is a Japanese 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 le ...

who plays as a

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

for

National Premier Leagues Victoria 2 The National Premier Leagues Victoria 2, commonly referred to as NPL Victoria 2, is a semi-professional soccer league in Victoria, Australia. The league is the second-highest in the Victorian league system, behind the National Premier Leagues Vict ...

club

Preston Lions Preston Lions Football Club (formerly Preston Makedonia Soccer Club) is a association football, soccer club from Preston, Victoria, Preston, a northern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The club was established in ...

Club career

Early career

Iida played football at

Yamanashi Gakuin University Yamanashi Gakuin University (Japanese: 山梨学院大学, ''Yamanashi gakuin daigaku'') (YGU) is a university in Kōfu, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. Yamanashi Gakuin was founded in 1946. Today, it is a comprehensive educational institution that ...

in Kōfu,

Yamanashi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Yamanashi Prefecture has a population of 817,192 (1 January 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,465 km2 (1,724 sq mi). Yamanashi Prefecture borders Saitama Prefecture to the no ...

before moving to the United States to pursue a professional career as a footballer.

Kitsap

In April 2017, Iida signed with

National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's association football, soccer league. The NPSL is a semi-professional league, comprising some teams that have paid players and some that are entirely amateur. The league is officially ...

side

Kitsap SC Kitsap SC Pumas was an American soccer team based in Bremerton, Washington, United States. The team played in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid. From its foundation in 2009 to 2016, the club ...

after a trial period.

Clarkstown Eagles

Later in 2017, Iida signed for NPSL side Clarkstown Eagles, scoring three goals in six appearances as the club would go on to make the playoffs.

Washington Premier

In 2018, Iida played for American Evergreen Premier League side Washington Premier FC, scoring four goals in ten appearances and leading the club to a league title.

HFX Wanderers

In September 2018, Iida participated in the Canadian Premier League Open Trials and was named one of the top players from the

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

trials by the league's coaches. On 21 February 2019, Iida signed his first professional contract with Canadian Premier League side

HFX Wanderers HFX Wanderers Football Club, commonly known as HFX Wanderers, and spoken as Halifax Wanderers, is a Canadian professional soccer club in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League at the top of the Canadian soccer le ...

. He made his debut as a substitute in Halifax's inaugural match on 28 April 2019. On 14 December 2019, the club announced that Iida would not be returning for the 2020 season.

OKC Energy FC

Iida signed with

OKC Energy FC Oklahoma City Energy Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The club is a member of the USL Championship, the second division of the American soccer league system. History Oklahoma City businessman ...

of the USL Championship in December 2019. He is the first Asian-born player signed by Energy FC.

RANS Nusantara

In May 2022, Iida signed for Liga 1 club RANS Nusantara following their promotion to the top tier of Indonesian football.

Honours

Washington Premier * Evergreen Premier League: 2018

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Iida, Kodai 1994 births Living people Men's association football midfielders Japanese men's footballers Association football people from Ishikawa Prefecture Yamanashi Gakuin University alumni FC Motown players HFX Wanderers FC players RANS Nusantara F.C. players Preston Lions FC players National Premier Soccer League players Canadian Premier League players Japanese expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Japanese expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada Japanese expatriate sportspeople in Canada Expatriate men's footballers in Indonesia Japanese expatriate sportspeople in Indonesia Expatriate men's soccer players in Australia Japanese expatriate sportspeople in Australia