Kai McKenzie-Lyle

Kai John Oliver Milton McKenzie-Lyle (born 30 November 1997) is a professional footballer who plays for Cambridge United as a goalkeeper. Born in England, he represents Guyana at international level.

Kai McKenzie-Lyle

Personal information
Full name	Kai John Oliver Milton McKenzie-Lyle[1]
Date of birth	30 November 1997
Place of birth	Haringey, England
Height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)[2]
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Club information
Current team	Cambridge United
Number	13
Youth career
	Tottenham Hotspur
2011–2014	Barnet
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2014–2018	Barnet	1	(0)
2016	→ Cockfosters (loan)	4	(0)
2017	→ St Ives Town (loan)	3	(0)
2017–2018	→ Hayes & Yeading United (loan)	4	(0)
2018–2020	Liverpool	0	(0)
2020–	Cambridge United	0	(0)
National team^‡
2016–	Guyana	5	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13:19, 1 September 2020 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 12:27, 1 December 2018 (UTC)

Club career

McKenzie-Lyle joined Tottenham Hotspur as under-10, before he moved to Barnet as an under-14 and progressed through the club's academy to become first choice keeper for the under-18s,[3] and made his senior debut with a start in a 3–0 Herts Senior Cup defeat to Bishop's Stortford on 21 January 2014.[4] He first appeared on the bench in the league in October 2014.[5] He made his professional debut on 12 September 2015 in a 3–1 League Two away defeat by Portsmouth,[6] coming on as a substitute for John Akinde after regular goalkeeper Jamie Stephens had been sent-off.[7] McKenzie-Lyle joined St Ives Town in August 2017 on loan.[8] He then joined Hayes & Yeading United on loan in December 2017.[9] McKenzie-Lyle joined Liverpool on trial in July 2018.[10] He then signed for the Reds the following month.[11] McKenzie-Lyle was released in June 2020, having played just twice for the under-23s in Premier League 2.[12]

Cambridge United

On 1 September 2020, McKenzie-Lyle joined League Two club Cambridge United on a two-year deal.[13]

International career

McKenzie-Lyle was called up to Guyana's squad for their third round matches of 2017 Caribbean Cup qualification,[14] after being alerted to his eligibility by Jack Thorpe, a researcher for the Football Manager game.[15] He made an unusual international debut for a goalkeeper,[16] scoring a header in the 120th minute of a 3–2 loss against Suriname.[17] On his second appearance he saved a penalty against Jamaica.[18]

Personal life

McKenzie-Lyle's younger brother Renell (born 2000) is also a goalkeeper and product of the youth system at Barnet.[19]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 26 July 2020

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Barnet	2013–14[4]	Conference Premier	0	0	0	0	―		1[lower-alpha 1]	0	1	0
	2014–15[20]		0	0	0	0	―		1[lower-alpha 1]	0	1	0
	2015–16[6]	League Two	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	2016–17[21][22]		0	0	0	0	0	0	1[lower-alpha 2]	0	1	0
	2017–18[23][24]		0	0	0	0	0	0	1[lower-alpha 2]	0	1	0
	Total		1	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	5	0
Cockfosters (loan)	2015–16[25]	Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division	4	0	―		―		1[lower-alpha 3]	0	5	0
St Ives Town (loan)	2017–18[20]	Southern League Premier Division	3	0	0	0	―		―		3	0
Hayes & Yeading United (loan)	2017–18[20]	Southern League First Division East	5	0	―		―		1[lower-alpha 4]	0	6	0
Liverpool	2018–19	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2019–20		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Liverpool total		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Cambridge United	2020–21[26]	League Two	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Career total			13	0	0	0	0	0	6	0	19	0

1. Appearance in Herts Senior Cup
2. Appearance in Middlesex Senior Cup
3. Appearance in Middlesex Senior Charity Cup
4. Appearance in Southern League Challenge Cup

International

As of match played 18 November 2019[16]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Guyana	2016	2	1
	2017	0	0
	2018	3	0
Total		5	1

Scores and results list Guyana's goal tally first.

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref
1.	8 October 2016	André Kamperveen Stadion, Paramaribo, Suriname	Suriname	2–3	2–3	2017 Caribbean Cup qualification	[16]

References

1. "Notification of shirt numbers: Cambridge United" (PDF). English Football League. p. 16. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
2. "Kai McKenzie-Lyle". Barnet F.C. Archived from the original on 14 August 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
3. "Barnet FC Youth Team Profiles".
5. Kai McKenzie-Lyle at Soccerway. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
6. "Games played by Kai McKenzie-Lyle in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
7. "Portsmouth 3 – 1 Barnet". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
8. "Loan | Kai McKenzie-Lyle joins St Ives Town". www.barnetfc.com.
9. "Loans | McKenzie-Lyle and Amaluzor depart for 28 days". www.barnetfc.com.
10. "6'7" goalkeeper on trial at Liverpool FC this summer". 25 July 2018.
11. "Liverpool FC – Kai McKenzie-Lyle".
12. "Nathaniel Clyne set to leave Reds upon contract expiry". Liverpool FC.
13. "Kai McKenzie-Lyle: Cambridge sign Guyana international and ex-Liverpool goalkeeper". BBC. 1 September 2020. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
14. "Jaguars name 22". 1 October 2016.
15. O'Donovan, Ryan (14 September 2018). "How McKenzie-Smith made the leap from Barnet to the Premier League". Football.London.
16. "Kai McKenzie-Lyle". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
17. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 25 January 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2016.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
18. "Late escape!".
19. "Renell McKenzie-Lyle". Barnet F.C. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
20. "Kai Mckenzie Profile | Aylesbury United FC". www.aylesburyunitedfc.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
21. "Games played by Kai McKenzie-Lyle in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
22. Report: Barnet 3-3 Enfield Town (5-6 on pens)
23. "Games played by Kai McKenzie-Lyle in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
25. "Kai McKenzie-Lyle – Cockfosters 1st Team". www.pitchero.com. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
26. "Games played by Kai McKenzie-Lyle in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 September 2020.

External links

• Kai McKenzie-Lyle at Soccerbase