Kaveh Rad

Kaveh Rad
Personal information
Full name Kaveh Rad
Date of birth (2001-06-13) June 13, 2001 (age 23)
Place of birth Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position(s) Center back, defensive midfielder
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 27 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of November 18, 2024

Kaveh Rad (Persian: کاوه راد; born June 13, 2001) is an American professional soccer player.

Early career

Kaveh 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

Sporting Kansas City II

Rad 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

On 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

Rad 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]

Portland Timbers 2

Rad signed with Portland Timbers 2 in MLS Next Pro on March 14, 2024.[15] His contract with Portland expired following the 2024 season.[16]

Style of play

Rad has been praised for his defensive abilities, including his clearances, pass completion, and duel winning.[6][10]

Personal life

Rad 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.[17][18]

Career statistics

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

  1. ^ "Kaveh Rad". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Kaveh Rad".
  3. ^ "Sporting KC signs 19-year-old center back Kaveh Rad as Homegrown Player".
  4. ^ Real Name: Kaveh Rad (2001-06-13). "Kaveh Rad | Sporting Kansas City". Sportingkc.com. Retrieved 2019-06-14.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ a b "Matchday Report: Sporting Rallies to Big Victory vs. Tulsa". 2 June 2021.
  7. ^ "USL Championship Team of the Week – Week 7". 8 June 2021.
  8. ^ "Sporting KC sign homegrown defender Kaveh Rad | MLSSoccer.com".
  9. ^ "RSLvsSKC 05-01-2021 | MLSsoccer.com".
  10. ^ a b "Top 5 young-player performances from MLS Week 6 | MLSSoccer.com".
  11. ^ "Sporting Kansas City vs. León - Football Match Summary - August 10, 2021 - ESPN".
  12. ^ "Sporting Kansas City vs. FC Dallas - Football Match Summary - May 10, 2022 - ESPN".
  13. ^ City, Sporting Kansas. "Sporting KC announces roster moves ahead of 2023 MLS season". Sporting Kansas City.
  14. ^ "Hartford Drop Season Opener in High Scoring Affair, 5-3 to Monterey Bay FC".
  15. ^ "Timbers2 sign five players ahead of 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season". Timbers.com. Portland Timbers. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  16. ^ "Timbers2 announce roster status updates ahead of 2025 MLS NEXT Pro season". Timbers.com. Portland Timbers. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  17. ^ "Jahon Rad". Sporting Kansas City. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
  18. ^ "Sporting KC II Sign Academy Product: Jahon Rad". 28 January 2021.