Perry Allen Kitchen (born February 29, 1992) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a

defensive 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 boundari ...

. He was part of the

Akron Zips Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city pr ...

side that won the

2010 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship The 2010 NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament was a tournament of 48 collegiate soccer teams who played for the NCAA Championship in soccer. The semifinals and final were held at Harder Stadium in Santa Barbara, California. All the other games ...

, and was a first round drft pick (3rd overall) for

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

2011 MLS SuperDraft The 2011 MLS SuperDraft was the twelfth annual SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. It was held on January 13, 2011 in Baltimore, Maryland, during the 2011 NSCAA Convention at the Baltimore Convention Center. The 2011 SuperDraft consiste ...

. He played 187 total games and scored 10 goals for D.C., and won the 2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. In March 2016, he moved to Heart of Midlothian of the

Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottis ...

, who appointed him their captain. After six months with

Randers Randers () is a city in Randers Municipality, Central Denmark Region on the Jutland peninsula. It is Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 62,802 (as of 1 January 2022).Danish Superliga The Danish Superliga ( da, Superligaen, ) is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each ye ...

, he returned to MLS with the LA Galaxy in January 2018. Three years later, he joined the

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 one ...

of the same league. Kitchen was captain of the

United States men's national under-17 soccer team The United States U-17 men's national soccer team is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation. The highest level of competition in which the team may compete is in the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which is held every two years. History Champ ...

at the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Nigeria. He made his senior international debut in February 2015 and was part of the squad that came fourth at the

Copa América Centenario The Copa América Centenario ( pt, Copa América Centenário, french: Coupe Amerique Centennaire, en, Centennial Cup America; literally ''Centennial America Cup'') was an international men's association football tournament that was hosted by the ...

College and amateur

Born in Indianapolis,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, Kitchen was signed up for soccer by his mother and quickly excelled in the sport, as his local league made him play two age groups higher due to his ability. Two years later he was signed to the Chicago Magic, a team in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, while remaining in Indiana. He was invited to spend two years in the

camp in Bradenton, Florida and captained the team at the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Nigeria. In 2010, he enrolled at

University of Akron The University of Akron is a public research university in Akron, Ohio. It is part of the University System of Ohio. As a STEM-focused institution, it focuses on industries such as polymers, advanced materials, and engineering. It is classifie ...

and played a season for the

, who won the

under

Caleb Porter Caleb Porter (born February 18, 1975) is an American soccer coach who most recently served as the head coach of Major League Soccer club Columbus Crew from 2019 to 2022. He was previously head coach of the Portland Timbers from 2013 until 2017. ...

with other future MLS players such as

Darlington Nagbe Darlington Joephillip Nagbe (born July 19, 1990) is an professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer. Born in Liberia, he represented the United States national team. Nagbe spent the first seven ...

. He started 25 games for the Zips in 2010, scoring six goals and adding one assist. He earned an All-MAC First Team selection and scored an unassisted goal on a right-footed blast from 30 yards out during Akron's 2–1 win over the Michigan Wolverines in the national semifinal of the College Cup. Kitchen also made a solitary appearance for

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 syst ...

club

Chicago Fire Premier Chicago Fire U-23 was an American soccer team based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 2001, the team last played in the PDL, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. They last played in 2016, choosing to leave the PDL. The ...

in 2010.

Professional career

D.C. United

Kitchen passed on a trial offer from Belgium's Anderlecht to sign a

Generation Adidas Generation Adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young professional soccer talent in the United States. The program, sponsored by Adidas, offers professional-ready players in the U. ...

contract with MLS. He was selected by

in the first round (3rd overall) of the

. He made his professional debut on March 19, 2011 in United's 2011 MLS season opener against the

, and scored his first professional goal on May 29 in a 3-2 win over the Portland Timbers. Perry was a finalist for the 2011 Rookie of the Year award, although he was ultimately not selected. He recorded 4 assists for the season of 2013, which was the record high for the team that year. He was voted D.C. United's Most Valuable Player of the 2013 season. He played all five matches of their 2013 U.S. Open Cup win, including the 1–0 final victory at

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 ...

on October 1. Kitchen's deal with D.C. United expired after the 2015 season.

Europe

Kitchen signed with Heart of Midlothian on a -year deal on March 9, 2016. He made his debut in the

three days later in a 1–0 win at Dundee, as a 73rd-minute substitute for Sam Nicholson. On September 21, 2016, Kitchen was appointed club captain. Kitchen played less often after

Ian Cathro Ian Cathro (born 11 July 1986) is a Scottish football coach, who is a first team coach at Al-Ittihad. He was previously an assistant coach at Rio Ave, Valencia, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur, and was briefly the head coach at Scottish P ...

was appointed Hearts manager, and he was allowed to leave the club at the end of the season. Kitchen signed for

Danish Superliga The Danish Superliga ( da, Superligaen, ) is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each ye ...

club

Randers Randers () is a city in Randers Municipality, Central Denmark Region on the Jutland peninsula. It is Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 62,802 (as of 1 January 2022).

LA Galaxy

Kitchen returned to the United States when he signed with LA Galaxy in January 2018. LA acquired his MLS rights from D.C. United in exchange for $100,000 in general allocation money and $200,000 in targeted allocation money. He made his debut on March 4 in the season opener, a 2–1 win over Portland. After the 2020 season, Kitchen was out of contract.

Columbus Crew

On January 28, 2021, Kitchen signed with the

as a free-agent. On April 15, 2021, Kitchen made his debut for the Crew in a CONCACAF Champions League match against Real Esteli. After playing in the first match of the 2021 MLS season, Kitchen suffered an injury to his right hamstring and did not appear again for the Black and Gold until July 9th, starting against

FC Cincinnati Football Club Cincinnati, commonly known as FC Cincinnati, is an American professional soccer club based in Cincinnati. The club plays in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The team succeeded the lower-division team of the ...

. On August 19th, the club announced that Kitchen had undergone successful back surgery for a

herniated disc Spinal disc herniation is an injury to the cushioning and connective tissue between vertebrae, usually caused by excessive strain or trauma to the spine. It may result in back pain, pain or sensation in different parts of the body, and physical ...

, which ended his 2021 MLS campaign after three starts and five total appearances. On October 26, 2022, Kitchen announced his retirement from professional soccer on his personal Instagram account.

International

Kitchen, who captained the

at the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Nigeria, also played with the under-20 team. On January 9, 2015, Kitchen was called to the senior training camp for the first time. He made his first international appearance on February 8 that year against Panama at the

StubHub Center Dignity Health Sports Park is a multi-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. The complex consists of the 27,000-seat Dignity Health Sports Park soccer stadium, the Dignit ...

, replacing the injured

DeAndre Yedlin DeAndre Roselle Yedlin (born July 9, 1993) is an American professional soccer player who plays for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and the United States national team. Primarily a right-back, he has also featured as a right wing-back and ...

for the last 22 minutes of a 2–0 win. He was part of the 23-man squad that

Jürgen Klinsmann Jürgen Klinsmann (, born 30 July 1964) is a German professional football manager and former player. Klinsmann played for several prominent clubs in Europe including VfB Stuttgart, Inter Milan, Monaco, Tottenham Hotspur, and Bayern Munich. He ...

called up for the

on home soil in May 2016. The team came fourth, though he did not play.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honors

Akron Zips *

NCAA Men's Division I Soccer Championship The NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament, sometimes known as the College Cup, is an American intercollegiate soccer tournament conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and determines the Division I men's national champi ...

: 2010 * Mid-American Conference Regular Season: 2010 * Mid-American Conference Tournament: 2010 D.C. United *

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in that country. The 2023 U.S. O ...

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 fa ...

United States * Milk Cup U-20 Tournament: 2010

References

External links

*
Akron profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kitchen, Perry 1992 births Living people American soccer players Akron Zips men's soccer players Chicago Fire U-23 players D.C. United players D.C. United draft picks USL League Two players Major League Soccer players United States men's youth international soccer players United States men's under-20 international soccer players United States men's under-23 international soccer players United States men's international soccer players Soccer players from Indianapolis Heart of Midlothian F.C. players Scottish Professional Football League players American expatriate soccer players Expatriate footballers in Scotland American expatriate sportspeople in Scotland Copa América Centenario players Randers FC players Expatriate men's footballers in Denmark American expatriate sportspeople in Denmark Association football midfielders LA Galaxy players Columbus Crew players