Mark-Anthony Kaye (born December 2, 1994) is a Canadian professional soccer player 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 Major League Soccer club

New England Revolution The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compe ...

and the Canada national team.

Early life

Born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

to Jamaican parents, Kaye first began playing soccer with Wexford SC in

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, su ...

. He later played with Ajax SC, winning a provincial title in 2009, and Glen Shields SC and Bryst FA. He attended Elementary school at John Ross Robinson Public School and

High School A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute (''Lawrence Park CI'', ''LPCI'', "LP", or ''Lawrence Park'') is a semestered, public high school institution with over 1,267 students enrolled. The school is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It teaches grade ...

where he would play soccer, where he was twice named team MVP, as well as participating in cross country, and

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

University career

Kaye played two years of university soccer at

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...

between 2012 and 2013. During his university career he played in 29 matches and scored 18 goals. He was named

OUA Oua is an islet on the north-east of Nukufetau atoll, Tuvalu, next to Lafanga Lafanga or Lafaga is an islet of Nukufetau, Tuvalu. The traditional history of Nukufetau recalls that in order to protect the atoll from raiders from Tonga Tong ...

rookie of the year after his

first year A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ar ...

season and selected to the CIS all-Canadian second-team and the OUA first-team as a

second year Second year (also known as S2 in Scotland) is the second year of schooling in secondary schools in Scotland and in the Republic of Ireland, and is roughly equivalent to Year 9 in England and Wales and Year 10 (Third Form) in Northern Ireland. M ...

. York would win the OUA championship during his final season.

Club career

Early career

Kaye left York and joined

TFC Academy Toronto FC Academy, also known as TFC Academy, is the youth academy and development system of Canadian Major League Soccer club Toronto FC. The academy has divisions from U14 to U19 and includes over 110 young players. The senior academy team is ...

, the academy side of Major League Soccer's

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BM ...

in 2013. In 2014, he played in

League1 Ontario League1 Ontario (L1O) is a semi-professional men's association football, soccer league in Ontario, Canada. The league began play in 2014 and is sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association and the Ontario Soccer Association as a pro-am league ...

with the senior academy team appearing in nine matches and scoring one goal. Kaye joined 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. History ...

of the

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, pl ...

loan In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that ...

from TFC Academy in August 2014 as part of an affiliation between the two clubs. He made his professional debut on August 23, 2014, in a league match against

Orange County Blues FC 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 ...

. The next day, Kaye tallied his first professional goal and assist as Wilmington drew 3–3 with

LA Galaxy II LA Galaxy II is an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, United States founded in 2014. It is the reserve team of the LA Galaxy. The team competes in MLS Next Pro, the third tier of the United Sta ...

. In total, Kaye appeared in 7 matches and tallied 2 goals and 2 assists during his loan with the Hammerheads.

Toronto FC II

2015 season

On March 12, 2015, Kaye and seven other players were signed by USL side

Toronto FC II Toronto FC II is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Toronto, Ontario, who play in MLS Next Pro, a third tier league of the United States soccer league system. It is the reserve team and minor league affiliate of Toronto FC as well a ...

ahead of their inaugural season. He made his debut against the

Charleston Battery The Charleston Battery are an American professional soccer club based in Charleston, South Carolina, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 1993, the Battery are one of the oldest continuously operating professional soccer clubs in th ...

on March 21 and would appear in 22 matches without a goal.

Louisville City

2016 season

On January 13, 2016, Kaye would sign with USL side

Louisville City FC Louisville City Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Louisville, Kentucky. The team plays in the USL Championship, known through the 2018 season as the United Soccer League (USL), which is currently the second tier of th ...

and he would make his season debut in the opening match on March 26 against

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

. He would go on to play in 24 of Louisville's 28 regular season matches scoring one goal with three assists. He also played in two of Louisville's three

USL Cup The USL Championship Final is the post-season championship match of the USL Championship, the second tier of professional men's soccer in the United States. The winner is crowned champion in the same manner as in other North American sports lea ...

matches going goalless. He did, however, score in the

penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

in the Eastern Conference Finals match against

New York Red Bulls II New York Red Bulls II is an American professional soccer team based in Montclair, New Jersey. They are the reserve team of the New York Red Bulls and play in MLS Next Pro, the third tier in the American soccer pyramid. History Red Bull New Yor ...

. A match New York would go on to win.

2017 season

Kaye would miss the first two matches of the 2017 season while on international duty and would make his season debut on April 8 against Richmond. He would on to play in 19 of Louisville's 32 regular season matches scoring four goals. He also played in both of Louisville's U.S. Open Cup matches; scoring once against the Tartan Devils. In the USL Cup playoffs Kaye would start all four matches as he and Louisville would go on to win the USL Cup Final against

Swope Park Swope Park is a city park in Kansas City, Missouri. At , it is the 51st-largest municipal park in the United States, and the largest park in Kansas City. It is named in honor of Colonel Thomas H. Swope, a philanthropist who donated the land to ...

Los Angeles FC

After two seasons in Louisville, Kaye would be transferred to

MLS 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 ...

side Los Angeles FC for their inaugural season. He would make his LAFC debut against the

Seattle Sounders Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...

during the 2018 season opener. On July 26, 2018, Kaye suffered a fractured foot in the

El Tráfico El Tráfico, also known as the Los Angeles Derby, is a soccer rivalry between the two Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs based in the Greater Los Angeles area, LA Galaxy and Los Angeles FC. The rivalry is one of two crosstown derbies in MLS, along ...

rivalry game against the LA Galaxy, with coach

Bob Bradley Robert Frank Bradley (born March 3, 1958) is an American soccer coach who is the head coach and sporting director of Toronto FC. A native of New Jersey and graduate of Princeton University, Bradley coached in the American college game and Maj ...

saying he'd need surgery, with LAFC setting no timetable for his return; '' NBC Sports'' reported that the injury would sideline the player for "4–6 months".

Colorado Rapids

On July 27, 2021, Kaye was traded, alongside a first-round pick in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft to the

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, lat ...

in exchange for $1 million in General Allocation Money and a 2022 international roster slot. He made his debut for the Rapids on August 7 against Sporting Kansas City. On August 21 Kaye scored his first goal for the Rapids, netting the game-winner in a 2–1 comeback win over Rocky Mountain Cup rivals

Real Salt Lake Real Salt Lake, often shortened to RSL, is an American professional soccer franchise based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes as a member club of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the Western Conference. RSL began play in 2 ...

. At the end of the season Colorado announced they had exercised Kaye's contract option, keeping him at the club through the 2022 season. Before the start of the 2022 season Colorado would announce Kaye would sign a 4-year contract extension, through the end of the 2025 season, with an option for 2026.

Toronto FC

In July 2022,

announced they had traded

Ralph Priso Ralph-William Johnson Priso-Mbongue (born August 2, 2002) is a Canadian soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Colorado Rapids. Early career He began playing soccer at the age of four with Clairlea-Westview SC, be ...

, General Allocation Money, a first round pick in the 2023

MLS SuperDraft The MLS SuperDraft is an annual college draft for teams of Major League Soccer in the United States and Canada. It takes place in January and is used by teams to select players who have graduated from college or otherwise been signed by the l ...

and an international roster slot for Kaye. The move returned Kaye to Toronto after six years away and also reunited him with his coach at LAFC, Bob Bradley. He made his debut on July 13, starting against the Chicago Fire and going 63 minutes in a 2–0 defeat. Kaye scored his first goal for Toronto FC in their first match of the 2023 season, netting Toronto's second goal in an eventual 3–2 defeat to

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 ...

on February 25, 2023.

New England Revolution

On July 13, 2023, Kaye was traded to the

in return for Latif Blessing and a 2023 international roster slot.

International career

Youth

In May 2016, Kaye was called to Canada's U23 national team for a pair of friendlies against Guyana and Grenada. He saw action in both matches. In March 2017 Kaye was called up again to the U23 side for the Aspire Tournament which also featured the hosts

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...

and

Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...

Senior

Kaye made his debut for the senior team against Curaçao in a friendly on June 13, 2017. On June 27, he was named to Canada's squad for the

2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 14th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the biennial international men's soccer championship of the North, Central American and Caribbean region organized by CONCACAF, and 24th CONCACAF regional championship ove ...

. He was named to the squad for the

2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 15th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the biennial international men's soccer championship of the North, Central American, and Caribbean region organized by CONCACAF. The tournament was primarily hosted in the ...

on May 20, 2019. Kaye scored his first goals for Canada on March 29, 2021, netting a brace in a 11–0 victory over the Cayman Islands. In July 2021 Kaye would join Canada for his third Gold Cup tournament, being named to the squad for the 2021 edition of the competition. In November 2022, Kaye was called up to Canada's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Style of play

During his time at Louisville, Kaye played as an "

attacking 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 ...

and winger", however following his ascension into MLS, he assumed a "

box-to-box 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 ...

central midfield role, one that he's thriving in"; he also performed this role on international duty with Canada. LAFC coach Bob Bradley said of Kaye: "He brings a little bit more range, a little bit more ability to get around the ball, a little bit of an ability to close down, win some balls in air, get into the box in both sides. All those things make him a little bit different".

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kaye goal''.

Honours

Toronto FC III *

League Champions:

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 ...

* L1O/ PLSQ Inter-Provincial Cup Champions:

Louisville City *

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

Los Angeles FC * Supporters' Shield:

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

Individual * MLS All-Star:

References

External links

* * *
League 1 Ontario profileYork Lions profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaye, Mark-Anthony 1994 births Living people Canadian men's soccer players Canadian expatriate men's soccer players York Lions men's soccer players Toronto FC players Wilmington Hammerheads FC players Toronto FC II players Louisville City FC players Los Angeles FC players Colorado Rapids players Soccer players from Toronto Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States League1 Ontario players USL Championship players Major League Soccer players Black Canadian men's soccer players Canada men's under-23 international soccer players Canada men's international soccer players 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Men's association football midfielders 2022 FIFA World Cup players Canadian sportspeople of Jamaican descent New England Revolution players