Kimika Forbes

Kimika Sanell Forbes (born 26 August 1990) is a Tobagonian international association football goalkeeper for Colombian club Millonarios F.C. and the Trinidad and Tobago women's national football team.[2][3][4] She has been the Trinidad & Tobago goalkeeper since 2006.[5]

Kimika Forbes
Personal information
Full name Kimika Sanell Forbes[1]
Date of birth (1990-08-26) 26 August 1990
Place of birth Plymouth, Trinidad and Tobago
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Club information
Current team
 Millonarios
Number 1
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Monroe Community College
2013–2014 University of Maine Fort Kent
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014 Boston Breakers
2014-2016 Wave FC
–2016 Ulindi
2016 Sportivo Limpeño
2017–2018 Santa Fe
2019– Millonarios
National team
2006– Trinidad and Tobago 30 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Forbes played for Paraguayan club Sportivo Limpeño at the 2016 Copa Libertadores Femenina, which the club went on to win, with Forbes then being shortlisted as CONCACAF Goalkeeper of the Year and also becoming the first Caribbean footballer to win a trophy in CONMEBOL.[5][6] In the 2017 Liga Femenina, Forbes was the goalkeeper who received the least amount of goals against her.[7]

Forbes has a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and is also a Sports Advisor & Video Analyst for Pro Evolution Coaching in Canada.[8]

She is the elder sister of Karen Forbes, also an international footballer.[5]

Club career

College career

Forbes' successful season in the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) Girls' Division in Trinidad earned her a scholarship at the Monroe Community College in New York.

In 2012, she was teammaes with Croatian defender Sandra Zigic in Monroe Mostangs' College Team.[9]

Forbes attended the University of Maine Fort Kent (UMFK) in 2013 and 2014.

In 2013, she won a United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) national championship and posted a USCAA-high 14 wins as goalkeeper with an outstanding season.[8][10]

In 2014, she was awarded Female Athlete of the Year and was also named USCAA First Team All American both years.[11]

Forbes was later inducted into the University of Maine Fort Kent Hall of Fame.[12]

2016 Paraguayan Women's Championship

In October 2016, Forbes was approached by Sportivo Limpeño after they had seen a video of her best ever performance against USA in the 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship.[5]

On 4 November 2016, Paraguayan newspaper HOY announced that Forbes, along with Paraguayan midfielder Dulce Quintana had signed with Sportivo Limpeño ahead of the 2016 Copa Libertadores Femenina.[13] Upon joining the club, Forbes became the only Tobagonian footballer in the country's history to play in Paraguay. She joined from FC Ulindi from a USA University League and arrived in Paraguay without speaking Spanish.[14][15]

Forbes shared her place in the Sportivo Limpeño squad alongside Paraguayan star Jessica Martínez.[16] Before going into the 2016 Copa Libertadores Femenina, Forbes became back-to-back Champions with Sportivo Limpeño in winning the 2016 Paraguayan Women's Championship.[17] Sportivo Limpeño had defeated Cerro Porteño 4–2 on aggregate (1–1 and then 3–1) to be crowned champions of Paraguay's Women's Championship, and Limpeño's second consecutive league title.[18]

2016 Copa Libertadores Femenina

In Sportivo Limpeño's opening fixture of the Copa Libertadores Femenina, they would defeat Peruvian club Universitario de Deportes 4–0, with Forbes being the number one goal keeper for Limpeño.[17]

On 9 December, Forbes featured in Sportivo Limpeño's 3–2 victory against Uruguayan club Colón in their group's second fixture.[19]

Sportivo Limpeño finished in first position of their group with 7 points and would face Brazilian team Foz Cataratas at the semi-final stage of the competition. Limpeño defeated Foz Cataratas 2–0 with Forbes as goalkeeper on 17 December 2016,[20][21] before advancing to the final where Forbes would play an entire 90 minutes.

On 20 December 2016, Forbes kept for Limpeño in a 2-1 victory against Venezuelan side Estudiantes de Guárico, having been losing 1-0.[22][23]

Forbes was then shortlisted as CONCACAF Goalkeeper of the Year. She also became the first Caribbean footballer to win a South American trophy.[8] Forbes was in the starting line up and played in Sportivo Limpeño's agonizing 2–1 victory against Venezuelan club Estudiantes de Guarico in the final of the 2016 Copa Libertadores Femenina in December.[16]

2017 Liga Femenina

Following her performance at the 2016 Copa Libertadores Femenina, Colombian club Independiente Santa Fé offered her a one-year contract.[5]

By 2017, Forbes still did not speak Spanish but claimed to be able to understand it, did not hesitate to sign with Independiente Santa Fé in Colombia. Amongst her teammates, she did not have anyone with whom she could maintain a fluent conversation in English. Forbes stated in an interview that football in her country was still new and at an initial stage, whilst she had gone to Colombia to play, live the experience, enjoy the opportunity and that it was in Colombia where she could enjoy playing.[24]

In February 2017, Forbes was included in a poll of ten players to decide who would be the 2017 Liga Femenina Star Player.[25] Forbes continued to play for her national team whilst playing for Independiente Santa Fé, receiving a call up for friendlies in March 2017, who was part of an undefeated squad in the Liga Femenina at the time.[26]

In the 2017 Liga Femenina, Forbes was the goalkeeper who received the least amount of goals against her.[27]

2017 Copa Libertadores Femenina

In 2017, Forbes would again feature in the Copa Libertadores Femenina for her second consecutive season as Independiente Santa Fé had qualified as champions of the 2017 Liga Femenina as undefeated champions.[28][29] At Independiente Santa Fé, Forbes was teammates with Venezuelan Oriana Altuve, who was the team's leading goal scorer with 12 goals in the league, and Costa Rican Melissa Herrera. She also shared the goalkeeping duty with Vanessa Córdoba, the daughter of former Boca Juniors goalkeeper Óscar Córdoba.[30] Santa Fé were grouped against her former Paraguayan club Sportivo Limpeño in the tournament,[30] where they would face Bolivian club Deportivo Ita in their opening fixture as Forbes was considered one of the team's references, amongst other players.[31]

During late 2017, Forbes signed a contract extension with Santa Fé until May 2018 was sched to travel with the side to face Athletico Bilbao’s women’s team in Spain in December 2017.[32]

In Colombia, Forbes was happy that women were included in football and because she felt that her work was being valued.[33]

During the 2017 and 2018 Liga Femenina seasons, Forbes was again teammates with Uruguayan player Stephanie Lacoste, with whom she had won the 2016 Copa Libertadores Femenina at Sportivo Limpeño.[34][35]

Millonarios

In 2019, Forbes signed with Colombian club Millonarios and was player with the most experience and history in the squad, having already won the 2016 Copa Libertadores with Sportivo Limpeño and the 2017 Liga Femenina as undefeated champions with Independiente Santa Fé.[36] In July 2019, fans from Forbs' former club Independiente Santa Fé had thrown insults at her whilst she played for rival club Millonarios.[37]

International career

Forbes received her first call up for the Trinidad and Tabago national team aged 15 for a fixture against Mexico during the qualifying campaign for the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup to be held in China.[5]

She was also the number 1 goalkeeper for the Trinidad and Tobago U20 Women's team at the CONCACAF Championships.[8]

At the 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship in Kansas City, Forbes went on to become a household name in the United States when she held the USA national team, led by Abby Wambach, to just one goal in a nail-biting final, making several saves along the way to keep her team in the game until the very end.[38] Despite the 1-0 loss, Forbes mad nine saves to keep the game close. Forbes' best save of the game came in the 52nd minute, when she stopped Abby Wambach on a breakaway and Megan Rapinoe hit the rebound over the goal. In stoppage time, Forbes again came up big one-on-one, stopping sub Sydney Leroux with her left leg.[39]

Following the game, Trinidad and Tabago coached Randy Waldrum praised Forbes' goalkeeping heroics "She was big-time tonight, wasn’t she? Player of the game for us, for sure. She kept it close and kept us in it.  She’s special. She was fantastic tonight. I can’t even describe it in words how many times she came up big for us.”[40]

In November 2015, Forbes led her national team to the Caribbean Gold Medal in the first round of Olympic Qualifying. Forbes impeded Puerto Rico in the Championship game 1-0 and also posted three other victories in the Championship.[41]

On 4 October 2018, Forbes kept for her national team in a 3-0 defeat against Panama in their first fixture of the CONCACAF Female Championship.[42]

In October 2018, Forbes kept for Trinidad and Tobago in a 4-1 defeat against Mexico during the CONCACAF Qualifiers for the FIFA Women's World Cup.[43]

Honours

Club

Sportivo Limpeño

Independiente Santa Fé

  • Liga Femenina: 2017

Personal life and education

Forbes prefers that people call her by the name Kimi.[44]

Forbes is from Plymouth, Tobago.

She was awarded two academic scholarships,[45] her alma mater is Monroe Community College, New York and the University of Maine Fort Kent (UMFK). Forbes possesses a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and she has also been on the Dean's List every semester since enrolling at UMFK.[8]

In 2017, Forbes had prepared to launch an Academy for goal keepers in Trinidad & Tobago, whilst she would also run women's football events whenever she would return.[5] In 2017, Forbes served as assistant coach for the Signal Hill Secondary Girls team during latter stages of the 2017 Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) season upon returning home at the conclusion of the Colombian Liga Femenina season.[46]

Forbes followed the careers and the saves of German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, stating that the former is a complete goalkeeper and that latter is an example of whom she wants to be.[47]

In 2017, Forbes commented in an interview with Futbolred in Colombia, that after the 2017 season she hoped to continue to her country with an organization in defence of women that suffer abuse.[48]

By 2017, Forbes almost could not speak in the Spanish Language but began dominating it.[49]

References
  1. https://medium.com/@futbolfemenino/la-gigante-de-trinidad-y-tobago-que-la-rompe-en-colombia-b41945a1452b
  2. "Trinidad's Forbes earns praise for performance". CONCACAF. 17 October 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  3. "Former University of Maine Fort Kent Soccer Player Kimika Forbes Shines on International Stage". United States Collegiate Athletic Association. 16 October 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  4. Warner, Pete (16 October 2014). "UMFK's goalkeeper flirts with shutout of US women's soccer team in CONCACAF tourney". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  5. "Women's Football - News - Forbes savouring South American adventure - FIFA.com". www.fifa.com.
  6. "Kimika Forbes | Pro Evolution Coaching". www.proevolutioncoaching.ca.
  7. https://www.elespectador.com/deportes/futbol-internacional/las-atajadas-de-kimika-forbes-de-trinidad-y-tobago-a-santa-fe/?outputType=amp
  8. "Kimika Forbes – Pro Evolution Coaching". www.proevolutioncoaching.ca. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  9. https://www.ogol.com.br/equipa.php?id=240625&epoca_id=141
  10. https://athletics.umfk.edu/hof/profile/2018/81-Kimika-Forbes/
  11. https://athletics.umfk.edu/hof/profile/2018/81-Kimika-Forbes/
  12. https://athletics.umfk.edu/hof/profile/2018/81-Kimika-Forbes/
  13. https://www.hoy.com.py/deportes/limpeno-se-refuerza-con-jugadoras-de-jerarquia
  14. Color, ABC. "Limpeño se refuerza de cara a la Libertadores – Deportes – ABC Color". Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  15. FIFA.com (1 January 1900). "Forbes savouring South American adventure". Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  16. https://m.ultimahora.com/limpeno-campeon-la-libertadores-n1049508.html/amp
  17. de 2016 8:05, Deportes7 de diciembre. "Limpeño golea en su estreno en la Libertadores femenina". www.lanacion.com.py.
  18. de 2016 17:30, Deportes26 de noviembre. "Fútbol femenino: ¡Sportivo Limpeño bicampeón!". www.lanacion.com.py.
  19. http://www.conmebol.com/sites/default/files/partido_8.pdf
  20. https://www.ultimahora.com/limpeno-hace-historia-y-llega-la-final-la-copa-libertadores-n2386362.html/amp
  21. http://www.conmebol.com/es/sportivo-limpeno-y-estudiantes-de-guarico-finalistas-de-la-copa-libertadores
  22. https://www.abc.com.py/edicion-impresa/deportes/sportivo-limpeno-campeon-de-la-libertadores-1549082.html
  23. http://www.conmebol.com/es/el-sportivo-limpeno-de-paraguay-campeon-de-la-copa-libertadores-femenina-2016
  24. https://www.futbolred.com/amp/futbol-colombiano/futbol-femenino/kimika-forbes-arquera-de-santa-fe-de-trinidad-y-tobago-a-bogota-76251
  25. "Jugadoras candidatas a ser la mejor de Liga Femenina | Pulzo.com". www.pulzo.com.
  26. "Tres 'Leonas' fueron convocadas a sus Selecciones". futbolete.com.
  27. https://www.elespectador.com/deportes/futbol-internacional/las-atajadas-de-kimika-forbes-de-trinidad-y-tobago-a-santa-fe/?outputType=amp
  28. "Melissa Herrera y Carol Sánchez se coronaron campeonas en el fútbol de Colombia con Independiente Santa Fe". www.teletica.com.
  29. Diaz, Francisco (30 August 2017). "Santa Fe comenzó su preparación hacia la Copa Libertadores con la llegada de Cata Usme como refuerzo".
  30. "Santa Fe viaja a Paraguay para jugar su primera Libertadores femenina" (in Spanish). ultimahora.com. 5 October 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  31. Tiempo, Casa Editorial El; FUTBOLRED, REDACCIÓN (9 October 2017). "Las Leonas quieren la Copa Libertadores". ElTiempo.
  32. https://newsday.co.tt/2017/12/04/forbes-sees-bright-future-for-tt-u-20-women/
  33. https://www.elespectador.com/deportes/futbol-internacional/las-atajadas-de-kimika-forbes-de-trinidad-y-tobago-a-santa-fe/?outputType=amp
  34. https://www.ogol.com.br/equipa.php?id=208884&epoca_id=146
  35. https://www.ogol.com.br/equipa.php?id=208884&epoca_id=147
  36. Tiempo, Casa Editorial El; TIEMPO, REDACCIÓN EL (16 July 2019). "La campeona de Copa Libertadores que juega en Millonarios". ElTiempo.
  37. "Insultos de hinchas de Santa Fe a arquera de Millonarios en fútbol femenino | Pulzo.com". www.pulzo.com.
  38. https://athletics.umfk.edu/hof/profile/2018/81-Kimika-Forbes/
  39. https://www.theuscaa.com/Press_Releases/2014-15_Press_Releases/Former_University_of_Maine_Fort_Kent_soccer_player_Kimika_Forbes_Shines_on_International_Stage
  40. https://www.concacaf.com/article/trinidads-forbes-earns-praise-for-performance
  41. https://www.wagmtv.com/content/sports/Forbes-Playing-Well-for-Trinidad-and-Tobago-353299521.html
  42. https://www.tvmax-9.com/somoslasele/Panama-inicia-Campeonato-Femenino-Concacaf_0_5137736261.amp.html
  43. https://www.elpuntocritico.com/deportes/48-futbol/164329-%E2%80%9Ctri%E2%80%9D-femenil-vence-4-1-a-trinidad-y-tobago-en-premundial-de-concacaf
  44. https://www.futbolred.com/amp/futbol-colombiano/futbol-femenino/kimika-forbes-arquera-de-santa-fe-de-trinidad-y-tobago-a-bogota-76251
  45. https://www.elespectador.com/deportes/futbol-internacional/las-atajadas-de-kimika-forbes-de-trinidad-y-tobago-a-santa-fe/?outputType=amp
  46. https://newsday.co.tt/2017/12/04/forbes-sees-bright-future-for-tt-u-20-women/
  47. https://www.elespectador.com/deportes/futbol-internacional/las-atajadas-de-kimika-forbes-de-trinidad-y-tobago-a-santa-fe/?outputType=amp
  48. https://www.futbolred.com/amp/futbol-colombiano/futbol-femenino/kimika-forbes-arquera-de-santa-fe-de-trinidad-y-tobago-a-bogota-76251
  49. https://www.elespectador.com/deportes/futbol-internacional/las-atajadas-de-kimika-forbes-de-trinidad-y-tobago-a-santa-fe/?outputType=amp
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