Daniel Hoffard Kennedy (born July 22, 1982) is a retired American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player who played as

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

Early life and education

Kennedy was born July 22, 1982, in

Fullerton, California Fullerton ( ) is a city located in northern Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 143,617. Fullerton was founded in 1887. It secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and Sa ...

. He attended El Dorado High School in

Placentia, California Placentia () is a city in northern Orange County, California. The population was 51,233 during the 2020 census, up from 46,488 in the 2000 census. This includes the community of Atwood, which is included in the city of Placentia, and is loca ...

and played 3 years for the school's varsity soccer team. He attended the

University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduate ...

and was a student-athlete on the

UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer team is an NCAA Division I college soccer team composed of student-athletes attending the University of California, Santa Barbara. The Gauchos play their home matches at Harder Stadium. Like most of the ...

team. As a member of the 2004 UCSB team, he participated in the championship match of the

2004 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship The 2004 NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament was a tournament of 48 teams from NCAA Division I. This year's College Cup Final Four was held at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. All the other games were played at the home field of t ...

, but lost on penalty kicks. In his four-year career as a starter for UCSB, he appeared in 84 games.

Amateur

During his college years, Kennedy also played with

Orange County Blue Star Orange County Blue Star was an American soccer team based in Irvine, California. Founded in 1997, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southwest Division of the Weste ...

in the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syste ...

. He played alongside

Jürgen Klinsmann Jürgen Klinsmann (, born 30 July 1964) is a German professional football manager and former player. Klinsmann played for several prominent clubs in Europe including VfB Stuttgart, Inter Milan, Monaco, Tottenham Hotspur, and Bayern Munich. He ...

, who played under a

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

, as well as UCSB teammate

Tony Lochhead Tony James Lochhead (born 12 January 1982) is a New Zealand former professional footballer who appeared with the New Zealand national football team. Early life and education Lochhead was born on 12 January 1982 in Tauranga, New Zealand. He w ...

. In two seasons with the club, Kennedy appeared in 21 games.

Professional career

American start

Kennedy was drafted by

C.D. Chivas USA Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club played from 2005 to 2014 in Major League Soccer (MLS) and was a subsidiary of Mexican club C.D. Gu ...

in the 4th Round (38th overall) of the

2005 MLS Supplemental Draft Following the signature of the first MLS players' union contract, the MLS Superdraft was limited to four rounds. As a result, the Supplemental Draft was re-incarnated to hold the additional rounds. The 2005 MLS Supplemental Draft, held on February 4 ...

out of UCSB. He was not kept on for the season, but joined MetroStars as a temporary backup due to injuries to their personnel.

Puerto Rico Islanders

He was signed by

Hugo Maradona Hugo Hernán Maradona (9 May 1969 – 28 December 2021), also known as El Turco, was an Argentine football player and coach. He was the younger brother of Diego Maradona. He played as a midfielder for clubs in South America, Europe, Japan, and C ...

to play with

USL First Division The USL First Division (usually referred to as USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada from 2005 to 2010. During its existence, it formed the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer league system b ...

side

Puerto Rico Islanders Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to: Places *El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain *Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines *Puerto Colombia, Colombia *Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela *Puerto Galera, Orient ...

in April 2005. He played every minute for the Islanders in the

2005 United Soccer Leagues The 2005 Season was the 19th edition of the United Soccer Leagues season. General * A-League renamed USL First Division. * Pro Soccer League renamed USL Second Division. * The newly renamed top two divisions each become single table. * The Syracus ...

season en route to being named the 2005 USL First Division Rookie of the Year. He made 55 appearances in his two seasons with the club.

Municipal Iquique

Kennedy was under contract with Puerto Rico and was expected to return for the

2007 United Soccer Leagues The 2007 Season is the 21st edition of the United Soccer Leagues season. The season kicked off on Friday, April 13 when the 2006 league runners-up Rochester Raging Rhinos traveled to the Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium in Bayamón to take on the Puer ...

season, but was transferred to

Primera B de Chile Campeonato Primera B ( en, Chilean First B Division) is the second tier in the Chilean football league system, and is organized by the Asociación Nacional de Fútbol Profesional. It was established in 1952 as ''Segunda División'', and later renam ...

side

Municipal Iquique Club de Deportes Iquique S.A.D.P. is a Chilean football club based in Iquique that is a current member of the Primera B. Founded in 1978, the club's home stadium is the Estadio Tierra de Campeones, which has a 13,171 capacity. Iquique has spent ...

for the 2007 season. He immediately attracted attention for his play, with

Club Universidad de Chile Club Universidad de Chile () is a professional football club based in Santiago, Chile, that plays in the Primera División. Founded on 24 May 1927, Universidad de Chile is one of the most successful and popular football clubs in Chile, havin ...

Club Deportivo Universidad Católica Club Deportivo Universidad Católica is a professional football club based in Santiago, Chile. Founded in 1937 they play in the Primera División, the top flight of Chilean football. The team has played its home games at Estadio San Carlos d ...

, and

Cobreloa Club de Deportes Cobreloa S.A.D.P. (), commonly referred to as Cobreloa, is a Chilean football professional club based in Calama, Región de Antofagasta, Chile. That competes in the Primera B. The club's home ground is the Estadio Zorros del ...

all rumored to have been interested in him. Kennedy led the Primera B in goals against average for the 2007 season.

Chivas USA

In April 2008,

Chivas USA Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club played from 2005 to 2014 in Major League Soccer (MLS) and was a subsidiary of Mexican club C.D. Guada ...

re-acquired their former draft pick to understudy current starter

Brad Guzan Bradley Edwin Guzan (; born September 9, 1984) is an American professional Association football, soccer player who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Atlanta United FC. A college soccer second ...

for the

2008 Major League Soccer season The 2008 Major League Soccer season was the 13th season in the history of Major League Soccer. The season began on March 29 and ended with MLS Cup 2008, on November 23 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California. Changes from the 2007 s ...

. Guzan, however, was transferred by Chivas to

Aston Villa F.C. Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Pa ...

in July with head coach

Preki Predrag Radosavljević ( sr-Cyrl, Предраг Радосављевић; born June 24, 1963), better known by the nickname Preki (), is a Serbian-American former soccer player and coach. He is currently an assistant coach with Seattle Sounde ...

bringing in veteran

Zach Thornton Zach Thornton (born October 10, 1973) is an American former goalkeeper who spent 16 seasons in Major League Soccer with the New York/New Jersey MetroStars (1996–97), Chicago Fire (1998–2006), Colorado Rapids (2007), New York Red Bulls (2008) ...

as the number one. A torn hamstring ruled Thornton out for weeks, thrusting Kennedy into the starting role. With the starting goalkeeper undecided between Thornton and Kennedy ahead of the

2009 Major League Soccer season The 2009 Major League Soccer season was the 14th season of Major League Soccer. The season began on March 19 and ended with MLS Cup 2009 on November 22 at Qwest Field in Seattle. Expansion team Seattle Sounders FC debuted as the league's 15th ...

, a preseason knee injury suffered by Kennedy knocked him out of contention. Rehabilitation on the knee failed and Kennedy underwent reconstructive surgery to his

posterior cruciate ligament The posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) is a ligament in each knee of humans and various other animals. It works as a counterpart to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). It connects the posterior intercondylar area of the tibia to the medial cond ...

in June 2009, washing out his entire season. Thornton remained Chivas USA's starter for the majority of the

2010 Major League Soccer season The 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 Major League Soccer, MLS history. It began on March 25 at Seatt ...

, but early struggles by Thornton in the

2011 Major League Soccer season Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number), the natural number following 10 and preceding 12 * one of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011, or any year ending in 11 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *''El ...

led to Kennedy being named the starter. He remained the starter for the rest of the season en route to being named the 2011 Chivas USA Most Valuable Player. December 2011 saw Kennedy sign a multi-year extension with Chivas USA. Kennedy remained the starter until Chivas folded after the

2014 Major League Soccer season The 2014 Major League Soccer season was the 102nd season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States and Canada, the 36th with a national first-division league, and the 19th season of Major League Soccer. This season featured 19 total clubs ...

. He finished in second place for the 2012

MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award, known as the Allstate MLS Goalkepeer of the Year Award for sponsorship purposes, is an annual Major League Soccer award established in 1996. It is voted on by media, MLS players and club management based on regular ...

despite Chivas USA's last-place finish and participated in the

2012 MLS All-Star Game The 2012 Major League Soccer All-Star Game, held on July 25, 2012, was the 17th annual Major League Soccer All-Star Game, a soccer match involving all-stars from Major League Soccer. The game was played at PPL Park, now known as Subaru Park, in C ...

. In May 2013, he signed a contract extension with Chivas and Major League Soccer through the 2016 season.

Francisco Palencia Juan Francisco Palencia Hernández (born 28 April 1973) is a Mexican former professional footballer and manager. Club career Cruz Azul Palencia trained with the Cruz Azul youth system at age 13 and made his debut in the Primera División (Fi ...

, the Chivas technical director, said of Kennedy at the time of the signing, "He's our captain and our symbol at this moment, so we're very happy to extend this contract." Kennedy celebrated his new contract by scoring his first professional goal on May 28, 2013, on a penalty kick in the 2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup against

Los Angeles Blues Orange County Soccer Club is an American soccer team based in the Orange County, California city of Irvine. Founded in 2010 as the Los Angeles Blues, the team currently plays in the second tier USL Championship. The team plays its home games a ...

. Kennedy finished his Chivas USA career as the franchise's all-time leader in games played (144), games started (142), saves (451), and shutouts (28). Despite Chivas USA's demise, Kennedy's future was secure in Major League Soccer due to the extension he previously signed.

FC Dallas

After the contraction of Chivas USA, Kennedy was selected 1st overall in the 2014 MLS Dispersal Draft by

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise be ...

. Despite making 16 appearances for Dallas, he became surplus to requirements when

Jesse Gonzalez Jesse may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jesse (biblical figure), father of David in the Bible. * Jesse (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Jesse (surname), a list of people Music * ''Jesse'' ( ...

replaced him as a starter.

LA Galaxy

Following the

2015 Major League Soccer season The 2015 Major League Soccer season featured 20 total clubs (17 based in the United States, 3 based in Canada). The regular season was held from March 6 through to October 25, whereas the MLS Cup Playoffs began on October 28 and ended with MLS ...

, Kennedy was traded to

LA Galaxy LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began pl ...

in exchange for two picks in the

2017 MLS SuperDraft The 2017 MLS SuperDraft was the eighteenth SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held each year in conjunction with the annual National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention. The first two rounds of the 2017 S ...

. On April 11, 2017, Kennedy announced his retirement from playing professional soccer.

Honors and awards

;Individual *

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

All-Star:

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

Rookie of the Year:

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

References

External links

* *
UC Santa Barbara player profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Dan 1982 births Living people American expatriate soccer players American soccer players Association football goalkeepers Chivas USA draft picks Chivas USA players Expatriate footballers in Chile Expatriate footballers in Puerto Rico FC Dallas players LA Galaxy players LA Galaxy II players Major League Soccer All-Stars Major League Soccer players Deportes Iquique footballers New York Red Bulls players Orange County Blue Star players People from Yorba Linda, California Puerto Rico Islanders players Soccer players from California Sportspeople from Fullerton, California UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer players USL Championship players USL First Division players USL League Two players