Guy-Roland Kpene (born November 23, 1983 in

Abidjan Abidjan ( , ; N'Ko script, N’ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the economic capital of the Ivory Coast. As of the Demographics of Ivory Coast, 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of overall population of the country, ...

) is an Ivorian

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 ...

who currently plays as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

for the

Long Island Rough Riders The Long Island Rough Riders are an American association football, soccer team based in South Huntington, New York, United States. Founded in 1994, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays i ...

Career

Youth and college

After playing in the youth team of local Ivorian side CSP Cocody, Kpene moved with his family to the United States in 2003 when his mother accepted the job as Ivory Coast's finance attache to the United Nations in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Kpene played one season of

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United Kingd ...

Westchester Community College Westchester Community College (WCC) is a public community college in Valhalla, New York, in Westchester County. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. History New York Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences becomes West ...

, earning all-region honors, before being recruited by

Dowling College Dowling College was a private college on Long Island, New York. It was established in 1968 and had its main campus located in Oakdale, New York on the site of William K. Vanderbilt's mansion Idle Hour. Dowling also included a campus in Shirley, ...

. He helped the Golden Lions to a 22-0-2 season and Dowling’s first National Title. Kpene was Dowling's leading scorer, the first Dowling men’s soccer player to be drafted by MLS, and only the fourth Golden Lion to be drafted in any sport. In his final season, he totaled 25 goals (including seven game-winning goals) and 10 assists. He was named to the 2006

NSCAA The United Soccer Coaches (formerly known as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)) is an organization of American soccer coaches founded in 1941. It is the largest soccer coaches organization in the world, with more than ...

adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

br>Division II Men's Collegiate All-American
(second team) and earned ECA
Offensive Player of the Week
and All-Conference honors. He graduated with a degree in finance. In 2005, Kpene started all 19 games for the Golden Lions and led the team with 33 points and 13 goals (5 game winning). He was second on the team with 7 assists. Kpene was named to the All-NYCAC First Team and the NSCAA/adidas All Northeast Region First Team. During his college years Kpene also played for the

Brooklyn Knights Brooklyn Knights were an American soccer club based in New York City. Founded in 1999, the Knights currently field youth teams in the United Soccer Leagues Super-20 League and Super Y-League. The team also previously field a team in the USL Pre ...

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 ...

, scoring 6 goals in 9 appearances in 2006.

Professional

Kpene was selected in the third round, 37th overall, by

D.C. United D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...

in the 2007 MLS Supplemental Draft. He made his first MLS start on May 6, 2007 against

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 ...

, and assisted on the first goal by

Christian Gomez Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρισ ...

to give the team the lead. After being releaded by D.C. United during preseason, Kpene signed with the

Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo FC (formerly officially, but still commonly, called the Houston Dynamo) is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The Dynamo compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Establi ...

on May 7, 2008, having practiced with the team from mid-April and played in the team's April 20 reserve game as a guest player. He was released following the 2008 season. In 2009 Kpene went to Europe to pursue his career. He was with Bundesliga 2 side

FSV Frankfurt Fußballsportverein Frankfurt 1899 e.V., commonly known as simply FSV Frankfurt, is a German association football club based in the Bornheim district of Frankfurt am Main, Hesse and founded in 1899. FSV Frankfurt also fielded a rather successfu ...

, and with several teams in Belgium, In 2011 Kpene, having returned to the United States, signed with the

in the

. He scored a goal for the Rough Riders on his debut on May 21, 2011, a 3-1 win over

Jersey Express The Jersey Express is a team in the American Basketball Association based in Paterson, New Jersey. The team was formed in 2005 as the Newark Express. Marsha Blount is the owner of the team. Inaugural season (2005–06) The Express ended the re ...

Honors

D.C. United

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 ...

Supporter's Shield (1):

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

References

External links

Dowling College Bio
by Steven Goff, Washington Post

in Dan Steinberg's Washington Post Sports Bog {{DEFAULTSORT:Kpene, Guy-Roland 1983 births Living people Brooklyn Knights players D.C. United players Houston Dynamo FC players Long Island Rough Riders players Ivorian men's footballers Footballers from Abidjan USL League Two players Major League Soccer players D.C. United draft picks Men's association football forwards