Daouda Kanté

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Daouda Kante

| image =

| fullname =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1978|7|16}}

| birth_place = Hamdallaye, Mali

| height = {{height|ft=6|in=2}}

| position = Defender

| collegeyears1 = 1998

| collegeyears2= 1999–2001

| college1 = Mercer Vikings

| college2 = FIU Golden Panthers

| years1 =

| years2 =

| years3 = 2002

| years4 = 2002

| years5 = 2002

| years6 = 2002–2004

| years7 = 2004

| years8 = 2004–2006

| clubs1 = Central Jersey Riptide

| clubs2 = Tampa Bay Hawks

| clubs3 = D.C. United

| clubs4 = → Wilmington Hammerheads (loan)

| clubs5 = → Hampton Roads Mariners (loan)

| clubs6 = New England Revolution

| clubs7 = St. Louis Steamers (indoor)

| clubs8 = Baltimore Blast (indoor)

| caps1 =

| caps2 =

| caps3 = 0

| caps4 =

| caps5 = 2

| caps6 = 26

| caps7 = 1

| caps8 = 11

| goals1 =

| goals2 =

| goals3 = 0

| goals4 =

| goals5 = 0

| goals6 = 1

| goals7 = 0

| goals8 = 0

| manageryears1 =

| managerclubs1 =

}}

Daouda Kante (born July 16, 1978) is a Malian retired footballer who played as a defender. He spent three seasons in Major League Soccer, and two in the Major Indoor Soccer League. Currently, he is the executive and technical director for Kansas Rush Soccer – Olathe.

Youth

A native of Mali, Kante attended Saint Benedict's Preparatory School in New Jersey, United States, where he played on the school's 1996 state championship soccer team. In 1998, he entered Mercer Community College where he was a junior college All-American soccer player. In 1999, he transferred to Florida International University. He began his career with the Golden Panthers in midfield, but moved to defense in 2000. In February 2001, the Miami Fusion selected Kanté in the 6th round (64th overall) of the 2001 MLS SuperDraft. However, he chose not to sign with the Fusion in order to complete his degree. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in international business and international relations.{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/africa/3659599.stm|title=Africans star in the US|date=2004-04-26|access-date=2018-05-07|language=en-GB}}

Professional

During his collegiate career, he played for the Central Jersey Riptide and the Tampa Bay Hawks of the Premier Development League.{{Cite web|url=http://www.uslfans.com/news/2001/news,2001,0029.shtml|title=USL Fans|website=www.uslfans.com|language=en|access-date=2018-05-07|archive-date=2013-05-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514011828/http://www.uslfans.com/news/2001/news,2001,0029.shtml|url-status=dead}} In 2002, D.C. United drafted Kanté in the first round (11th overall) in the 2002 MLS SuperDraft, but he never played a first team game. Instead, D.C. sent him on loan to the Wilmington Hammerheads of the USL D-3 Pro League at the end of April.Hammerheads get loaner from MLS Morning Star (Wilmington, North Carolina) – Saturday, April 27, 2002 He played two games on loan to the Hampton Roads Mariners in June 2002. United waived him on June 3, 2002, and on July 19, 2002, the New England Revolution signed Kanté as a transitional international. He played well for the Revolution that season, but injury and fitness issues led to him seeing little playing time over the next two seasons. The Revolution released him in 2004. In the fall of 2004, he signed with the St. Louis Steamers of Major Indoor Soccer League. He played only one game before being traded to the Baltimore Blast in exchange for a third round pick in the 2006 MISL Amateur Draft. He finished his career with the Blast in the 2005–2006 season.

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20070606202008/http://web.mlsnet.com/history/register.jsp?content=players_k MLS Stats]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20060509230141/http://www.baltimoreblast.com/players/?id=46 Baltimore Blast]

Category:1978 births

Category:Living people

Category:Baltimore Blast (2001–2008 MISL) players

Category:Central Jersey Riptide players

Category:D.C. United players

Category:Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States

Category:FIU Panthers men's soccer players

Category:Men's association football defenders

Category:Virginia Beach Mariners players

Category:Major Indoor Soccer League (2001–2008) players

Category:Major League Soccer players

Category:Malian expatriate men's footballers