Hosei Kijima
 Kijima with St. Louis City SC in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | July 1, 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Yokohama, Japan | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | D.C. United | ||
| Number | 77 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2014–2020 | IMG Academy | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2023 | Wake Forest Demon Deacons | 63 | (9) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023 | Sarasota Paradise | 9 | (1) |
| 2024 | St. Louis City SC | 18 | (1) |
| 2024 | St. Louis City 2 | 13 | (1) |
| 2025– | D.C. United | 5 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of March 22, 2025 | |||
Hosei Kijima (木島 萌生, Kijima Hōsei, born July 1, 2002) is a Japanese professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club D.C. United.[1]
Early life and career
Kijima spent his early childhood in Yokohama and attended an international school where English was spoken. Inspired by the success of Japanese tennis player Kei Nishikori and after learning that he had attended IMG Academy, a sport-focused boarding school in Bradenton, Florida, United States, Kijima attended an IMG summer camp in 2014 and then enrolled fulltime at age 12.[2] He went on to play college soccer at Wake Forest, where he scored 9 goals and assisted 10 in 63 games over 4 seasons.[3]
Club career
Kijima played for the semi-professional USL League Two club Sarasota Paradise in the 2023 season.
St. Louis City SC
Hosei Kijima was selected 17th overall in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft by St. Louis City SC and signed a first-team contract with the club on February 20, 2024.[4] Later that same day, he made his debut for St. Louis in their CONCACAF Champions Cup match against Houston Dynamo, scoring the game-winning goal after coming on as a substitute in the 86th minute.[5]
On March 16, 2024, Kijima made his MLS debut for St. Louis City SC, coming in as a substitute in the 71st minute to replace Aziel Jackson.
D.C. United
On December 11, 2024, Hosei Kijima was one of five players selected in the 2024 MLS Expansion Draft by San Diego FC. Immediately following the announcement of Kijima's selection, San Diego traded Kijima to D.C. United in return for $400,000 in general allocation money.[6]
Career Statistics
Club
- As of match played March 22, 2025[7]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| St. Louis City SC | 2024 | MLS | 18 | 1 | — | 2[a] | 1 | 1[b] | 0 | 21 | 2 | |
| St. Louis City 2 | 2024 | MLS Next Pro | 13 | 1 | — | — | 3[c] | 0 | 16 | 1 | ||
| D.C. United | 2025 | MLS | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | |
| Career total | 36 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 42 | 4 | ||
- ^ Appearances in CONCACAF Champions Cup
- ^ Appearances in Leagues Cup
- ^ Appearances in MLS Next Pro playoffs
References
- ^ "St. Louis CITY SC Trades Up to the 2024 MLS SuperDraft First Round and Selects Wake Forest Midfielder Hosei Kijima".
- ^ Goff, Steven (February 27, 2025). "As a kid, he left Japan to jump-start his career. As an adult, he landed with D.C. United". Washington Post. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
- ^ "Hosei Kijima selected by San Diego FC in 2024 MLS Expansion Draft". Saint Louis SC. December 11, 2024. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
- ^ "MLS SuperDraft Picks Hosei Kijima and Brendan McSorley Sign in St. Louis". stlcitysc.com. St. Louis City SC.
- ^ "Match Report: St. Louis CITY SC Opens the 2024 Season with a 2-1 win over Houston Dynamo at CITYPARK". stlcitysc.com. St. Louis City SC.
- ^ https://www.dcunited.com/news/d-c-united-acquires-midfielder-hosei-kijima-from-san-diego-fc
- ^ Hosei Kijima at Soccerway
External links
- Hosei Kijima at Soccerway.com
- Hosei Kijima at WorldFootball.net
- Hosei Kijima at kicker (in German)
- Hosei Kijima at FBref.com
- Hosei Kijima at Major League Soccer
