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Kota Sakurai

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Kota Sakurai
Sakurai receives L1O Young Player of the Year award in 2016
Personal information
Date of birth (1999-05-26) May 26, 1999 (age 25)
Place of birth Yokohama, Japan
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 FK TransINVEST
Number 6
Youth career
Yokohama F. Marinos
2015–2017 Toronto FC
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2019 Dartmouth Big Green 47 (2)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2018 Toronto FC III 40 (3)
2016 Toronto FC II 2 (0)
2021–2022 Ituano FC Yokohama
2022 Toronto FC II 7 (0)
2023 Ogre United
2024– FK TransINVEST 19 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11 November 2024

Kota Sakurai (Japanese: 櫻井 功大; born May 26, 1999) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Lithuanian A Lyga club FK TransINVEST.

Early life

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Sakurai played youth soccer in Japan with Yokohama F. Marinos.[1] He joined the Toronto FC Academy in October 2015.[2]

College career

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After receiving scholarship offers from 14 American universities,[3] Sakurai enrolled at Dartmouth College in 2017.[4] In his freshman year, he won the Ivy League Title with the team.[5] He scored his first goal on October 13, 2018, against the Penn Quakers.[6] In 2020, the season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so Sakurai trained with a team in his native Japan four times per week.[7] During his time with the Big Green from 2017 to 2019, he scored two goals and added six assists in 47 appearances.[2]

Club career

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Sakurai regularly featured for Toronto FC III during their League1 Ontario[8][9][10] and Premier Development League[11] campaigns from 2016 to 2018. He scored his first goal on May 15, 2016, against Windsor TFC.[12] He was named the League1 Ontario Young Player of the Year in 2016,[13] as well as a league Second Team All-Star.[14]

With a number of Toronto FC II players unavailable for upcoming fixtures, Sakurai was called up to the squad in June 2016.[15] He made his professional debut on July 2, 2016, appearing for 14 minutes in a 3–0 defeat to Wilmington Hammerheads in the USL.[15] In doing so, he became the first ever Japanese player to feature competitively for Toronto FC II.[16]

In April 2021, he joined Ituano FC Yokohama, remaining until April 2022.[17][18]

In April 2022, he signed a professional contract with Toronto FC II in MLS Next Pro, returning to his former club.[2]

In 2023, he joined Latvian Second League club Ogre United.

In February 2024, he joined Lithuanian club FK TransINVEST in the first tier A Lyga.[19]

References

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  1. ^ Hiro, Hayashi (July 5, 2022). "トロントが分岐点。 アイビーリーグ・ダートマス大学に進学 プロサッカー選手・トロントFC 櫻井 功大さん（前編）- Hiroの部屋" [Toronto is a turning point. Entering Ivy League Dartmouth College Professional Soccer Player Toronto FC Kota Sakurai (Part 1) - Hiro's Room]. Torja (in Japanese).
  2. ^ a b c "Toronto FC II sign Alonso Coello Camarero and Kota Sakurai". Toronto FC. April 1, 2022.
  3. ^ Hiro, Hayashi (August 4, 2022). "トロントFCへ恩返しがしたい。プロサッカー選手・トロントFC 櫻井 功大さん（中編）｜Hiroの部屋" [I want to give back to Toronto FC. Professional Soccer Player Toronto FC Kota Sakurai (Part 2) - Hiro's Room]. Torja (in Japanese).
  4. ^ "Kota Sakurai Dartmouth profile". Dartmouth Big Green.
  5. ^ "Athlete of the Week - Kota Sakurai". Dartmouth Big Green. June 26, 2019.
  6. ^ Miezejeski, Mike (October 13, 2018). "Dartmouth Secures First Ivy League Win Over Penn". Dartmouth Big Green.
  7. ^ Bender, Rick (October 20, 2020). "Senior Spotlight: Kota Sakurai". Dartmouth Big Green.
  8. ^ "Kota Sakurai 2016 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario.
  9. ^ "Kota Sakurai 2017 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario.
  10. ^ "Kota Sakurai 2018 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario.
  11. ^ "Kota Sakurai 2016 PDL Stats". USL League Two.
  12. ^ "Toronto FC Academy Takes Season's First Points Over Windsor". League1 Ontario. May 15, 2016.
  13. ^ "Stratagakis, Sakurai Win 2016 League1 Ontario Young Player Of The Year Awards". League1 Ontario. November 22, 2016.
  14. ^ "Standout Performers Recognized at 2016 League1 Ontario Awards Banquet". League1 Ontario. November 28, 2016.
  15. ^ a b Crawford, Colin (July 2, 2016). "Match Report: Wilmington Hammerheads 3 – 0 TFC II". Toronto FC.
  16. ^ "Notable alumni from Ontario private schools". Our Kids.
  17. ^ "櫻井 功大選手　入団のお知らせ" [Announcement of Kota Sakurai joining the team]. Ituano FC Yokohama (in Japanese). April 18, 2021.
  18. ^ "櫻井 功大選手　移籍のお知らせ" [Announcement of Kota Sakurai transfer]. Ituano FC Yokohama (in Japanese). April 1, 2022.
  19. ^ "„TransINVEST" stiprinasi dar vienu japonu" [TransINVEST is getting stronger with another Japanese]. Sportas (in Lithuanian). February 22, 2024.
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