Stephenson with the Earthquakes in August 2010 |
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Khari Lasana Stewart Stephenson | ||
| Date of birth | 18 January 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Kingston, Jamaica | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | San Jose Earthquakes | ||
| Number | 7 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1992–2000 | Real Mona | ||
| 2000–2003 | Williams Ephs | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2004 | Chicago Fire | 0 | (0) |
| 2004–2005 | Kansas City Wizards | 9 | (1) |
| 2006 | GAIS | 25 | (3) |
| 2007–2008 | AIK | 25 | (2) |
| 2008–2010 | Aalesunds FK | 39 | (4) |
| 2010– | San Jose Earthquakes | 37 | (6) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2004– | Jamaica | 26 | (3) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of September 22, 2011. † Appearances (Goals). |
|||
Khari Stephenson ( /ˈkæri/; born January 18, 1981 in Kingston) is a Jamaican footballer who currently plays for San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer.
Contents |
A product of the Real Mona youth system, Stephenson played college soccer at Williams College from 2000 to 2003, where he was named a Division III first-team All-American his junior and senior seasons. In his senior year, Stephenson scored 15 goals for the team, and finished his career there with 40 goals and 18 assists. Before playing at Williams, he was a star of his prep school soccer team at Choate Rosemary Hall in Connecticut.
Upon graduating, Stephenson was drafted 27th overall in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft by the Chicago Fire. He did not make the Fire team, however, and was traded to the Kansas City Wizards for a draft pick. Stephenson played very little for the Wizards in his rookie season, finishing the year with no points, having played only 44 minutes over three games. Amazingly, he became a starter in the playoffs, playing in every game and even scoring a goal on the Wizards' run to the final.[1]
In 2006, Stephenson made his move to Scandavia starting in Sweden with GAIS, where he had outstanding season as a midfielder. He then made a move to Swedish giants, AIK, in 2007, where he had a inconsistent season but finished in the top half of the league. In August 2008, Khari then moved to Aalesund in Norway, where he was joined by Jamaican international teammate, Demar Phillips in the midfield. After not receiving significant playing time in early 2009, he gained a vital midfield role as the season progressed, eventually leading the team to the Norwegian Cup in 2009 and qualification to the 2010/11 Europa Cup.
Stephenson returned to the United States and signed with San Jose on 9 August 2010. After the 2010 MLS season San Jose declined Stephenson's contract option, and he elected to participate in the 2010 MLS Re-Entry Draft. Stephenson became a free agent in Major League Soccer when he was not selected in the Re-Entry draft. After staying with the club to train, he was eventually re-signed to a permanent deal on 14 February 2011.[2]
He appeared for the Jamaican U-20's in the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship in Argentina and made his debut for the 'Reggae Boyz' in 2004 against Guatemala. He has earned 26 caps (3 goals).
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||