Jonathan Spector, an American professional footballer was born on January 3, 1986 in Arlington Heights, Illinois. He attended St. Viator High School and was trained at the United States Soccer Federation (USSF)'s Bradenton Academy in 2003. Jonathan Spector was included in the United States (U.S) national team, which played at the 2003 World Under-17 Championship and made his first international appearance as a senior team player on November 17, 2004 in a World Cup qualifier against the Jamaica national team.
Jonathan Spector represented the U.S. Under-20 team at the 2005 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Youth Championship in Netherlands and at the end of the 2005-06 Premier League season, he obtained chances to be a part of the United States World Cup squad. Though Jonathan Spector was not able to participate in the World Cup due to injury, he contributed to the team’s 2-1 win against Mexico at the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Gold Cup Final held at Chicago in June 2007. As of August 2008, Jonathan Spector has made 12 international appearances for the national squad.
Jonathan Spector played football while studying at St. Viator High School and started his football career by joining the Schwaben AC in Buffalo Grove, Illinois following which, he moved to the Sockers FC in Arlington Heights, Illinois. In 2003, he joined Manchester United and made his debut for the club as a first-team member in August 2004 at a Football Association (FA) Community Shield match against Arsenal. In December 2004, the Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson planned to send Jonathan Spector on loan to the Blackburn Rovers, but the deal was postponed due to an injury crisis in the team. Before the start of the 2005-06 season, Jonathan Spector was sent on a season-long loan to Charlton Athletic. During his stint with Charlton Athletic, he made sixteen starts and eight substitute appearances.
In June 2006, Jonathan Spector was transferred to West Ham United and on September 28, 2006 he made his first appearance for the club in the first round match against Palermo in Sicily at the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Cup. He went on to make a total of 28 appearances in all competitions during the 2006-07 season. Though Jonathan Spector was initially bought as a backup for West Ham defence, he went on to start many games than expected owing to poor performances from other players, injuries and his ability to play across the defensive back line and in defensive midfield. As of 2008, he has featured in 51 matches and netted a goal.
