Kosuke Kimura
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese footballer who currently plays for the Colorado Rapids
of Major League Soccer
.
He is the only player in the league's history who was born in Japan, and was a starting defender
for the Rapids in its run to the MLS Cup Championship
in 2010
.
. A broken foot
at age 15 prematurely ended his time with the club. Despite this, he would eventually earn an athletic scholarship
to play college soccer
at Western Illinois University
after moving to the United States
, where he took an intensive English-language
course and the SAT
, on which he achieved a near-perfect score on its mathematics
section. A four-year letterman with the Leathernecks
from 2003 to 2006, he also played with the Thunder Bay Chill
of the USL Premier Development League
.
in the 2007 MLS Supplemental Draft
, and in doing so became first Japanese-born player in the history of Major League Soccer. He was a bit-part player for much of his first two seasons, playing four games in his rookie season, and featuring in 18 games in 2008, 17 as a starter.
He scored his first career goal on May 2, 2009, in a game against Real Salt Lake
. On November 13, 2010, he scored the game-winning goal on San Jose that took the Colorado Rapids to MLS Cup 2010. On November 21, 2010, Kimura played for a full 90 minutes (plus 30 minutes of extra time) to help the Colorado Rapids win the MLS Cup against FC Dallas in Toronto, Ontario.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese footballer who currently plays for the Colorado Rapids
Colorado Rapids
The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver suburb of Commerce City, Colorado 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...
of Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major 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...
.
He is the only player in the league's history who was born in Japan, and was a starting defender
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
for the Rapids in its run to the MLS Cup Championship
MLS Cup 2010
The MLS Cup 2010 was the fifteenth edition of the MLS Cup championship game and the final match of the 2010 MLS season. The championship was played at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on Sunday, November 21, 2010...
in 2010
2010 Colorado Rapids season
The 2010 Colorado Rapids season was the fifteenth year and season of the club's existence. It was Colorado's fifteenth year in Major League Soccer, and the sixth-consecutive year for the club in the top-flight of American soccer....
.
College and amateur
Kimura's career in organized soccer began with the youth team of J. League side Kawasaki FrontaleKawasaki Frontale
is a J. League Division 1 association football club. The team is located in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo. Their home stadium is Todoroki Athletics Stadium, in Nakahara Ward, in the central area of Kawasaki.-History:...
. A broken foot
Foot
The foot is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg made up of one or more segments or bones, generally including claws...
at age 15 prematurely ended his time with the club. Despite this, he would eventually earn an athletic scholarship
Athletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
to play 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 Western Illinois University
Western Illinois University
Western Illinois University is a public university founded in 1899 as Western Illinois State Normal School. Like many similar institutions of the time, Western Illinois State Normal School focused on teacher training for its relatively small body of students. As the normal school grew, it became...
after moving to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where he took an intensive English-language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
course and the SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
, on which he achieved a near-perfect score on its mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
section. A four-year letterman with the Leathernecks
Western Illinois Leathernecks
The Western Illinois Leathernecks are the teams and athletes that represent Western Illinois University, located in Macomb, Illinois, in NCAA Division I sports. The school's primary conference affiliation is with The Summit League; its football team is a member of the Division I FCS Missouri...
from 2003 to 2006, he also played with the Thunder Bay Chill
Thunder Bay Chill
Thunder Bay Chill is a Canadian soccer team based in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 2000, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American and Canadian soccer pyramids, in the Heartland Division of the Central Conference.The team plays its home games...
of 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...
.
Professional
Kimura was drafted by Colorado RapidsColorado Rapids
The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver suburb of Commerce City, Colorado 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...
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:*...
, and in doing so became first Japanese-born player in the history of Major League Soccer. He was a bit-part player for much of his first two seasons, playing four games in his rookie season, and featuring in 18 games in 2008, 17 as a starter.
He scored his first career goal on May 2, 2009, in a game against Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake is an American professional soccer club based in Sandy, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City. The team competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. They currently play their home games at Rio Tinto Stadium. Real Salt Lake won...
. On November 13, 2010, he scored the game-winning goal on San Jose that took the Colorado Rapids to MLS Cup 2010. On November 21, 2010, Kimura played for a full 90 minutes (plus 30 minutes of extra time) to help the Colorado Rapids win the MLS Cup against FC Dallas in Toronto, Ontario.
Colorado Rapids
- 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...
Eastern Conference Championship (1): 20102010 Major League Soccer seasonThe 2010 Major League Soccer season was the 98th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer, the 32nd with a national first-division league, in the United States and Canada, and the 15th in MLS history. It began on March 25 at Seattle's Qwest Field with Seattle Sounders FC defeating the expansion... - 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...
MLS Cup (1): 20102010 Major League Soccer seasonThe 2010 Major League Soccer season was the 98th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer, the 32nd with a national first-division league, in the United States and Canada, and the 15th in MLS history. It began on March 25 at Seattle's Qwest Field with Seattle Sounders FC defeating the expansion...
External links
- Kosuke Kimura – Official website.
- MLS player profile
- Kosuke Kimura at Yahoo!Yahoo!Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
SportSportA Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
s - May 2009 Kosuke Kimura interview with AsiaXpress.com