillian: That was quite the memorable tournament, and I had the pleasure of talking to some of your teammates about that too, and they shared similar things. And then looking at the academic side of things, I understand you’re a very good student, and congrats on the National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist. Can you talk about your experience with being with YSC Academy and the support they give you… what that’s like for you?
John: Yeah, I think, since my first year— I came during the second semester in the middle of the year—it was hard, and I couldn’t really just like drop my old classes from my other schools. So YSC was really helpful with allowing me to do stuff online through my old school, but then also taking some classes with YSC, kind of like being able to integrate without like losing all the credits, which was really helpful. Obviously, to be at the school and with the team, but also just to you know continue getting credits and being ready for college. So that was super helpful.
And then last year, I was able to integrate more with YSC, and I think just the, you know, all the teachers and Nooha and everybody’s so welcoming, and it’s a great environment. It’s also really flexible, which is important, obviously, for the way that players can be on trips to preseason in Clearwater, and then to Dallas Cup, it’s kind of necessary. So yeah, they’ve been really great.
Jillian: Let’s talk about your future goals. You’re committed to UCLA. So what what are your academic goals on top of the soccer goals?
John: I’m really interested in different sciences. I think my best subject is math, so I kind of want to do something along those lines. But I’m taking a couple interesting community colleges classes right now, and one of them is an astronomy class that I really like. So I think I might want to study that more. And yeah, I’m not sure right now, but some I want to do something really interesting. I don’t want to just like study something to study it. So I think maybe, yeah, some sort of science I would really enjoy studying.
Jillian: Yeah, that’s that’s the important thing. You have to find something that just really interests you, and it’s a big commitment. And looking at Union II—back at that, and also with the Academy, you spent a lot of time partnering in the front with Theo Reed. What’s it like playing with him, and is there anyone else you really like pairing up with as well? Because you guys have definitely come on strong here, especially lately with Union II, which has been impactful—talk about that partnership.
John: Yeah, I think like me and Theo have kind of uniquely been able to build a relationship. Obviously, playing with two strikers at the Union, a lot of times, like you’re playing with different guys, but you know we spent a lot of time playing to each other in the fall with the 18s, and then kind of up and down, like at the same times with Union II and U-18s, which helped us. There’s a lot of moments where, if you can know what the other person is going to do, then you can like move in the right way and anticipate the right thing.
So it’s really important, and I think me and him, just like we understand what to do based off of what the other person is going to do. And he’s a really smart player. He knows like how to move, and he works hard too, which is really helpful when we’re pressing. So I really enjoy playing with him.
And of course, I also really enjoy all the strikers that I’ve gotten to play with. Malik is interesting because he plays kind of like a different way, and he’s often like able to attract players and then create more space for me running behind, which is something that I enjoy. And of course, I live with him, so I have that connection a little bit, even if we haven’t played as much on the field together, but yeah, I mean, I think all the guys were really great.
Jillian: And first year at the Next Pro level, certainly there’s been some learning moments there. But also you just recently scored your first goal at that level. How how did that feel for you?
John: Yeah, well, the goal… it was really nice to get one because I think it was, you know, I played a lot of games and couldn’t quite get any good chances. Couldn’t get shots off, and then to kind of get one, like, that was really nice. And now, obviously, with a couple more opportunities, some starts, I feel like I’m gaining confidence for sure. I think earlier in the season, I wasn’t fully able to kind of understand how the games were going and put myself in the right positions.
And I think that now, understanding that a little more, how the other teams like to play, also just the way the games played is a little different. I think it’s important to have a little more understanding of the gamesmanship when at the Next Pro compared to the U-18 teams. Obviously, it’s not too different, but I think now that I’ve kind of acclimated more, I’ve been able to just assert my presence more in games, which I’ve been really happy with. And hopefully, in this last season game, we can do the same and make the playoffs.
Jillian: Speaking of that, yeah, big match against NYCFC II on Sunday. What’s been the message to you and the team from Chris Harmon, and what do you think is the biggest reason the squad has had success lately? You guys seem to have turned the corner a little bit.
John: Chris has really emphasized that through the last like, five or six weeks, it’s almost every game has been, you know, win or get knocked out, and because of that, he’s really emphasized just focusing on one game at a time, and we have been able to do that by just kind of collectively buying in and committing to the the game in front of us. We put in good performances, and then some scrappy wins, some close wins, and now we’re in a position where we’re just one game away. So this week the the message is kind of the same that we just need to focus on the game. We’ve already done it a couple weeks in a row, and just need to focus on what we can do. And if it happens, it happens, and it’s all we can control.
Tune in to see John Ruf and Union II take on NYCFC II on Sunday, September 20 at 2:00 PM
Main article photo credit: Philadelphia Union II
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