JASON BUCKNOR SAYS he first came across the name ‘Drogheda United’ while playing the video game Fifa ’17 with his brother.
Little did the energetic and pacy American wing-back know he would be representing the Irish club a few years later.
The Premier Division outfit needed a right-back in the off-season. Bucknor’s agency sent them a video of the player performing, and Kevin Doherty’s side “liked what they saw”.
“I guess it was a big risk for me, only because it’s just so far away from home,” he tells The 42. “It’s a little bit out of my comfort zone. But being here now for a few weeks, I’m very glad that I took that leap of faith.”
Everyone the 23-year-old knew urged him to take a chance and move to Europe. He is not shy about acknowledging his perception of the League of Ireland as a potential stepping stone for greater heights.
“With a league like this that competes for European spots and tournaments, there are a lot of eyes that can quickly change a career depending on how well you do. So it’s definitely something that I wanted to try and use to bridge some growth in my career.”
Bucknor is originally from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, near Miami, and has a Jamaican background. He jokes that he was “scared about the [Irish] weather” ahead of his move, having been used to a much warmer climate.
“I struggled the first couple of days,” he adds. “Today, I’m very cold. But no, I brought enough clothes, and I’m definitely getting used to it with the training sessions.”
Bucknor is aiming to win some silverware with Drogheda. Laura Stewart / One Shot Photography
Laura Stewart / One Shot Photography / One Shot Photography
He has been put in a house with four other players: fellow American Leo Burney, Ethan O’Brien, an Irish American, as well as Edwin Agbaje and James Bolger.
And Bucknor has been living among athletes his whole life, with a sporting family background.
His dad played football (and given his Jamaican background, Bucknor habitually calls it “football” rather than soccer) up to university and had the opportunity to compete in the fledgling Major League Soccer, but “the pay wasn’t too good” at the time, so he opted to make use of a degree in civil engineering instead.
His mum dabbled in a few sports, frequently running marathons and half-marathons. One of his brothers also played football in his younger days, another was heavily into basketball and tennis, while dance was his sister’s primary activity.
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Bucknor similarly tried his hand at other sports when he was younger. He danced, was a third-degree black belt in taekwondo, swam and played American football.
It is perhaps part of what makes him such a versatile performer, as he has “played everywhere”, including stints as striker, winger and across the backline.
Bucknor has mixed feelings when asked whether waiting until the age of 11–12 to focus purely on football was more of a help or a hindrance, partially becoming inspired by watching videos of Brazilian great Ronaldinho.
Taekwondo improved his footwork, and he reckons playing running back in American football enhanced his speed.
But he adds: “I do wish, looking back on it now, seeing how younger players were brought up through a proper academy system, it definitely gives you a better shot, better opportunities.”
His parents, meanwhile, encouraged Bucknor not to put all his eggs in the sporting basket.
A product of the Inter Miami Academy, he played 13 matches for Inter Miami/Fort Lauderdale CF in USL League One (effectively the third-tier league in America). But the youngster subsequently decided against signing a pro contract and instead studied communications and media, with a minor in entrepreneurship at the University of Michigan.
Nine goals and five assists in 59 matches over four seasons with the Wolverines created plenty of interest in the player, as did featuring in the Big Ten All-Tournament team twice.
Ohio State Buckeyes midfielder Tommaso Villa (21) fights for the ball against Michigan Wolverines defender Jason Bucknor (2) in a 2023 match. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
His years in university were not without problems, however. He remembers experiencing “very dark times” after sustaining “a few bad injuries”.
He adds, “The first thing your mind wants to do is to feel bad for yourself, and look at all the negatives. And obviously, it’s a very valid thing to do in such a hard position. But I had one injury that took basically a full year [to recover from].”
Bucknor’s solution was to explore other avenues.
“If you’ve got a lot of time on your hands, I feel like utilising it is very important, or else you’ll let your mind wander too much.
“I am very religious, I’d say, with my faith. And I feel like that moment definitely grew me a lot closer to God. I feel like that helped me a good deal as well, probably more than anything.
“I just thank God for the journey. And I really do believe in God’s plan, and everything happens for a reason.”
Bucknor also “got really big into fashion,” creating his own clothing brand — he is an active presence on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.
And his return to football has not necessarily put these alternative passions on hold.
“I’ve actually been able to do a good deal of it still. There’s finding that balance, because to me, obviously, football’s first. So some days I’ll be doing more behind the scenes after training, and not really putting it out there as much, just keeping it on a professional level.
“I’m blessed to have some help from two of my friends who are under the brand now, my family helps out, and my girlfriend helps out. So there’s enough help that I don’t really have to be in the limelight.
“After football, that’s definitely something that I would love to give a lot more time to, just exploring different realms of fashion, like modelling, runways, events, stuff of that nature.”
After earning his degree, ahead of the 2025 season, Bucknor was selected 20th overall in the first round of the MLS SuperDraft, and he joined the Los Angeles Galaxy.
He never played for the former team of David Beckham and Robbie Keane. Nevertheless, Bucknor featured 27 times in all competitions for their affiliate club, MLS Next Pro League side Ventura County, before becoming a free agent.
“You look back, and you wish things had been different, but had it been different, I wouldn’t have ended up here,” he says.
Bucknor’s initial impressions of the League of Ireland are that it is “a lot more transitional, a bit more direct and 100% more physical” in contrast with what he was accustomed to.
At Drogheda, he hopes to “win some silverware” and is aiming for “eight to 10 goal contributions” this season.
Already, he has found the net, scoring on his debut in the Leinster Senior Cup against Longford Town.
And on his future ambitions, Bucknor concludes: “I feel like the biggest thing is to just focus on your own journey. You know, I think it’s becoming a lot more normal for 15 or 16-year-olds to emerge onto the scene, and you may compare your path to theirs, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter when you make it.
“There are many cases [like] Jamie Vardy or Andy Robertson, where they’re making it later in their careers, but they’re [among] the greatest to do it. I mean, Jamie Vardy is a Premier League legend now. So it doesn’t really matter whether you can make it at 16 or 26, it’s just your path is different to someone else’s.”
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How religion and fashion are inspiring one of Irish football's newest faces
JASON BUCKNOR SAYS he first came across the name ‘Drogheda United’ while playing the video game Fifa ’17 with his brother.
Little did the energetic and pacy American wing-back know he would be representing the Irish club a few years later.
The Premier Division outfit needed a right-back in the off-season. Bucknor’s agency sent them a video of the player performing, and Kevin Doherty’s side “liked what they saw”.
“I guess it was a big risk for me, only because it’s just so far away from home,” he tells The 42. “It’s a little bit out of my comfort zone. But being here now for a few weeks, I’m very glad that I took that leap of faith.”
Everyone the 23-year-old knew urged him to take a chance and move to Europe. He is not shy about acknowledging his perception of the League of Ireland as a potential stepping stone for greater heights.
“With a league like this that competes for European spots and tournaments, there are a lot of eyes that can quickly change a career depending on how well you do. So it’s definitely something that I wanted to try and use to bridge some growth in my career.”
Bucknor is originally from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, near Miami, and has a Jamaican background. He jokes that he was “scared about the [Irish] weather” ahead of his move, having been used to a much warmer climate.
“I struggled the first couple of days,” he adds. “Today, I’m very cold. But no, I brought enough clothes, and I’m definitely getting used to it with the training sessions.”
He has been put in a house with four other players: fellow American Leo Burney, Ethan O’Brien, an Irish American, as well as Edwin Agbaje and James Bolger.
And Bucknor has been living among athletes his whole life, with a sporting family background.
His dad played football (and given his Jamaican background, Bucknor habitually calls it “football” rather than soccer) up to university and had the opportunity to compete in the fledgling Major League Soccer, but “the pay wasn’t too good” at the time, so he opted to make use of a degree in civil engineering instead.
His mum dabbled in a few sports, frequently running marathons and half-marathons. One of his brothers also played football in his younger days, another was heavily into basketball and tennis, while dance was his sister’s primary activity.
Bucknor similarly tried his hand at other sports when he was younger. He danced, was a third-degree black belt in taekwondo, swam and played American football.
It is perhaps part of what makes him such a versatile performer, as he has “played everywhere”, including stints as striker, winger and across the backline.
Bucknor has mixed feelings when asked whether waiting until the age of 11–12 to focus purely on football was more of a help or a hindrance, partially becoming inspired by watching videos of Brazilian great Ronaldinho.
Taekwondo improved his footwork, and he reckons playing running back in American football enhanced his speed.
But he adds: “I do wish, looking back on it now, seeing how younger players were brought up through a proper academy system, it definitely gives you a better shot, better opportunities.”
His parents, meanwhile, encouraged Bucknor not to put all his eggs in the sporting basket.
A product of the Inter Miami Academy, he played 13 matches for Inter Miami/Fort Lauderdale CF in USL League One (effectively the third-tier league in America). But the youngster subsequently decided against signing a pro contract and instead studied communications and media, with a minor in entrepreneurship at the University of Michigan.
Nine goals and five assists in 59 matches over four seasons with the Wolverines created plenty of interest in the player, as did featuring in the Big Ten All-Tournament team twice.
His years in university were not without problems, however. He remembers experiencing “very dark times” after sustaining “a few bad injuries”.
He adds, “The first thing your mind wants to do is to feel bad for yourself, and look at all the negatives. And obviously, it’s a very valid thing to do in such a hard position. But I had one injury that took basically a full year [to recover from].”
Bucknor’s solution was to explore other avenues.
“If you’ve got a lot of time on your hands, I feel like utilising it is very important, or else you’ll let your mind wander too much.
“I am very religious, I’d say, with my faith. And I feel like that moment definitely grew me a lot closer to God. I feel like that helped me a good deal as well, probably more than anything.
“I just thank God for the journey. And I really do believe in God’s plan, and everything happens for a reason.”
Bucknor also “got really big into fashion,” creating his own clothing brand — he is an active presence on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.
And his return to football has not necessarily put these alternative passions on hold.
“I’ve actually been able to do a good deal of it still. There’s finding that balance, because to me, obviously, football’s first. So some days I’ll be doing more behind the scenes after training, and not really putting it out there as much, just keeping it on a professional level.
“I’m blessed to have some help from two of my friends who are under the brand now, my family helps out, and my girlfriend helps out. So there’s enough help that I don’t really have to be in the limelight.
“After football, that’s definitely something that I would love to give a lot more time to, just exploring different realms of fashion, like modelling, runways, events, stuff of that nature.”
After earning his degree, ahead of the 2025 season, Bucknor was selected 20th overall in the first round of the MLS SuperDraft, and he joined the Los Angeles Galaxy.
He never played for the former team of David Beckham and Robbie Keane. Nevertheless, Bucknor featured 27 times in all competitions for their affiliate club, MLS Next Pro League side Ventura County, before becoming a free agent.
“You look back, and you wish things had been different, but had it been different, I wouldn’t have ended up here,” he says.
Bucknor’s initial impressions of the League of Ireland are that it is “a lot more transitional, a bit more direct and 100% more physical” in contrast with what he was accustomed to.
At Drogheda, he hopes to “win some silverware” and is aiming for “eight to 10 goal contributions” this season.
Already, he has found the net, scoring on his debut in the Leinster Senior Cup against Longford Town.
And on his future ambitions, Bucknor concludes: “I feel like the biggest thing is to just focus on your own journey. You know, I think it’s becoming a lot more normal for 15 or 16-year-olds to emerge onto the scene, and you may compare your path to theirs, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter when you make it.
“There are many cases [like] Jamie Vardy or Andy Robertson, where they’re making it later in their careers, but they’re [among] the greatest to do it. I mean, Jamie Vardy is a Premier League legend now. So it doesn’t really matter whether you can make it at 16 or 26, it’s just your path is different to someone else’s.”
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Fashion Interview Jason Bucknor League of Ireland LOI Religion Soccer Drogheda United