Kembo Kibato facts for kids
Kibato in 2024
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | September 16, 2000 | ||
| Place of birth | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 1.70 m | ||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | York United FC | ||
| Number | 21 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2017 | North Toronto Nitros | ||
| 2017–2019 | Toronto FC | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2016–2017 | North Toronto Nitros | 21 | (4) |
| 2018 | Toronto FC III | 8 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Helsingør | 0 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | Rio Grande Valley FC | 12 | (1) |
| 2021 | → FC Tulsa (loan) | 29 | (2) |
| 2022 | FC Tulsa | 28 | (0) |
| 2023 | Hartford Athletic | 19 | (0) |
| 2024 | Vancouver FC | 9 | (0) |
| 2024– | York United FC | 3 | (0) |
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Kembo Kibato, born on September 16, 2000, is a Canadian professional soccer player. He plays as an attacking midfielder for Canadian Premier League team York United FC.
Early Life and Youth Soccer
Kembo started his soccer journey playing for the youth teams at North Toronto Nitros. In 2017, he showed off his skills by playing for Team Ontario. They won the gold medal at the 2017 Canada Summer Games. Later in 2017, Kembo joined the Toronto FC Academy, which is a training program for young soccer players.
Professional Club Career
Kembo's professional career began early. In 2016, he played his first games with the senior team of North Toronto Nitros in League1 Ontario. The next year, he became a full-time player for them. He scored 4 goals in 19 games and was even named a league all-star. In 2018, he played for Toronto FC III.
In 2019, Kembo tried out for Forge FC, another team in the Canadian Premier League. However, he did not sign with them. On July 18, 2019, Kembo moved to Europe! He signed with FC Helsingør, a team in Denmark. He played in friendly games but did not get to play in an official first-team match before leaving in January 2020.
On March 7, 2020, Kembo joined Rio Grande Valley FC in the USL Championship league in the United States. He made his first appearance for them on July 11, 2020. He scored his first professional goal on August 8 against Austin Bold FC. Later that year, he was recognized for his great play. He had two assists in a game and was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week.
In 2021, Kembo went on loan to another USL Championship team, FC Tulsa. A loan means a player temporarily plays for a different team. He played 29 games for FC Tulsa and scored 2 goals. At the end of the season, he was named the team's "Newcomer of the Year." Because he played so well, FC Tulsa signed him to a permanent deal for the 2022 season. After the 2022 season, his contract with FC Tulsa ended.
On December 12, 2022, Kembo signed with Hartford Athletic, another USL Championship team, for their 2023 season.
In 2024, Kembo returned to Canada. On February 29, Vancouver FC announced that he had signed a two-year contract with them. They play in the Canadian Premier League.
In September 2024, Kembo made another move. He was transferred to York United FC in a player swap deal. This means another player, Austin Ricci, moved to Vancouver. Kembo signed a contract with York United FC that lasts until 2025. He made his debut for York United FC playing as a left-back, which is a defensive position. This was because the team had many injured players. Later in the season, he returned to his usual position as a midfielder.
