Daouda Kante (born July 16, 1978) is a

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

an retired

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a defender. He spent three seasons in

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

, 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 St. Benedict's Preparatory School is a Catholic college preparatory school in Newark, New Jersey run by the Benedictine monks of Newark Abbey. The school serves boys and girls in kindergarten through twelfth grade on a urban campus. The s ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, 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 Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Westchester, Florida, United States. Founded in 1965 by the Florida Legislature, the school opened to students in 1972. FIU is the third-largest univ ...

. He began his career with the Golden Panthers in midfield, but moved to defense in 2000. In February 2001, the

Miami Fusion Miami Fusion F.C. was an American professional soccer club based in the Miami metropolitan area. The club competed in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team played from 1998 to 2001. Announced in 1997 as one ...

selected Kanté in the 6th round (64th overall) of the

2001 MLS SuperDraft The 2001 Major League Soccer MLS SuperDraft, SuperDraft was held on February 5, 2001, at the Signature Grand in Davie, Florida. Player selection ;Key Round 1 Round 1 trades Round 2 Round 2 trades Round 3 Round 3 t ...

. However, he chose not to sign with the Fusion in order to complete his degree. He graduated with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in international business and international relations.

Professional

During his collegiate career, he played for the Central Jersey Riptide and the Tampa Bay Hawks of the

Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

. In 2002, D.C. United drafted Kanté in the first round (11th overall) in the

2002 MLS SuperDraft The 2002 Major League Soccer SuperDraft was held on February 10, 2002 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. One month earlier, MLS had contracted two clubs: Tampa Bay Mutiny and Miami Fusion. In conjunction with the contraction, the league conducted ...

, but he never played a first team game. Instead, D.C. sent him on loan to the

Wilmington Hammerheads Wilmington Hammerheads FC was a semi-professional American soccer team based in Wilmington, North Carolina. Founded in 1996, the team last competed in the Premier Development League, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid in 2017. Histor ...

of the

USL D-3 Pro League The USL Second Division (commonly referred to as USL-2) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, operated by United Soccer Leagues (USL). It was at the United States soccer league system, third tier of soccer in the United ...

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 Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia * Hampton, New South Wales * Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region * Hampton, Victoria ** Hampton railway station, Melbou ...

in June 2002. United waived him on June 3, 2002, and on July 19, 2002, the

New England Revolution The New England Revolution are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the Greater Boston area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. It is on ...

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 The Baltimore Blast are an American professional indoor soccer team based in Baltimore, Maryland, that competes in the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL). Including one championship victory as the original Baltimore Blast, the team has won 10 c ...

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

MLS Stats

Baltimore Blast
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kante, Daouda 1978 births Living people Baltimore Blast (2001–2008 MISL) players Central Jersey Riptide players D.C. United players Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States FIU Panthers men's soccer players Men's association football defenders Virginia Beach Mariners players Major Indoor Soccer League (2001–2008) players Major League Soccer players Malian expatriate men's footballers Malian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Malian men's footballers New England Revolution players St. Louis Steamers (2003–2006 MISL) players Tampa Bay Hawks players USL League Two players Wilmington Hammerheads FC players USL Second Division players A-League (1995–2004) players D.C. United draft picks Miami Fusion draft picks People from Mopti Region MCCC Vikings men's soccer players Soccer players from New Jersey 21st-century Malian people Mercer County Community College alumni Junior college men's soccer players in the United States