John Klein (soccer, born 1999)

John David Klein III (born November 7, 1999) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for MLS side St. Louis City SC.

Youth, college, and amateur
Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Klein attended Rock Bridge High School in Columbia, Missouri, where he played one year of high school soccer and was named the district's Player of the Year. He later joined the academy teams in Sporting Kansas City and Portland Timbers. With the latter, Klein signed a USL academy contract with Portland Timbers 2 but never made an appearance for the team.

In 2018, Klein attended Saint Louis University to play college soccer. Across five seasons with the Billikens, including a truncated season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Klein made 88 appearances, scoring 29 goals and tallying 27 assists. Klein won numerous awards and accolades during his college career, including A-10 Conference Freshman of the Year in 2018, All-Conference in 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022 and the A-10 co-Offensive Player of the Year in 2022.

While at college, Klein also spent various spells with clubs competing in the USL League Two; Chicago FC United in 2019, St. Louis Scott Gallagher SC in 2021, and Kaw Valley FC in 2022.

Professional
Following college, Klein was selected 9th overall in MASL draft by Kansas City Comets. One day later on December 21, 2022, Klein was selected 30th overall in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft by St. Louis City SC. On February 28, 2023, Klein signed a professional contract with the club's MLS Next Pro side St. Louis City 2, a club he had trained with the previous year. On May 19, 2023, Klein signed a short-term deal to join the club's Major League Soccer roster for their upcoming fixture against Sporting Kansas City. On June 22, 2024, St. Louis Klein's move to the first team permanent.

Personal
He is the son of former professional soccer player and current coach John Klein.