Johan is a New York-based sports writer with a strong focus on American and international soccer and mixed martial arts.

Coming from a resilient family of Central American immigrants, soccer was a special event inside the household when international teams play and ESPECIALLY when a tournament was on, always being a release from the daily noise of the New York streets. Abdu then got his start as a sports writer covering local soccer leagues in the metro-New York such as the Cosmopolitan Soccer League, one of the country’s oldest still-operating soccer leagues.

With a strong passion towards the celebration, passion and culture of soccer in the United States, Johan covers MLS news and follows the United States national team, both men’s and women’s. He has been an avid fan of the sport since high school, attending acclaimed arts school Edward R. Murrow High in 2010, during arguably the height of the Messi-Ronaldo era of international soccer.

So, when New York City Football Club was announced in 2013 and set to start play in 2015 just an hour away in the Bronx, he naturally found the only soccer team in the country to support. The way soccer brings all races, colors and creeds throughout the world is something to admire, Johan believes. His ambition of covering the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada is a driving force for him.

Johan also enjoys highlighting the many voices and personalities of the city of Brooklyn. During his time at CUNY Brooklyn College, he did so by writing for the school’s newspaper The Vanguard as a sports & feature writer and was part of the sportswriting team that won Best Sports Coverage by the New York Press Association in 2022. He has covered local news, businesses and individuals as well as more prominent breaking headlines. He is particularly proud of his interview with Golden Globe winner Jeffery Wright towards his activism in Brooklyn during the COVID-19 pandemic and his part covering the Ghislane Maxwell trial in 2021 for the Brooklyn News Service whilst in college.

He also covers NBA and mixed martial arts promotions such as UFC, Bellator and PFL, writing for Tunnel Vision Sports as an MMA and American soccer writer.

In his free time, he is an active member of The Third Rail, the team’s official supporter group. You can find him either volunteering with the group or just yelling way too loud in Section 236 at Yankee Stadium. It was a huge factor in his push towards writing content promoting the future of the sport in America. He also loves a good cup of coffee, workout, or any carbohydrate in his nearby vicinity.

He is currently furthering his studies at CUNY Brooklyn College and will be pursuing a degree in Multimedia Computing in 2024.