Hosei Kijima Bio
Hosei Kijima is a Japanese professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club D.C. United. Born on July 1, 2002, in Yokohama, Japan, Kijima developed his game at IMG Academy in Florida before starring at Wake Forest University. After a strong college career, he turned professional in 2023 and quickly rose to the senior ranks, reaching MLS in 2024 through the MLS SuperDraft.
Listed at 5 feet 10 inches tall and wearing jersey number 77, Kijima has built a reputation as a versatile attacking midfielder with a sharp eye for goal. His path from a Yokohama childhood to a Major League Soccer roster reflects a steady climb through elite youth and college soccer in the United States.
Early Life and Background
Hosei Kijima spent his early childhood in Yokohama, Japan, in a city long associated with Japan’s sporting culture. He attended an international school where classes were taught in English, giving him the language foundation that would later help him adapt to life and soccer in the United States. Growing up in this environment exposed him to a broad view of global sports at a young age.
Kijima drew inspiration from Japanese tennis star Kei Nishikori, whose own path through IMG Academy showed him a possible route into elite athletics. After learning that Nishikori had attended the boarding school in Bradenton, Florida, Kijima traveled to the United States for an IMG summer camp in 2014. He was so taken with the program that he enrolled full-time at age 12.
Between 2014 and 2020, Kijima developed at IMG Academy, training in a sport-focused setting that sharpened his technical skills and tactical understanding. The experience laid the groundwork for his transition to high-level college soccer in the American system.
Path to Soccer
Following his time at IMG Academy, Kijima committed to Wake Forest University, where he joined the Wake Forest Demon Deacons men’s soccer program from 2020 to 2023. Over four college seasons, he appeared in 63 matches, scoring 9 goals and adding 10 assists, a productive return that highlighted both his playmaking and finishing ability.
His college output drew attention from professional scouts, and he entered the MLS pipeline as one of the top amateur prospects of his class. The combination of IMG Academy polish and four years of starting-level college experience gave him a smooth runway into the professional ranks.
Hosei Kijima Career
Early Career (2023)
Kijima began his senior career in the summer of 2023 with Sarasota Paradise, a semi-professional side competing in USL League Two. The league is widely used as a development bridge between college soccer and the professional ranks, and Kijima used his time there to adjust to the speed and physicality of adult competition.
The Sarasota stint offered Kijima regular minutes against experienced opponents and helped him showcase the form that would soon attract Major League Soccer clubs. By the end of the 2023 season, he had positioned himself as a strong candidate for the upcoming MLS SuperDraft.
St. Louis City SC Era (2024)
Hosei Kijima was selected 17th overall in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft by St. Louis City SC. He signed a first-team contract with the club on February 20, 2024, marking his official entry into Major League Soccer. Later that same day, he made his debut for St. Louis in a CONCACAF Champions Cup match against the Houston Dynamo. Coming off the bench in the 86th minute, Kijima scored the game-winning goal, an unforgettable introduction to professional soccer.
On March 16, 2024, Kijima made his MLS regular-season debut for St. Louis City SC, entering as a substitute in the 71st minute to replace Aziel Jackson. He was also assigned to St. Louis City 2, the club’s developmental side, during the 2024 campaign, balancing minutes between the first team and the reserve squad.
D.C. United Era (2024–Present)
On December 11, 2024, Hosei Kijima was one of five players selected in the 2024 MLS Expansion Draft by San Diego FC. Immediately after that selection was announced, San Diego traded Kijima to D.C. United in exchange for 400,000 dollars in general allocation money, sending him to the nation’s capital for the next phase of his career.
At D.C. United, Kijima joined a club looking to refresh its attacking options and provided additional depth in midfield. The trade ended his brief time in the St. Louis system and opened a new chapter in Major League Soccer for the young Japanese international.
Driving Style and Strengths
Though he plays soccer rather than drives, Kijima’s on-field strengths include a sharp eye for the final pass, calm finishing in tight spaces, and the stamina to cover ground across the midfield. His experience at IMG Academy and Wake Forest gave him a strong tactical foundation, while his early senior minutes at Sarasota and St. Louis showed he can deliver in high-pressure moments, including a match-winning debut goal in continental competition.
Notable Events and Milestones
Kijima’s most dramatic early moment came on February 20, 2024, when he scored the game-winning goal on his professional debut in the CONCACAF Champions Cup against the Houston Dynamo. Becoming an MLS SuperDraft first-round pick at 17th overall and being part of an Expansion Draft trade within minutes of selection both stand out as distinctive milestones in his young career.
Hosei Kijima Career Wins
As an early-career professional, Hosei Kijima’s win totals are still being built, but he already owns a memorable debut match-winning goal in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. His progression from a USL League Two summer with Sarasota Paradise to first-team minutes at St. Louis City SC and a move to D.C. United reflects consistent upward momentum.
Senior Career Highlights
Kijima’s first senior club was Sarasota Paradise in 2023, where he gained USL League Two experience during the summer after his junior year at Wake Forest. His first professional goal arrived on debut with St. Louis City SC in February 2024, a substitute strike that decided a continental cup tie. After one MLS regular-season appearance for St. Louis, he was traded to D.C. United ahead of the 2025 season.
College and Youth Highlights
At Wake Forest, Kijima produced 9 goals and 10 assists across 63 appearances over four seasons with the Demon Deacons, a steady contribution that helped establish him as a professional prospect. Before college, he developed within the IMG Academy system from 2014 to 2020, training in one of North America’s most recognized soccer development environments.
Hosei Kijima Family
Family Background and Soccer Lineage
Public information about Hosei Kijima’s parents and extended family is limited. What is clear from his own account is that his upbringing in Yokohama and his time at an English-speaking international school shaped his path. His admiration for Japanese tennis player Kei Nishikori, who also attended IMG Academy, served as an early source of inspiration rather than a family connection.
Personal Life
Kijima is known to be focused on his young professional soccer career in the United States. No public information about a spouse or children has been confirmed. He remains a Japanese national competing abroad in Major League Soccer.
2025 Season Performance
Hosei Kijima enters the 2025 season as a member of D.C. United, following his December 2024 trade from San Diego FC. The move gave him a fresh opportunity to claim a regular role in a new midfield setup in the nation’s capital. With preseason ahead of the new campaign, Kijima is expected to compete for minutes as a versatile attacking midfielder.
His debut goal for St. Louis City SC and his MLS regular-season appearance in 2024 suggest he can produce at the senior level when called upon. The 2025 season will be an important chance for him to turn limited early opportunities into consistent contributions for D.C. United.
Fans and analysts will be watching how Kijima adapts to a new locker room, coaching staff, and tactical system. If he can build on his college production and his dramatic first professional goal, the 2025 campaign could mark the season he establishes himself as a regular starter in Major League Soccer.