Hosei Kijima

is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club D.C. United.

Early life and career Kijima spent his early childhood in Yokohama and attended an international school where English was spoken. Inspired by the success of Japanese tennis player Kei Nishikori and after learning that he had attended IMG Academy, a sport-focused boarding school in Bradenton, Florida, United States, Kijima attended an IMG summer camp in 2014 and then enrolled fulltime at age 12. He went on to play college soccer at Wake Forest, where he scored 9 goals and assisted 10 in 63 games over 4 seasons.

Club career Sarasota Paradise

Kijima played for the semi-professional USL League Two club Sarasota Paradise in the 2023 season.

St. Louis City SC Hosei Kijima was selected 17th overall in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft by St. Louis City SC and signed a first-team contract with the club on February 20, 2024. Later that same day, he made his debut for St. Louis in their CONCACAF Champions Cup match against Houston Dynamo, scoring the game-winning goal after coming on as a substitute in the 86th minute.

On March 16, 2024, Kijima made his MLS debut for St. Louis City SC, coming in as a substitute in the 71st minute to replace Aziel Jackson.

D.C. United On December 11, 2024, Hosei Kijima was one of five players selected in the 2024 MLS Expansion Draft by San Diego FC. Immediately following the announcement of Kijima's selection, San Diego traded Kijima to D.C. United in return for $400,000 in general allocation money.

Career statistics Club