Kevin Reginald Molino (born 17 June 1990) is a Trinidadian professional
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 plays as a
winger for
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 Cana ...
club
Columbus Crew
The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as on ...
and the
Trinidad and Tobago national team.
Club career
Orlando City
After playing for several years in the
TT Pro League
The TT Pro League (formerly known as the Professional Football League) is the Trinidad and Tobago professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division in the Trinidad ...
, with
San Juan Jabloteh and
Ma Pau SC
Ma Pau Stars Sports Club is a football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular ...
, Molino signed with
Orlando City in the
USL Professional Division
The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...
on 18 March 2011. He scored his first goal for his new club on 14 May in a 1–0 win over the
Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC is an American professional soccer team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1999 and beginning play in 1999, the club plays in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American s ...
. Following two seasons with Orlando, Molino had week-long trials with
PSV Eindhoven
Philips Sport Vereniging (; en, Philips Sports Association ), abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven (), is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional football department, wh ...
of the Netherlands and
Zulte Waregem
Sportvereniging Zulte Waregem (), commonly known as Zulte Waregem or by their nickname Essevee (), is a Belgian professional football club based in Waregem, West Flanders. Zulte Waregem plays in the Belgian First Division A. Their highest finish ...
of Belgium in hopes of continuing his career in Europe. However, on 13 March 2013, it was announced that Molino had re-signed with Orlando for the
2013 USL Pro season
The 2013 USL Pro season was the 27th season of third-division soccer in the United States, and is the third season of the United Soccer Leagues' (USL) PRO professional competition. The number of teams increased from eleven to thirteen with Phoeni ...
. On 10 January 2014, Molino signed a new two-year contract with
Orlando City which would keep him at the club when they transition into
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 Cana ...
for the 2015 season despite heavy interest from other MLS and foreign suitors. The deal made Molino the first player signed to Orlando's MLS roster.
Molino began the
2014 USL Pro season
The 2014 USL Pro season was the fourth USL Pro season and the 28th season of third-division soccer in the United States.
Teams
Antigua Barracuda FC and VSI Tampa Bay FC folded following the 2013 season and were replaced by Sacramento Republi ...
, the club's final season in the league, with 15 goals in his first 21 matches, the most in the league at that point in the season. Molino tied the league single-season goal scoring record of 15 shared by
Dom Dwyer
Dominic James Dwyer (born July 30, 1990) is a professional soccer player who plays as a forward. Born in England, he represented the United States national team.
While in England, Dwyer represented, among other teams, Norwich City as a yout ...
and
José Angulo
José Angulo (born 13 January 1988) is a Colombian professional footballer who currently plays as a forward for New Amsterdam FC in the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA).
Career Youth
Angulo grew up in Paterson, New Jersey, the son ...
on 16 August 2014 with six games left in the season. Two games later on 23 August 2014, Molino scored in a league match against the
Richmond Kickers
Richmond Kickers is an American professional soccer club based in Richmond, Virginia. The Kickers compete as a member of USL League One (USL-1). The club was established in 1993, and began play that same year as a United States Interregional S ...
to bring his goal tally to 16 for the season, setting the new single-season record in the process. Molino concluded Orlando City's final USL Pro season with a goal against the
Richmond Kickers
Richmond Kickers is an American professional soccer club based in Richmond, Virginia. The Kickers compete as a member of USL League One (USL-1). The club was established in 1993, and began play that same year as a United States Interregional S ...
, raising his final record-tally to 20 as Orlando City won its third Commissioner's Cup in four years.
On 2 May 2015, during Orlando City's friendly against
Ponte Preta, Molino tore his right ACL and missed the remainder of the 2015 MLS season. On 3 April 2016, Molino scored his first goal for Orlando City from a penalty in a 4–1 win over
Portland Timbers
The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at ...
.
Minnesota United
On 26 January 2017 it was announced that Molino would rejoin former coach
Adrian Heath
Adrian Paul Heath (born 11 January 1961) is an English football manager and former player. He currently serves as head coach of Major League Soccer club Minnesota United FC. As a player, he is best known for his six seasons at Everton, where ...
at
Minnesota United FC
Minnesota United FC is an American professional soccer club based in Saint Paul, Minnesota that plays in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer. The club began play in 2017 as the league's 22nd club, and replaced the North American Soc ...
after Minnesota paid Orlando City $650,000 in allocation money for the player. The transfer fee paid was reportedly tied for the largest exchange in league history. On 10 March 2018, during the second game of Minnesota United FC's season, Molino tore his left ACL in a match against Orlando City FC after scoring two goals in the first game of the season.
Following Minnesota's 2020 season, Molino's contract expired. On 16 December 2020, Molino announced that he would not be rejoining Minnesota United.
Columbus Crew
On 7 January 2021,
Columbus Crew
The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as on ...
announced the signing of Molino for the 2021
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 Cana ...
season.
On 26 August 2021, it was announced that Molino had torn his right ACL, his second ACL tear in his right knee and third total in his MLS career.
International career
Molino has represented
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, small ...
at international level. He was named in Trinidad's
2010 Caribbean Cup
The 2010 Caribbean Cup (also known as Digicel Caribbean Cup 2010 for sponsorship reasons) was the 2010 edition of the Caribbean Championship, an international football championship for national teams affiliated with the Caribbean Football Union ...
squad, and made his international debut versus
Guyana on 4 November 2010.
Personal
In early 2015, Molino received his
U.S. green card which qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes. His brother,
Kevon Cooper is a cricketer from
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, small ...
. He has played for
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, small ...
and
Leeward Islands as well as for
Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals (often abbreviated as RR) are a franchise cricket team based in Jaipur, Rajasthan, that plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Founded in 2008 as one of the initial eight IPL franchises, the team is based at the Sawai ...
in the
Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League (IPL), also known as Tata Group, TATA IPL for sponsorship reasons, is a men's T20 cricket, T20 Professional sports league organization, franchise cricket Sports league, league of India. It is annually contested by ...
and in various other
Twenty20
Twenty20 (T20) is a shortened game format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the county cricket, inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two teams have ...
leagues around the world.
Career statistics
International goals
:''Scores and results list Trinidad and Tobago's goal tally first.''
Honours
Orlando City
*
USL Pro Cup:
2011,
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...
*
Commissioner's Cup:
2011,
2012
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,
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
Trinidad and Tobago
*
Caribbean Cup
The Caribbean Cup was the championship tournament for national association football teams that are members of the Caribbean Football Union. The first competition, established by Shell and run by former England Cricket fast bowler Fred Rumsey, wa ...
Runner-Up:
2014
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Individual
*
USL Pro
The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, ...
MVP:
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 ...
,
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
*USL Pro Team of the Season:
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
*USL Pro single-season goal scoring record: 20 (
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
)
*USL Pro single-season points record: 49 (
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
)
*
Caribbean Cup
The Caribbean Cup was the championship tournament for national association football teams that are members of the Caribbean Football Union. The first competition, established by Shell and run by former England Cricket fast bowler Fred Rumsey, wa ...
Top Goal Scorer:
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
(joint with
Darren Mattocks and
Kervens Belfort)
References
External links
Aiming to be the ultimate Soca Warrior – meet Kevin Molino*
at SocaWarriors.net
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Molino, Kevin
1990 births
Living people
Trinidad and Tobago footballers
Trinidad and Tobago international footballers
Trinidad and Tobago expatriate footballers
San Juan Jabloteh F.C. players
Ma Pau Stars S.C. players
Orlando City SC (2010–2014) players
Orlando City SC players
Minnesota United FC players
Columbus Crew players
USL Championship players
Major League Soccer players
Expatriate soccer players in the United States
Footballers at the 2011 Pan American Games
TT Pro League players
2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
2014 Caribbean Cup players
Association football midfielders
Trinidad and Tobago expatriate sportspeople in the United States
2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
2009 CONCACAF U-20 Championship players
Pan American Games competitors for Trinidad and Tobago
2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup players