Michael Kafari (born October 30, 1991) is a Ghanaian

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 defensive midfielder.

Career

College and Amateur

Kafari played

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 ...

at the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

between 2010 and 2013. While at college, Kafari appeared for

Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental association football, soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United Stat ...

side

Austin Aztex The Austin Aztex were a soccer team based in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 2011 as a member of the Premier Development League, the team played the 2015 season in the United Soccer League, the second tier of the United States soccer pyr ...

in 2012.

Professional

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on Marc ...

selected Kafari in the third round (No. 51 overall) of the

2014 MLS SuperDraft The 2014 MLS SuperDraft was the fifteenth MLS SuperDraft, SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. The first two rounds of the four round draft took place on January 16, 2014, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Philadelphia Convention Center ...

. However, he wasn't signed by the club, instead joining USL Pro side

Charleston Battery The Charleston Battery are an American professional association football, 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 professiona ...

. Kafari left Charleston without making a league appearance, but was later signed by

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 ...

side

Sporting Kansas City Sporting Kansas City, often shortened to Sporting KC, is an American men's professional Association football, soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The administrative offices are located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and t ...

. After two years away from the professional game, Kafari signed with

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

side

Puerto Rico FC Puerto Rico FC was a professional football club based in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. Founded in 2015, the team played in the North American Soccer League (NASL), the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The team debuted in the 2016 fall seas ...

in July 2016. He was released at the end of the 2017 season. On 22 April 2018, Kafari joined Swedish fourth-tier club Motala. On 27 August 2019, he joined New York Cosmos. In April 2021, Kafari joined

National Independent Soccer Association The National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States. The league is in the third tier of American soccer and began play in 2019. NISA initially used a fall-to-spring season format with a ...

side

New Amsterdam FC New Amsterdam Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Hempstead, New York. The club competes in the National Independent Soccer Association, the third tier of American soccer. New Amsterdam FC was established on April 20, ...

ahead of the spring 2021 season. He went on to play in all three of New Amsterdam's matches during the NISA Legends Cup and appeared in seven of the team's eight regular season games.

References

External links

*
NISA player profile
(note: some matches listed as "regular season" are actually not part of the standard league season) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kafari, Michael 1991 births Living people Ghanaian men's footballers Ghanaian expatriate men's footballers Footballers from Accra New Mexico Lobos men's soccer players Austin Aztex players Charleston Battery players Sporting Kansas City players Puerto Rico FC players Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States USL League Two players North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players National Independent Soccer Association players Vancouver Whitecaps FC draft picks Soccer players from Idaho Expatriate men's footballers in Sweden Men's association football midfielders Ghanaian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Ghanaian expatriate sportspeople in Sweden Expatriate men's footballers in Puerto Rico