Guy-Roland Kpene
Encyclopedia
Guy-Roland Kpene is an Ivorian
footballer, currently playing for the Long Island Rough Riders
.
Kpene played one season of college soccer
at Westchester Community College
, earning all-region honors, before being recruited by Dowling College
. He helped the Golden Lions to a 22-0-2 season and Dowling’s first National Title. Kpene was Dowling's leading scorer, the first Dowling men’s soccer player to be drafted by MLS, and only the fourth Golden Lion to be drafted in any sport. In his final season, he totaled 25 goals (including seven game winning goals) and 10 assists. He was named to the 2006 NSCAA
/adidas
NCAA Division II Men's Collegiate All-American (second team) and earned ECAC Offensive Player of the Week and All-Conference honors. He graduated with a degree in finance.
In 2005, Kpene started all 19 games for the Golden Lions and led the team with 33 points and 13 goals (5 game winning). He was second on the team with 7 assists. Kpene was named to the All-NYCAC First Team and the NSCAA/adidas All Northeast Region First Team.
During his college years Kpene also played for the Brooklyn Knights
in the USL Premier Development League
, scoring 6 goals in 9 appearances in 2006.
in the 2007 MLS Supplemental Draft
. He made his first MLS start on May 6, 2007 against Chivas USA, and assisted on the first goal by Christian Gomez
to give the team the lead.
On May 7, 2008 Kpene transferred to the Houston Dynamo
, having practiced with the team from mid-April and played in the team's April 20 reserve game as a guest player. He made four first team appearances for Houston in total, before being released midway through the 2009 season.
In 2010 Kpene went to Europe to pursue his career. He took part in trials with Bundesliga 2 side FSV Frankfurt
, and with several teams in Belgium, but was not offered a contract.
In 2011 Kpene, having returned to the United States, signed with the Long Island Rough Riders
in the USL Premier Development League
. He scored a goal for the Rough Riders on his debut on May 21, 2011, a 3-1 win over Jersey Express.
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
footballer, currently playing for the Long Island Rough Riders
Long Island Rough Riders
Long Island Rough Riders is an American soccer team based in South Huntington, New York, United States. Founded in 1994, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Mid Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference.The team plays its...
.
Youth and college
After playing in the youth team of local Ivorian side CSP Cocody, Kpene moved with his family to the United States in 2003 when his mother accepted the job as Ivory Coast's finance attache to the United Nations in New York.Kpene played one season of college soccer
College soccer
College soccer is a term used to describe association football played by teams who are operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes...
at Westchester Community College
Westchester Community College
Westchester Community College is a public, two-year community college in Valhalla, New York, sponsored by Westchester County, New York, and the State University of New York . The college is one of 30 community colleges affiliated with SUNY....
, earning all-region honors, before being recruited by Dowling College
Dowling College
Dowling College is a private co-educational liberal arts college with three campuses spread across Long Island, New York. The college's main campus in Oakdale, NY sits on the site of William K. Vanderbilt's former Idle Hour estate, which is now known as Fortunoff Hall. The Brookhaven Campus in...
. He helped the Golden Lions to a 22-0-2 season and Dowling’s first National Title. Kpene was Dowling's leading scorer, the first Dowling men’s soccer player to be drafted by MLS, and only the fourth Golden Lion to be drafted in any sport. In his final season, he totaled 25 goals (including seven game winning goals) and 10 assists. He was named to the 2006 NSCAA
NSCAA
The National Soccer Coaches Association of America is an organization of American soccer coaches founded in 1941. The NSCAA has grown from a handful of college soccer coaches to more than 22,000 members, making it the largest coaching organization in the world. Its members coach at all levels of...
/adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
NCAA Division II Men's Collegiate All-American (second team) and earned ECAC Offensive Player of the Week and All-Conference honors. He graduated with a degree in finance.
In 2005, Kpene started all 19 games for the Golden Lions and led the team with 33 points and 13 goals (5 game winning). He was second on the team with 7 assists. Kpene was named to the All-NYCAC First Team and the NSCAA/adidas All Northeast Region First Team.
During his college years Kpene also played for the Brooklyn Knights
Brooklyn Knights
Brooklyn Knights is an American soccer team based in New York, New York, United States. Founded in 1999, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Mid Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference.The team plays its home games at the...
in the USL Premier Development League
USL Premier Development League
The USL Premier Development League is the amateur league of the United Soccer Leagues in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda, forming part of the American Soccer Pyramid...
, scoring 6 goals in 9 appearances in 2006.
Professional
Kpene was selected in the third round, 37th overall, by D.C. UnitedD.C. United
D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inception, in 1996.Over the...
in the 2007 MLS Supplemental Draft
2007 MLS Supplemental Draft
The 2007 MLS Supplemental Draft was held on January 18, 2007, following the SuperDraft , as teams fill out their developmental rosters.-Round 1:-Round 2:-Round 3:-Round 4:-References:*...
. He made his first MLS start on May 6, 2007 against Chivas USA, and assisted on the first goal by Christian Gomez
Christian Gómez
Christian Gómez is an Argentine footballer currently playing for Nueva Chicago.-Argentina:Gómez began playing professional soccer at the age of 17 with Argentine club Nueva Chicago, which was at the time playing in the second division. He played with the team from 1991 to 1996, appearing in 155...
to give the team the lead.
On May 7, 2008 Kpene transferred to the Houston Dynamo
Houston Dynamo
The Houston Dynamo is an American professional soccer club, based in Houston, Texas, that plays in Major League Soccer, the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. Founded in 2005 as Houston 1836, the team name was renamed to Houston Dynamo following protests from Hispanic...
, having practiced with the team from mid-April and played in the team's April 20 reserve game as a guest player. He made four first team appearances for Houston in total, before being released midway through the 2009 season.
In 2010 Kpene went to Europe to pursue his career. He took part in trials with Bundesliga 2 side FSV Frankfurt
FSV Frankfurt
FSV Frankfurt is a German association football club based in the Bornheim district of Frankfurt am Main, Hesse and founded in 1899. The club plays in the shadow of larger and much more successful Eintracht Frankfurt, which has recently returned to 2nd tier football...
, and with several teams in Belgium, but was not offered a contract.
In 2011 Kpene, having returned to the United States, signed with the Long Island Rough Riders
Long Island Rough Riders
Long Island Rough Riders is an American soccer team based in South Huntington, New York, United States. Founded in 1994, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Mid Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference.The team plays its...
in the USL Premier Development League
USL Premier Development League
The USL Premier Development League is the amateur league of the United Soccer Leagues in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda, forming part of the American Soccer Pyramid...
. He scored a goal for the Rough Riders on his debut on May 21, 2011, a 3-1 win over Jersey Express.
D.C. United
- Major League SoccerMajor League SoccerMajor League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
Supporter's Shield (1): 20072007 Major League Soccer seasonThe 2007 Major League Soccer season was the 12th season in league history. The season began on April 7 and concluded with MLS Cup 2007 on November 18, 2007 at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C.....
External links
- Dowling College Bio
- Feature on Kpene by Steven Goff, Washington Post
- Kpene on jersey numbers in Dan Steinberg's Washington Post Sports Bog