Episode 53: An American Making Waves In Southeast Asia a chat w/ Jonny Campbell

Episode 53: An American Making Waves In Southeast Asia a chat w/ Jonny Campbell

Welcome to the 53rd episode of the In The 11 Podcast! Today, Brendan Griffiths is joined by Jonny Campbell where he shares how football allowed him to experience playing in South East Asia which Johnny did not even plan on before. Raised in Tennessee and going to East Tennessee State University, he never really expected to be playing on the other side of the world, so far from home, especially when he was able to keep in close proximity with his friends and family during college. Johnny talks about how he was able to build up his career despite being in not-so-optimal situations for a budding professional player and later on got into teams that are way different from his home. He shares more about his experiences in Cambodia and other countries on this episode so stay tuned!

Building a Jonny Campbell:

Jonny shared a lot about his career after college. Being the only one who got into a team after college, he was in an environment that could have used some leverage. He also shared about how some of the teams that he went through training with were not that solid of a career path due to different circumstances. That said, Jonny definitely had a lot to share about how he maintained his composure and still moved forward in his career and lo and behold, even got into playing in Cambodia amongst other countries as well in Southeast Asia.

A career in Southeast Asia:

Jonny actually got to Southeast Asia with a connection that invited him over to play in Thailand. The universal language in football helped him get by on the field but the language barrier for his daily life would have been more difficult had he not experienced being in Spain before. He learned about the technical prowess of most Asian players that makes up a lot of the physical difference from western players generally.

About Jhnny Campbell:

After his senior season with ETSU in 2013, Campbell started playing for the Philadelphia Fury, who compete in the ASL. In 2014, he signed his first professional contract and made his debut in September with the Fury. He decided to pursue a move into the USL in 2015. He started the year in preseason training with Seattle Sounders FC 2 (S2), but later in the year signed a contract with Charlotte Independence. Johnny joined PKR Svay Rieng which clinched the title for Metfone Cambodian League in 2019. The team then recorded 25 games unbeaten which is a record for Cambodian football.

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Outline of the Episode:

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• [01:49] Jonny’s background before Southeast Asia
• [04:41] How college jumpstarted his professional career
• [07:09] The learning process after college
• [17:57] Maintaining the focus despite the doubts
• [23:14] Jonny’s experiences on his first season
• [26:17] Moving on from Charlotte and starting out in Asia
• [29:57] Playing in Thailand in an attacking position
• [34:45] Unique differences between Thailand and US
• [38:42] The jump from Thailand to Cambodia
• [41:43] What makes Southeast Asian football culture unique
• [46:00] The trials of being in a smaller club
• [52:31] What’s next for Jonny
• And many more!

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