Jelani Smith facts for kids
Smith in action against USF in 2009
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jelani Akil Smith | ||
| Date of birth | January 1, 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Mississauga, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Playing position | Defender, forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2007 | Canadian Lions | ||
| 2008 | Italia Shooters | 11 | (1) |
| 2010–2011 | Toronto Lynx | 11 | (1) |
| 2013–2014 | Sturm Graz II | 3 | (0) |
| 2016 | SSV Jeddeloh | 7 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | Sigma FC | 31 | (0) |
| Total | 63 | (2) | |
| National team | |||
| 2017–2018 | Guyana | 3 | (0) |
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Jelani Akil Smith, born on January 1, 1991, is a former professional soccer player. He now works as the Director of Soccer Operations for Forge FC, a team in the Canadian Premier League. Even though he was born in Canada, he played for the Guyana national team.
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Playing Career
Jelani Smith started playing soccer at a young age. He played for the Ontario U-16 Provincial team. He also trained at the National Training Center.
Early Club Days
In 2007, Jelani joined the Canadian Lions. He was one of the youngest players in the Canadian Soccer League at that time. The next year, he moved to the Italia Shooters. With them, he helped win the International Division title.
College and USL
In 2009, Jelani decided to play college soccer in the United States. He joined the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles. During the off-season, he played for the Toronto Lynx. He played with them in the USL Premier Development League for two seasons.
Playing Abroad
In 2013, Jelani went to Austria to play for Sturm Graz. He mostly played for their second team, Sturm Graz II. In 2016, he played in Germany for SSV Jeddeloh. After that, he came back to Canada. He then played for Sigma FC in League1 Ontario.
International Matches
Jelani Smith also played for his country. On May 25, 2010, he was invited to a training camp. This was for the Canada U-20 team in the Netherlands.
He made his first official international appearance for the Guyana national football team. This happened on November 14, 2017. It was a friendly match against Trinidad and Tobago.
Managerial Career
Jelani Smith was first going to play for Forge FC. However, he was instead signed for a different role. He became the club's manager of soccer operations. In May 2023, he received a promotion. He is now the club's new Director of Soccer Operations.
Personal Life
Jelani has an older brother named Jamaal Smith. Jamaal was also a soccer player. He also played for the Guyana national team.
