Kamron Habibullah (Dari: کامرون حبیب الله, Uzbek: Kamron Habibulloh; born October 23, 2003) is a Canadian professional soccer played as a forward for Sporting Kansas City II in MLS Next Pro. Born in Uzbekistan, he has represented Canada at the under-17 and under-20 level.
 Habibullah with Pacific FC in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | October 23, 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Tashkent, Uzbekistan | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Sporting Kansas City II | ||
| Number | 47 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| South Burnaby Metro SC | |||
| Burnaby Selects | |||
| Mountain United FC | |||
| 2016–2021 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021–2023 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 3 | (0) |
| 2022 | → Pacific FC (loan) | 14 | (0) |
| 2023 | → Whitecaps FC 2 (loan) | 18 | (4) |
| 2024– | Sporting Kansas City II | 21 | (10) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2019 | Canada U17 | 8 | (3) |
| 2022 | Canada U20 | 5 | (2) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of August 31, 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of June 26, 2022 | |||
Early life
editHabibullah was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan to Afghan Uzbek parents and emigrated to British Columbia, Canada with his family at the age of two. He played youth soccer at age seven with South Burnaby Metro SC, and later played with Burnaby Selects, and Mountain United FC.[1][2] He joined the Whitecaps academy system in 2016 at the age of 12. He went on to score 21 goals in 58 appearances from U-16 to U-19, netting four goals at the 2019 Generation Adidas Cup and scoring the winning goal against Real Madrid Academy.[2]
Club career
editAfter spending the duration of the preseason with the first team, it was announced on April 23, 2021, that Vancouver Whitecaps FC would be signing Habibullah to a multi-year MLS homegrown contract.[3] He made his first team debut the following week, replacing Caio Alexandre in the 88th minute of a 1–0 loss to the Colorado Rapids.[4] In March 2022, Habibullah went on loan with Canadian Premier League side Pacific FC.[5] He made his debut in Pacific's season-opener against Forge FC on April 10.[6] After the 2023 season, Habibullah's contract option for the 2024 season would be declined by the Whitecaps, ending his time with the club.[7]
In March 2024, he signed with Sporting Kansas City II in MLS Next Pro.[8] He made his debut on March 24 against Ventura County FC.[9] On April 7, 2024, he scored a hat trick (including his first goal for the club) in a 5-3 victory over Colorado Rapids 2.[10]
International career
editHis parents' Afghan link and his Uzbek ancestry, himself belonging to the Uzbek Afghan minority, means Kamron is available to play for either Canada, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.
Habibullah was first called up to a Canada U17 national camp in March 2019 by head coach Andrew Olivieri, in preparation for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup. He went on to score three goals in qualifying and appeared three times for Canada at the U-17 World Cup finals.[1]
In April 2022, Habibullah was called up to the Canadian Under-20 side for two friendly matches against Costa Rica.[11] He scored a goal in the first friendly on April 15.[12] In June 2022, he was officially called up by the Canadian U-20 team for the 2022 CONCACAF U-20 Championship.[13]
Career statistics
edit- As of August 31, 2024[14]
| Club | Season | League | Playoffs | National Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 2021 | Major League Soccer | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 3 | 0 | |
| Pacific FC (loan) | 2022 | Canadian Premier League | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Whitecaps FC 2 (loan) | 2023 | MLS Next Pro | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 4 | ||
| Sporting Kansas City II | 2024 | MLS Next Pro | 21 | 10 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 10 | ||
| Career total | 56 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 58 | 14 | ||
References
edit- ^ a b Kamron Habibullah at the Canadian Soccer Association
- ^ a b "Kamron Habibullah profile". Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ^ "VWFC sign Habibullah to MLS homegrown contract". Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ^ "Rapids 1, Whitecaps 0: Undefeated start comes to a halt". The Province. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ^ Charlie O'Connor-Clarke (March 11, 2022). "Pacific FC acquires Kamron Habibullah on loan from Whitecaps". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ Pacific FC [@pacificfccpl] (April 10, 2022). "85' Substitution Off: Marco Bustos, Nathan Mavila On: Kamron Habibullah, Jordan Haynes Captain's armband now goes to TMG, and Habibullah makes his club debut!" (Tweet). Retrieved April 10, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Vancouver Whitecaps FC announce 2024 roster updates". Vancouver Whitecaps FC. November 10, 2023.
- ^ Kovzan, Sam (March 7, 2024). "Sporting KC II signs 20-year-old Canadian forward Kamron Habibullah". Sporting Kansas City.
- ^ Belzer, Jared (March 24, 2024). "SKC II Recap: Sporting KC II suffers defeat to Ventura County FC in 2024 home opener". Sporting Kansas City.
- ^ Kovzan, Sam (April 8, 2024). "SKC II Recap: Kamron Habibullah hat trick leads Sporting KC II to stunning 5-3 comeback win over Rapids 2". Sporting Kansas City.
- ^ "Canada Soccer announces men's U-20 national team camp can matches for April". Canadian Soccer Association. April 5, 2022.
- ^ Davidson, Neil (April 15, 2022). "Canadian men's under-20 soccer team features some very familiar names". North Shore News.
- ^ "Four 'Caps have joined Canada's men's U-20 side for Concacaf U-20 Championships in Honduras". Vancouver Whitecaps FC. June 10, 2022.
- ^ Kamron Habibullah at Soccerway