{"id":16288,"date":"2026-02-09T16:31:24","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T22:31:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsengine-develop.go-vip.net\/forwardmadisonfc\/?post_type=sec_roster&#038;p=16288"},"modified":"2026-02-09T16:31:25","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T22:31:25","slug":"geni-kanyane","status":"publish","type":"sec_roster","link":"https:\/\/sportsengine-develop.go-vip.net\/forwardmadisonfc\/roster\/geni-kanyane\/","title":{"rendered":"GENI KANYANE"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Position:\u00a0<\/strong>Defender<br><strong>Age:\u00a0<\/strong>24<br><strong>Hometown:\u00a0<\/strong>Johannesburg, South Africa<br><strong>Height:\u00a0<\/strong>5\u20329\u2033<br><strong>Previous team:<\/strong>\u00a0Chicago Fire FC II <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Forward Madison FC has signed Defender, Geni Kanyane (Pronounced: GEH-nee kan-YAH-nay), for the 2026 Season, pending league and federation approval. The 24-year-old Defender from Johannesburg, South Africa has already been making a name for himself on the soccer stage for both club and country.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cGeni checks every box for what a Forward Madison player will look like this season,\u201d said Forward Madison FC Sporting Director, Matt Cairns. \u201cHeading into the peak years of his career, he brings a fantastic blend of technical skill and athleticism to help the team at both ends of the pitch and we\u2019re confident he\u2019ll hit the ground running in the Forward Madison jersey.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kanyane saw immediate success in his soccer career, representing the South African U-20 national team and winning the COSAFA Cup championship in 2018. In 2020, Kanyane began his successful collegiate career stateside with Dayton University. During his four years as a Flyer, he totalled 4,292 minutes of play while racking up four goals and seven assists as a Defender. Out of college, Kanyane was drafted 63rd overall in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft by Chicago Fire FC.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re extremely pleased to welcome Geni to Forward Madison,\u201d Forward Madison FC Head Coach and Technical Director, Matt Glaeser, said. \u201cWe\u2019ve tracked him for several years, through his time in college and into the professional game, and we\u2019ve always thought he would be a great fit here. He is a talented wide player who has a high level of technical ability and soccer IQ and he is hungry to come in and show his qualities in USL League One. Welcome Geni!\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Following the draft, Kanyane was signed to an MLS NEXT Pro contract with Chicago Fire FC II for the 2025 season. During his tenure with Chicago Fire FC II, Kanyane clocked 893 minutes, starting in eight of 18 appearances for the Club, including two starts in the MLS NEXT Pro playoffs. Kanyane put up solid&nbsp;defensive numbers throughout the season with an 83% passing accuracy, winning 59.4% of duels and 62.5% of aerial duels, as well as logging 20 interceptions, 57 recoveries and five blocked shots.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cJoining Forward Madison is a huge opportunity for me, and I\u2019m grateful for the trust the club has shown,\u201d Kanyane said. \u201cI\u2019m excited to get to Madison, embrace the culture, and compete every day with this group. I truly believe we can do great things together, and I\u2019m coming in focused, ambitious, and ready to work to help the team succeed and represent the city with pride.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Position:\u00a0DefenderAge:\u00a024Hometown:\u00a0Johannesburg, South AfricaHeight:\u00a05\u20329\u2033Previous team:\u00a0Chicago Fire FC II Forward Madison FC has signed Defender, Geni Kanyane (Pronounced: GEH-nee kan-YAH-nay), for the 2026 Season, pending league and federation approval. The 24-year-old Defender [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":547,"featured_media":15800,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"sec_roster_banner_image_details_image":null,"sec_roster_banner_image_details_disable_banner_image":"enable","sec_roster_uniform_number":0,"sec_roster_sponsor_image":0,"sec_roster_sponsor_text":"","sec_roster_sponsor_link":"","sec_roster_social_twitter":"","sec_roster_social_instagram":"","sec_roster_social_tiktok":"","sec_roster_hide_school_on_catalog_archive":false,"sec_player_details_testimonial":"","sec_player_details_dob":"","sec_player_details_school":"","sec_player_details_grad_year":0,"sec_player_details_hometown":"","sec_player_details_website":"","sec_player_details_gold":0,"sec_player_details_silver":0,"sec_player_details_bronze":0,"sec_player_details_high_school":"","sec_player_details_height":"","sec_player_details_weight":0},"sec_roster_position":[],"sec_sponsor":[],"sec_roster_group":[],"sec_roster_status":[],"sec_roster_type":[],"class_list":["post-16288","sec_roster","type-sec_roster","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","entry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>GENI KANYANE - Forward Madison FC<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"GENI KANYANE - Forward Madison FC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Position:\u00a0DefenderAge:\u00a024Hometown:\u00a0Johannesburg, South AfricaHeight:\u00a05\u20329\u2033Previous team:\u00a0Chicago Fire FC II Forward Madison FC has signed Defender, Geni Kanyane (Pronounced: GEH-nee kan-YAH-nay), for the 2026 Season, pending league and federation approval. 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