Kenny Saief
.jpg) | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kenneth Hasan Saief | ||
| Date of birth | December 17, 1993 | ||
| Place of birth | Panama City, Florida, United States[1] | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Attacking Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Gent | ||
| Number | 15 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2005–2006 | Maccabi Haifa | ||
| 2006–2008 | Hapoel Haifa | ||
| 2008 | Maccabi Netanya | ||
| 2008–2010 | Beitar Nes Tubruk | ||
| 2010–2011 | TSV 1860 München | ||
| 2011 | Bnei Sakhnin | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2011 | Bnei Sakhnin | 6 | (1) |
| 2011–2012 | Hapoel Haifa | 3 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | Ironi Kiryat Shmona | 2 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | Ironi Nir Ramat HaSharon | 28 | (9) |
| 2014– | KAA Gent | 78 | (13) |
| National team | |||
| 2008–2009 | Israel U-16 | 9 | (1) |
| 2011 | Israel U-18 | 8 | (0) |
| 2011 | Israel U-19 | 2 | (2) |
| 2013–2015 | Israel U-21 | 2 | (0) |
| 2016 | Israel | 2 | (0) |
| 2017– | United States | 1 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of July 1, 2017. | |||
Kenneth "Kenny" Hasan Saief (Arabic: حسن كينيث "كيني" سيف, Hebrew: קנט חסן "קני" סייף, born December 17, 1993) is an Israeli-American of Druze descent soccer player who plays for Belgian club K.A.A. Gent and for the United States national team.
Early life
Saief was born in Panama City, Florida to Druze-Israeli parents and moved to Israel at the age of three. [2]
Club career
Saief began his professional career with Bnei Sakhnin in 2011, before he was transferred to Hapoel Haifa one season later. The next year, he moved to Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona and reached the final of the Israel State Cup. Saief made only two appearances however, which resulted in a transfer to Ironi Nir Ramat HaSharon. There he gained more playing opportunities.
Saief attracted the attention of Belgian Pro League team K.A.A. Gent, who signed him for a three-year deal on August 8, 2014.[3]
International
Saief has represented the Israel national team at various youth levels. He reportedly stated that he expected to play for the United States men's national soccer team,[4] although he was called up to the Israel national football team and made his debut in a friendly 2–1 loss to Croatia.[5]
On June 3, 2017 Saief was called up by the United States men's national soccer team as part of their 40-man preliminary roster for the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[6] As part of his callup, Saief filed a one-time switch with FIFA, tying him permanently to the US program.[7]
On June 22, 2017 U.S. Soccer confirmed that midfielder Kenny Saief had been approved by FIFA for a change of association.[8]
Honors
Club
- Gent
References
- ↑ "Kenny Saief was born in Panama City Florida" (in Dutch). Retrieved August 21, 2014.
- ↑ "Five Things to Know About U.S. MNT Midfielder Kenny Saief". www.ussoccer.com.
- ↑ "Kenny Saief signs 3-season deal" (in Dutch). Archived from the original on August 9, 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
- ↑ "Gent midfielder Saief says it's 'matter of time' before USMNT call-up", SBI Soccer, Ryan Tomlich, December 10, 2015.
- ↑ "CROATIA VS. ISRAEL 2 – 0". Soccer Way. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
- ↑ "USA Submits 40-Player Preliminary Roster for 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup =3 June 2017". ussoccer.com.
- ↑ "FIFA APPROVES CHANGE OF ASSOCIATION REQUEST FOR MIDFIELDER KENNY SAIEF". US Soccer. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
- ↑ "Kenny Saief seals national team switch from Israel to United States". ESPN FC. June 22, 2017. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
External links
- Player profile at the Israel Football Association website
- Kenny Saief at Soccerway