Joshua Kennedy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other persons of the same name, see Josh Kennedy.

Personal information
Joshua Kennedy
Full name	Joshua Blake Kennedy
Date of birth	20 August 1982 (1982-08-20) (age 26)
Place of birth	Wodonga, Australia
Height	1.94 m (6 ft 4+¹⁄₂ in)
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Karlsruher SC
Number	17
Youth clubs
1999	Twin City Wanderers SS&A Boomers AIS
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1999–2000 2000–2002 2002–2003 2003–2004 2003–2004 2004–2006 2006–2007 2008–	Carlton VfL Wolfsburg Stuttgarter Kickers 1. FC Köln 1. FC Köln II Dynamo Dresden 1. FC Nuremberg Karlsruher SC	09 0(1) 08 0(2) 23 0(1) 04 0(0) 23 0(9) 60 (16) 12 0(1) 05 0(4)
National team²
1999 2001 2006–	Australia U17 Australia U20 Australia	18 0(7) 05 0(2)
¹ Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 March 2008. ² National team caps and goals correct as of 11 September 2006. * Appearances (Goals)

Joshua Blake Kennedy (born 20 August 1982 in Wodonga, Victoria, Australia) is an Australian Football (soccer) player who plays as a striker for the Australian national football team and Karlsruher SC.

1 Club career
2 International career
3 Trivia
4 Honours
5 References
6 External links

Club career

The 1.94 m tall central forward began his footballing career at Carlton after playing as a junior with Twin City Wanderers and later SS&A Boomers. At age 18 he was transferred from Carlton to Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg. However in his first season in Germany he only managed to play once for the first team - as a substitute coming on five minutes from time in the 4-4 draw against fellow Northern German side Hamburger SV on 13 September 2000. The following season brought little change for Kennedy as he managed just seven appearances for the Bundesliga side and only starting once. However, he scored two goals in the 2001–02 season, with his first ever Bundesliga goal coming on 8 September 2001 against Energie Cottbus.

At the start of the following season Kennedy was transferred to Regionalliga Süd side Stuttgarter Kickers, where he was a regular feature playing 23 games for the Swabian side. After just one season Kennedy left for Cologne where he joined (at the time) Bundesliga club 1. FC Köln. However he mostly played for their reserve team in the Regionalliga Nord, where he was the club's second-best scorer of the season with nine goals in twenty-three games.

Having just won promotion to 2. Fußball-Bundesliga, Dynamo Dresden were looking for a striker and found it in the then 22-year old Victorian. This transfer, his fourth in four years, proved to be a vital one in Kennedy's career. He immediately found a first-team spot with the Saxon side and played in all of the club's thirty-four league matches - again becoming the second-top scorer of his club with nine goals. The following season he was again an integral part in the club's fight against relegation scoring seven goals and setting up four. This attracted the interest of Bundesliga club 1. FC Nuremberg who signed Kennedy to a three-year contract and of Australian national coach Guus Hiddink who called the previously uncapped Kennedy up to the Australian Squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

In July 2006, during his first training session with 1. FC Nuremberg, Kennedy ruptured his right Achilles tendon. He was not expected to be fit again until January 2007.

Fellow German Bundesliga club Karlsruher SC on 11 January 2008 announced the signing of Kennedy via an undisclosed transfer fee. He is contracted until June 2011.^[1] His first goal for Karlsruher came on his debut against his former club Nuremberg in what would turn out to be a cruel twist of fate for the latter - just weeks after leaving them.

International career

Kennedy received his first international cap against Liechtenstein and made his mark in this game with a headed goal. He came on as a substitute in Australia's first 2006 World Cup game, in which Australia beat Japan 3-1 by scoring 3 goals in the last 8 minutes. Kennedy was Hiddink's secret weapon against the Japanese because he was taller than all of the Japanese defenders. Kennedy also made a substitute appearance in Australia's third Group Stage game against Croatia.

Injury prevented Kennedy from participating in Australia's failed 2007 AFC Asian Cup campaign. On 30 August Josh Kennedy was recalled to the Socceroos squad to face Argentina on 11 September. On February 6 2008, he scored his second international against goal Qatar in a world cup qualifying match held in Melbourne.

Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

Kennedy is married to Australian national basketball player, Jacinta Hamilton.^[2]

Simon Hill, while commentating for Australian television during the Socceroos' 2-2 draw against Croatia; "Here comes Josh Kennedy, whose looks have been likened to Jesus, let's hope he can be Australia's saviour."

Represented the Young Socceroos in 2001 U20 Youth World Cup in Argentina.

Honours

With 1. FC Nuremberg

DFB-Pokal: 2006–07

References

^ "Joshua Kennedy wechselt in den Wildpark", Karlsruher SC, 2008-01-11. Retrieved on 2008-01-16. (German)
^ "Josh Kennedy in the Socceroos", Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2006-05-11. Retrieved on 2008-01-16.

External links

v • d • e Karlsruher SC – current squad
1 Miller • 2 Reinhard • 3 Franz • 4 Aduobe • 5 Eggimann • 6 Carnell • 7 Timm • 8 Staffeldt • 9 Kapllani • 10 Porcello • 13 Mutzel • 14 Kornetzky • 16 Stoll • 17 Kennedy • 18 Freis • 19 Buck • 20 Iashvili • 21 Eichner • 23 Dick • 24 Langkamp • 25 Traut • 28 Barg • 30 Hajnal • 77 Görlitz • Manager: Becker

v • d • e Australia squad - 2006 FIFA World Cup
1 Schwarzer • 2 Neill • 3 Moore • 4 Cahill • 5 Culina • 6 Popovic • 7 Emerton • 8 Skoko • 9 Viduka • 10 Kewell • 11 Lazaridis • 12 Covic • 13 Grella • 14 Chipperfield • 15 Aloisi • 16 Beauchamp • 17 Thompson • 18 Kalac • 19 Kennedy • 20 Wilkshire • 21 Sterjovski • 22 Milligan • 23 Bresciano • Coach: Hiddink