| Kusini Yengi | |
| Fullname: | Kusini Boja Yengi |
| Birth Date: | 15 January 1999 |
| Birth Place: | Adelaide, South Australia, Australia |
| Height: | 1.87 m |
| Position: | Striker |
| Currentclub: | Portsmouth |
| Clubnumber: | 10 |
| Youthclubs1: | Fulham United |
| Youthyears2: | 2014 |
| Youthclubs2: | SA NTC |
| Youthyears3: | 2015–2017 |
| Youthclubs3: | Adelaide Comets |
| Clubs1: | Adelaide Comets |
| Years1: | 2017–2018 |
| Caps1: | 16 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Clubs2: | Adelaide United NPL |
| Years2: | 2018–2020 |
| Caps2: | 23 |
| Goals2: | 3 |
| Clubs3: | Adelaide United |
| Years3: | 2019–2022 |
| Caps3: | 27 |
| Goals3: | 6 |
| Clubs4: | Western Sydney Wanderers |
| Years4: | 2022–2023 |
| Caps4: | 18 |
| Goals4: | 4 |
| Clubs5: | Portsmouth |
| Years5: | 2023– |
| Caps5: | 34 |
| Goals5: | 9 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2022 |
| Nationalteam1: | Australia U23 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 4 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2023– |
| Nationalteam2: | Australia |
| Nationalcaps2: | 9 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 6 |
| Club-Update: | 9 November 2024 |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 19 November 2024 |
Kusini Boja Yengi (born 15 January 1999) is an Australian professional Association football (soccer) player who plays as a striker for club Portsmouth and the Australia national team.
Kusini Boja Yengi was born on 15 January 1999[1] [2] in Adelaide, South Australia, to Ben, a refugee advocate born in what is now South Sudan who emigrated to Australia in the early 1970s,[3] and Emma Yengi, an English-born primatologist.[4] [5]
On 21 February 2020, Yengi made his debut for Adelaide United coming on as a substitute in the 67th minute in a 5–2 defeat to the Western Sydney Wanderers, the club he would join two years later.[6] [7]
On 13 March 2021, he scored a goal and registered an assist against arch-rivals Melbourne Victory, with Yengi celebrating his goal by leaping over advertising hoardings and celebrating in front of Melbourne Victory supporters.[8] [9]
On 12 November 2022, Yengi, after an assist from Milos Ninkovic, scored the only goal to beat Sydney FC and win the Sydney Derby for the Western Sydney Wanderers, from then Yengi has scored in both Sydney Derbys at Allianz Stadium obtaining and assist from Amor Layouni.
On 2 July 2023, Yengi signed for EFL League One club Portsmouth for an undisclosed fee.[10] He scored the equaliser on his debut against Bristol Rovers on 5 August; the match finished 1–1.[11] Three days later, he scored a brace in a 3–1 win over Forest Green Rovers in the first round of the EFL Cup.[12]
Yengi received his first call-up to the Australia national team in November 2023 for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Bangladesh and Palestine.[13] He shared his squad selection with former Adelaide United teammates Craig Goodwin and Joe Gauci. He made his international debut for the Socceroos against Bangladesh in Melbourne on 16 November 2023, coming on as a 72nd minute substitute for Brandon Borrello.
Yengi was selected in Graham Arnold's squad for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar, and played in a friendly match against Bahrain preceding the tournament. Yengi made his first appearance in the starting lineup for the Socceroos in their third match of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, against Uzbekistan.[14]
On 26 March 2024, Yengi scored his first international goal against Lebanon during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match.
Yengi's younger brother, Tete Yengi, also plays as a forward for Livingston, who compete in the Scottish Championship. Tete has previously played for the Newcastle Jets in the A-League and Ipswich Town in the EFL Championship.[15] [16]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Adelaide United | 2019–20 | A-League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| 2020–21 | A-League | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 4 | ||||
| 2021–22 | A-League Men | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 27 | 6 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 6 | |||||
| Western Sydney Wanderers | 2022–23 | A-League Men | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 4 | |||
| Portsmouth | 2023–24 | League One | 26 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 31 | 13 | |
| Career total | 71 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 77 | 23 | |||
| Australia | 2023 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 8 | 5 | ||
| Total | 9 | 6 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Scores and results list Australia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Yengi goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 March 2024 | Canberra Stadium, Canberra, Australia | 1–0 | 5–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 2 | 6 June 2024 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | ||
| 3 | 11 June 2024 | Perth Rectangular Stadium, Perth, Australia | 1–0 | 5–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 4 | 3–0 | |||||
| 5 | 19 November 2024 | Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa, Bahrain | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 6 | 2–2 |
Portsmouth