Shawn Nicklaw

Shawn Nicklaw

Personal information
Full name	Shawn Robert Nicklaw
Date of birth	April 15, 1989
Place of birth	San Diego, California, United States
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Playing position	Defender, Defensive Midfielder
Club information
Current team	FC Edmonton
Youth career
2006–2007	San Diego Nomads
2007–2010	Connecticut Huskies
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2012–2013	HB Køge	6	(0)
2013	Wilmington Hammerheads	21	(1)
2014	Thór	16	(4)
2015–2016	Jacksonville Armada	29	(1)
2016–	FC Edmonton	20	(0)
National team^‡
2012–	Guam	24	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of October 29, 2016. ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of March 31, 2015

Shawn Nicklaw (born April 15, 1989) is a Guamanian international footballer who currently plays for FC Edmonton in the North American Soccer League. Nicklaw is an offensively oriented right-back with good technique and knowledge of the game.^[1]

Career

Amateur

Nicklaw played with the Nomads Soccer Club, earning the 2007 Red Bull National League Championship. During high school he helped lead his team to the 2005 California Interscholastic Federation Championship and the 2005, 2006 and 2007 Eastern League Championships. Shawn also lettered two years in track and field for the Men's 400m.^[2]

College

Nicklaw played college soccer at the University of Connecticut between 2007 and 2010. During his time at UConn, he played 80 games, scored 2 goals, 7 assist, 39 shots, 12 shots on goal and 1 game-winning goal.^[2]

Professional

PSC Elite

In 2011, Nicklaw attended a Pro Soccer Consulting combine in San Diego where he met contacts who invited him to a European Showcase Tour in Turkey in January this year. It was in Turkey that he was spotted by the management and coaching staff of HB Køge. ^[3]

HB Køge

Nicklaw then signed a two-year contract with the professional Danish football club beginning July 1, 2012.^[4] HB Køge played in the Danish Superliga, the highest division in Denmark, during the 2011–2012 season.^[5]

Wilmington Hammerheads

In 2013 Nicklaw transferred back to the United States where he played for the Wilmington Hammerheads in the USL Pro.

Þór Akureyri

Nicklaw signed with Icelandic Premier League club Thór in April 2014. Shawn's National team experience and ability to play multiple positions gives Thór options.

Jacksonville Armada FC

Nicklaw signed for Jacksonville Armada in December 2014, prior to their inaugural season.^[6]

In two seasons with the Armada FC, Nicklaw played in 29 league matches as a fullback, including 21 starts, and notched 10 shots in 1,937 minutes of action. A member of the Guam national team, he also started in two of Jacksonville’s U.S. Open Cup matches – Richmond Kickers (May 29, 2015) and Charleston Battery (June 1, 2016). Nicklaw scored the first goal in Community First Park history in the Armada FC’s 1-0 preseason win over the Fort Lauderdale Strikers on Feb. 28, 2015.^[7]

FC Edmonton

On 6 July 2016, Nicklaw was traded to FC Edmonton in return for Jason Plumhoff.^[8]

During his debut for the Eddies, Shawn won four duels, made three clearances, and had two interceptions as FC Edmonton kept a shutout in a 1-0 win over the Fort Lauderdale Strikers earning him a spot on NASL's team of the week (Week 2 of the NASL Fall Season 2016).^[9]

International

In November 2012, Nicklaw confirmed he would be representing Guam at International level. Matao head coach Gary White was introduced to Nicklaw by a personal contact in San Diego.^[10] Nicklaw played with the Matao, including the East Asian Cup semifinal round, in Hong Kong (2012) and AFC Challenge qualifier in Yangon, Myanmar (2013).^[11] During the AFC Challenge Nicklaw helped the Matao achieve their first win in its history against the Chinese Taipei.^[12] Nicklaw's contribution has helped Guam to reach their highest FIFA ranking to date.^[13][14]

In 2014, Nicklaw scored his first international goal against Northern Mariana Islands in the Preliminary round 1 EAFF East Asian cup. Guam finished first within the tournament advancing to the semifinal round for the third-straight time.^[15]

2018 World Cup Qualification

In 2015 Nicklaw helped Guam achieve a historic first FIFA World Cup qualifying match win against Turkmenistan 1-0. A few days later he assisted his brother Travis Nicklaw, who scored the winning goal, clinching a second FIFA World Cup qualifying match victory over India during their second match in the FIFA 2018 World Cup qualifier Group D round. The win was notable considering India's FIFA rankings sits 33 spots ahead at No. 141, their population is in the billions and was dubbed the sleeping giants of football by FIFA.^{[16][17] [18]}

International goals

Score and Result lists Guam's goals first

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1.	31 March 2015	Jalan Besar Stadium, Jalan Besar, Singapore	Singapore	1–0	2–2	Friendly

Non-FIFA goals

Score and Result lists Guam's goals first

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1.	25 July 2014	GFA National Training Center, Harmon, Guam	Northern Mariana Islands	4–0	5–0	2015 EAFF East Asian Cup

References

1. ::., .:: chastroD. ".:: Yanks Abroad ::.".
2. "UCONNHUSKIES.COM  :: University of Connecticut Huskies Official Athletic Site  :: Men's Soccer".
3. "MATAO ADDS ANOTHER PRO".
4. "Herfølge Boldklub".
5. "Pro Soccer Consulting, PSC Ltd News Page".
6. "Armada FC sign two experienced U.S. defenders in Matt Bahner and Shawn Nicklaw". Jacksonville Armada FC. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
7. http://www.nasl.com/news/2016/07/06/jacksonville-armada-fc-swaps-nicklaw-for-fc-edmontons-jason-plumhoff#tabs-3
8. "ARMADA FC TRADES NICKLAW TO FC EDMONTON FOR PLUMHOFF". armadafc.com. Jacksonville Armada. 6 July 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
9. http://www.fcedmonton.com/news/2016/07/13/defender-shawn-nicklaw-selected-to-nasl-team-of-the-week
10. "Nicklaw udtaget til landsholdet".
11. "MATAO ADDS ANOTHER PRO".
12. http://www.guampdn.com/article/20130307/NEWS01/303070001/UPDATE-Guam-s-Matao-beat-Chinese-Taipei-3-0
13. "Pacific News Center".
14. "Shawn Nicklaw gengur til liðs við Þór".
15. Espiritu, Jill. "Matao Three-Peat as Champion of EAFF Round 1 Tournament".
16. Editorial, Reuters. "Tiny Guam slay sleeping giants India in World Cup qualifier".
17. "Guam claim historic win; Philippines stuns Bahrain".
18. FIFA.com. "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ - Matches - Guam-India - FIFA.com".