Kamani Hill
Encyclopedia
Kamani Helekunihi Hill (born December 28, 1985 in Berkeley, California
) is an American professional soccer player.
, California
to a Trinidad
ian father and an American mother of Hawaii
an origin. He grew up playing in various Bay Area youth leagues and attended Berkeley High School, where he was a star forward on their soccer team. He then attended UCLA, where he played in 40 games (32 starts), scored nine goals, and assisted on 13 more in his two seasons with the team. During his college years he also played with Orange County Blue Star
and San Fernando Valley Quakes
in the USL Premier Development League
.
for a trial with Bundesliga
team VfL Wolfsburg
, and in November he signed a two-and-a-half year contract with the team. He made his first-team debut on January 27, 2007 as a substitute in a 2–1 defeat away at Hertha Berlin. However, after a promising start, the arrival of coach Felix Magath
at the club saw Hill relegated to the second team, where he spent most of his time at Wolfsburg. During November 2008, he trained with Norwegian
club FK Bodø/Glimt. However, he was not offered a contract. In April 2009, he began a ten-day trial with Vitoria Guimaraes upon the recommendation of his Wolfsburg teammate Alex
, and on May 8 the club announced his signing to a three-year contract.
Hill was released by Vitória Guimarães in July 2010 and returned to the United States to train with Major League Soccer
club San Jose Earthquakes
.
in the Suwon Youth Tournament in South Korea
in 2005, where he scored a game-winning goal against Argentina
.
He later made his debut for the senior United States men's national soccer team
on June 2, 2007 as a substitute in a 4–1 friendly match
victory over China
in San Jose, California
.
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
) is an American professional soccer player.
Early years
Hill was born in BerkeleyBerkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to a Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
ian father and an American mother of Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
an origin. He grew up playing in various Bay Area youth leagues and attended Berkeley High School, where he was a star forward on their soccer team. He then attended UCLA, where he played in 40 games (32 starts), scored nine goals, and assisted on 13 more in his two seasons with the team. During his college years he also played with Orange County Blue Star
Orange County Blue Star
Orange County Blue Star is an American soccer team based in Irvine, California, United States. Founded in 1997, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference.The team plays its home games at...
and San Fernando Valley Quakes
San Fernando Valley Quakes
San Fernando Valley Quakes was an American soccer team based in Calabasas, California, United States. Founded in 2006, the team played in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2008, when the franchise folded and the team left the league.The team...
in the USL Premier Development League
USL Premier Development League
The USL Premier Development League is the amateur league of the United Soccer Leagues in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda, forming part of the American Soccer Pyramid...
.
Professional career
At the beginning of October 2006, Hill went to GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
for a trial with Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
team VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg is a professional German association football club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, who play in the Bundesliga football competition. Wolfsburg have won the Bundesliga once in their history, in the 2008–09 season, and were DFB-Pokal runners-up in 1995. The current head coach is Felix...
, and in November he signed a two-and-a-half year contract with the team. He made his first-team debut on January 27, 2007 as a substitute in a 2–1 defeat away at Hertha Berlin. However, after a promising start, the arrival of coach Felix Magath
Felix Magath
Wolfgang-Felix Magath is a former German football central midfielder and current manager of VfL Wolfsburg.-Playing career:...
at the club saw Hill relegated to the second team, where he spent most of his time at Wolfsburg. During November 2008, he trained with Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
club FK Bodø/Glimt. However, he was not offered a contract. In April 2009, he began a ten-day trial with Vitoria Guimaraes upon the recommendation of his Wolfsburg teammate Alex
Domingos Alexandre Martins da Costa
Domingos Alexandre Martins Costa , aka Alex, is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Vitória de Guimarães in the Portuguese first division.Mainly a right defender, he can also appear as a midfielder....
, and on May 8 the club announced his signing to a three-year contract.
Hill was released by Vitória Guimarães in July 2010 and returned to the United States to train with Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
club San Jose Earthquakes
San Jose Earthquakes
The San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer team is located in the San Jose, California, United States suburb of Santa Clara, and participates in Major League Soccer , the top level soccer league in the United States and Canada....
.
International career
Hill played for the United States U-20 men's national soccer teamUnited States U-20 men's national soccer team
The United States U-20 men's national soccer team is the national under-20 soccer team of the United States of America and is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation. The highest level of competition in which the team competes is the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which is held every two years.The...
in the Suwon Youth Tournament in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
in 2005, where he scored a game-winning goal against Argentina
Argentina national under-20 football team
The Argentina national under-20 football team is the representative of Argentina in FIFA sponsored tournaments that pertain to that age level....
.
He later made his debut for the senior United States men's national soccer team
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
on June 2, 2007 as a substitute in a 4–1 friendly match
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
victory over China
China national football team
The China PR national football team is the national association football team of the People's Republic of China and is governed by the Chinese Football Association...
in San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
.