Born in Iraq, Kinani moved to Canada at age seven,[1] where he began playing youth soccer with FC Emery (formerly known as Tecnico Ambato FC).[2][3] He later played youth soccer with York Jets SC and Vaughan Azzurri.[4]
Collegiate career
In 2019, he began attending George Brown College, where he played for the men's soccer team.[5] On October 14, 2019, he scored four goals in the final twenty minutes of a 6-1 victory over the Cenntenial Colts,[6] a performance which earned him George Brown's Athlete of the Week honours.[7]
In September 2022, he began attending Toronto Metropolitan University, where he played for the men's soccer team.[8] On October 1, he scored a brace against the Royal Military College Paladins for his first goals.[9][10] On October 16, he scored a hat trick against the Laurentian Voyageurs.[11] On October 29, he scored the winning goal in the 90th minute on a penalty kick to give TMU a 2-1 victory over the Carleton Ravens in the OUA semi-finals.[12] In his first season with TMU, he helped them win an OUA silver medal, and a fifth place finish at the U SPORTS national championship.[13][14]
In December 2022, he was selected second overall in the 2023 CPL-U Sports Draft by Vancouver FC.[19] After attending pre-season with the club, he signed a U Sports developmental contract with the club, allowing him to maintain his university eligibility.[20][21] He made his professional debut on April 15, in a substitute appearance against Pacific FC.[22] He scored his first goal on June 20, in a 2-0 victory over Forge FC, also recording an assist in the match on the first goal of the match.[23][22] Upon the expiry of his U Sports deal in August, he extended his contract for the remainder of the 2023 season.[22][24]