Kaveh Rad (Persian: کاوه راد; born June 13, 2001) is an American professional soccer player who currently plays for MLS Next Pro club Portland Timbers 2.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kaveh Rad | ||
| Date of birth | June 13, 2001 | ||
| Place of birth | Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Center back, defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Portland Timbers 2 | ||
| Number | 48 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2016 | North Carolina FC Youth | ||
| 2016–2020 | Sporting Kansas City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2022 | Sporting Kansas City II | 57 | (1) |
| 2021–2022 | Sporting Kansas City | 5 | (0) |
| 2023 | Hartford Athletic | 17 | (1) |
| 2024– | Portland Timbers 2 | 0 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 18, 2023 | |||
Early career
editKaveh Rad was born and raised in North Carolina and played youth soccer for the Capital Area RailHawks Academy.[2] He joined the Sporting Kansas City Academy with his brother Jahon Rad in 2016, scoring seven goals in 65 league appearances in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy from 2016 to 2019 while representing Sporting at the under-15 through under-19 levels.[3]
Club career
editSporting Kansas City II
editRad played with USL Championship side Swope Park Rangers from their 2018 season via Sporting Kansas City's academy.[4]
On January 24, 2020, Rad signed a fully professional contract with the newly named Sporting Kansas City II.[5] Rad scored his first career professional goal on June 2, 2021, in a USL Championship match against FC Tulsa, receiving USL Championship Man of the Match honors for his performance.[6] He was subsequently named in the USL Championship Team of the Week for his performance against Tulsa.[7]
Sporting Kansas City
editOn April 8, 2021, Rad signed a homegrown player contract with Kansas City's first team.[8] He made his MLS debut on May 1, 2021, during the 2021 season against Real Salt Lake at the age of 19.[9] Rad notably received an honorable mention in just his second career MLS start, completing 92.3% of his 52 passes in a 3–1 win against the San Jose Earthquakes on May 22, 2021.[10] He made his Leagues Cup debut in a quarterfinal match against Liga MX side Club León on August 10, 2021, at Children's Mercy Park.[11] Rad made his U.S. Open Cup debut for the club during the 2022 season on May 10, 2022, against FC Dallas.[12] Following the 2022 season, his contract option was declined by Kansas City.[13]
Hartford Athletic
editRad joined Hartford Athletic of the USL Championship ahead of the 2023 season and scored a goal in his debut game on March 11, 2023, against Monterey Bay FC.[14]
Style of play
editRad has been praised for his defensive abilities, including his clearances, pass completion, and duel winning.[6][10]
Personal life
editRad is of Iranian descent. Rad's twin brother, Jahon, also played soccer for the Sporting Kansas City academy, and his brother Cyrus is also a professional soccer player.[15][16]
Career statistics
edit- As of 3 July 2019
| Club | Division | Season | League | National cup | Other | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Swope Park Rangers | USL Championship | 2018 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 7 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 7 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |||
References
edit- ^ "Kaveh Rad". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- ^ "Kaveh Rad".
- ^ "Sporting KC signs 19-year-old center back Kaveh Rad as Homegrown Player".
- ^ Real Name: Kaveh Rad (2001-06-13). "Kaveh Rad | Sporting Kansas City". Sportingkc.com. Retrieved 2019-06-14.
- ^ "Sporting Kansas City II signs Sporting KC Academy defender Kaveh Rad to professional contract". sportingkc.com. Sporting Kansas City. January 24, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- ^ a b "Matchday Report: Sporting Rallies to Big Victory vs. Tulsa". 2 June 2021.
- ^ "USL Championship Team of the Week – Week 7". 8 June 2021.
- ^ "Sporting KC sign homegrown defender Kaveh Rad | MLSSoccer.com".
- ^ "RSLvsSKC 05-01-2021 | MLSsoccer.com".
- ^ a b "Top 5 young-player performances from MLS Week 6 | MLSSoccer.com".
- ^ "Sporting Kansas City vs. León - Football Match Summary - August 10, 2021 - ESPN".
- ^ "Sporting Kansas City vs. FC Dallas - Football Match Summary - May 10, 2022 - ESPN".
- ^ City, Sporting Kansas. "Sporting KC announces roster moves ahead of 2023 MLS season". Sporting Kansas City.
- ^ "Hartford Drop Season Opener in High Scoring Affair, 5-3 to Monterey Bay FC".
- ^ "Jahon Rad". Sporting Kansas City. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
- ^ "Sporting KC II Sign Academy Product: Jahon Rad". 28 January 2021.
External links
edit- Kaveh Rad at Soccerway