Midfielder Jay Chapman is preparing for his first season with Detroit City. He joins Le Rouge from fellow USL Championship club Hartford Athletic. Upon his arrival, Chapman signed a one-year extension. He joins Le Rouge after spending the 2024 season with Hartford Athletic and Charleston Battery. Chapman appeared in 17 matches for the Connecticut-based club before being sent on loan to Charleston in August. In his 15 games with the club, he helped lead Battery to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Before the move to Hartford, Chapman spent the 2023 season with Western Conference side Colorado Springs Switchbacks. The midfielder played in 28 out of a possible 34 games. Chapman picked up his first-ever USL Championship goal against Monterey Bay FC on August 26th, marking Colorado Springs’ only goal of the match in a 2-1 loss.
Chapman spent the 2022 season with Scottish Premiership club Dundee FC during the January transfer window. However, he made only two appearances for the Dark Blues, who were relegated from the Premiership. Before moving to Europe, Chapman spent the first seven years of his professional career in Major League Soccer. He then spent two seasons with Inter Miami CF in 2020 and 2021, playing 33 games during Miami’s first two seasons as a club.
The Brampton, Ontario native spent five seasons within the Toronto FC system. Over these five seasons, he played a total of 103 games for both clubs, with 88 of those matches occurring with the MLS team. He recorded nine goals and seven assists combined. Chapman earned three caps with the Canada men’s national team while he was with Toronto FC, two in 2017 and one in 2020. The midfielder scored one goal at the international level, netting a goal in a friendly against Bermuda, which ended in a 4-2 victory.
Chapman played college soccer at Michigan State University in East Lansing. Over three seasons, he participated in 64 matches for the Spartans. In his senior year, 2014, he received First-Team All-American honors, becoming the first Spartan to achieve this distinction since 1970. Chapman was also named the Big Ten Midfielder of the Year and was a semifinalist for the 2014 MAC Hermann Trophy, marking the first time a Spartan earned that recognition.
