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Career Summary
Sporting KC acquired Kafari in July 2014. He played collegiately at New Mexico before the Vancouver Whitecaps drafted the Ghana native in the third round of the 2014 MLS SuperDraft. Kafari was one of five College Cup Final Four participants to attend the 2014 adidas MLS Player Combine and paired with fellow Sporting KC teammate Victor Munoz on Team Predator. The Vancouver Whitecaps then selected Kafari in the third round of the 2014 MLS SuperDraft (No. 51 overall) and, after spending preseason with the Canadian club, signed with their USL PRO affiliate Charleston Battery in mid-March. <br>
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<strong>2014: MLS regular season: </strong>Did not feature. <strong>MLS Playoffs: </strong>Did not feature. <strong>CCL:</strong> Did not feature. <strong>Open Cup:</strong> Made his competitive debut for Charleston on May 28 in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup third round. He started and played 71 minutes against the Orlando City U-23’s in a fixture that set the competition record for the longest penalty kick shootout at 14 rounds following a 2-2 draw through extra time. <strong>Friendly:</strong> Played 30 minutes in a 4-1 Champions Shield defeat to Manchester City on July 23 at Sporting Park, his first appearance in a Sporting KC jersey.<br>
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<strong style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">COLLEGE: </strong>Kafari led the Lobos to a 58-16-12 record in his collegiate career with three goals and three assists. His 82 appearances rank sixth most in school history and were instrumental in securing first place finishes in the MPSF Mountain Division (2011, 2012) and Conference USA (2013) regular season standings as well as four consecutive berths in the NCAA Tournament. New Mexico became one of only three college programs to reach the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet Sixteen each of the last three seasons, beginning in 2011 when the Lobos were eliminated by Dom Dwyer and the University of South Florida in a penalty shootout. In 2013, Kafari’s senior season came to a conclusion in College Cup with a 2-0 loss to eventual champions Notre Dame in the semifinals.<br>
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<strong>YOUTH: </strong>A product of the Boise Nationals Soccer Club in Boise, Idaho, Kafari also trained with the youth academies at Bolton Wanderers and Chelsea FC of the English Premier League as a teen. After transferring from Mountain View High School prior to his sophomore season, Kafari lettered all three years at Centennial High School and led the Patriots to a 5A State Championship during his senior season in 2009.<br>
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<strong>PERSONAL:</strong> Son of Simon and Martha Kafari...Siblings are Jordan, Sylvia, and Eulalia...moved to United States in 2001 at age nine and is a naturalized U.S. citizen.<br>