PORT ORCHARD, WA—The recent Port Orchard Football Club open tryouts featured guys trying to make the club while serving in the Navy. It went well for Jaden Joseph and now he’s looking forward to jumping into preseason training.
The USS Ronald Reagan arrived in Puget Sound in 2024. The aircraft carrier will undergo an extended dry dock period. 2,800 crew members are now living in Kitsap County. They are being assigned local duties as their ship is refurbished.
Joseph’s last competitive playing experience was with the All Men’s Navy Soccer Team in the Armed Forces Soccer Tournament.
Now he’s getting know his new home and is pleased that soccer is back on his to-do list. “My best experience so far in Bremerton is probably the Port Orchard tryouts to be honest,” says Jaden. “I haven’t done much in the Bremerton area, but I’m looking forward to doing some stuff and playing soccer for Port Orchard and meeting the fans.”
“The tryout for me was pretty good. It was definitely a challenge for me not playing in a while and coming up against these guys. It was a lot of talent out there and I’m just looking foward towards the season and getting started.”
Impressing The Coaches
The POFC coaches liked what they saw from Joseph. He displayed speed, quick decision skills, a powerful shot, and any number other attributes. The 25 year old winger more than held his own up against younger guys with more recent training.
POFC Head Coach Patrick Leonard says, “Jaden is the exact reason we host these open tryouts every season. A high quality player that we had no idea about before tryouts. He quickly stood out to us with his ability. I think all three of us coaches noticed him right away, as well as the front office guys. I’m really excited to continue getting to know Jaden and working with him this season.”
“Jaden was right away someone that I was drawn to during the open tryouts,” says POFC Assistant Coach Gabe Threadgold. “Athleticism, skill, and a willingness to go at players were clear indicators for myself and the coaching staff that he should be onboard. It was also super cool to hear about his Navy background!”
Assistant Coach Jordan Hadden was also impressed. “His professionalism on and off the pitch stood out to me, massively! The tryouts showed his ability to hold a high standard while also building it up through the other players. Very fun to watch and I am excited to see what happens going forward!”
Growing Up In Trinidad
Jaden grew up in Trinidad. He got his first kicks in young. “I started playing soccer probably at the age of 4 or 5. It started for me in Trinidad at Dunstan Williams Soccer Academy.”
As he grew he continued to compete. “I played for a club named W Connection (Instagram) at the highest youth level soccer in Trinidad from the age of 13 to 18,” Jaden says, “and it was always competitive playing other clubs which were all professional youth teams.”
A Nautical Life Change
Soccer brought Jaden away from home but there would be a different path than expected. “I decided to leave Trinidad to further my studies and soccer career in the United States,” he explains, “but certain circumstances lead to me joining the Navy, which I thought was the best idea for me and my family. When I joined I was giving to others on the Reagan for 5 years. I spent most of my time in Japan with the ship only coming to Bremerton for good in December of 2024.”
Now Jaden is in Kitsap County, and he’s been invited to continue training with the highest level men’s soccer club in the area. He can’t wait to get going.
“I am looking forward to bonding with the guys for sure,” he says. “Getting to know everyone, meeting the fans…as I said before and for me personally, just getting fit and trying to help this team win the trophy.”
