McKinze Gaines
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Orrin McKinze Gaines II | ||
| Date of birth | March 2, 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Austin, Texas, United States | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.82 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Las Vegas Lights | ||
| Number | 98 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2012–2016 | Lonestar SC | ||
| 2016–2017 | VfL Wolfsburg | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2019 | Darmstadt 98 | 2 | (0) |
| 2019 | → FSV Zwickau (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Sonnenhof Großaspach | 24 | (3) |
| 2020–2021 | Hannover 96 II | 9 | (1) |
| 2021 | Hannover 96 | 1 | (0) |
| 2021 | Austin FC | 9 | (1) |
| 2022–2023 | Charlotte FC | 43 | (2) |
| 2023 | Crown Legacy FC | 1 | (0) |
| 2024 | Nashville SC | 4 | (0) |
| 2024 | Houston Dynamo | 11 | (0) |
| 2024 | Houston Dynamo 2 | 1 | (0) |
| 2025 | New Mexico United | 14 | (2) |
| 2025– | Las Vegas Lights | 0 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2014–2015 | United States U17 | 30 | (5) |
| 2016 | United States U19 | 2 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of October 22, 2024 | |||
Orrin McKinze Gaines II (born March 2, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a winger for USL Championship side Las Vegas Lights.
Career
Gaines grew up in the Austin area where he played youth soccer for Lonestar Soccer Club.[1] On August 12, 2017, Gaines made his professional debut against Jahn Regensburg in the DFB-Pokal.
On July 8, 2019, Gaines signed with Sonnenhof Großaspach.[2]
Gaines joined Hannover 96 ahead of the 2020–21 season, starting with the team's reserve squad.[3] He made his debut for the first team against SC Paderborn in the 2. Bundesliga.[4] He left the club ahead of the 2021–22 season.[5]
Austin FC
On July 14, 2021, Gaines began trialing with Major League Soccer club Austin FC, coming on as a substitute in the club's friendly against Tigres UANL.[6] A couple weeks later, on July 30, Gaines officially joined Austin FC.[7]
Charlotte FC
On December 14, 2021, Gaines was selected by Charlotte FC in the 2021 MLS Expansion Draft.[8] He was released by Charlotte following their 2023 season.[9]
Nashville SC
On December 14, 2023, Gaines' rights were traded to Nashville SC in exchange for their second round 2024 MLS SuperDraft pick.[10]
Houston Dynamo
Gaines was again traded in 2024, moving to Houston Dynamo on April 23, 2024, in exchange for $75,000 in General Allocation Money.[11] On November 7, 2024, his contract expired with Houston following their 2024 season.[12]
New Mexico United
On January 27, 2025 New Mexico United announced they had signed Gaines for the 2025 USL Championship season.
Las Vegas Lights
McKinze was transferred to USL Championship side Las Vegas Lights in exchange for an international player slot.[13]
Career statistics
- As of match played August 26, 2021[14]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Darmstadt 98 | 2017–18 | 2. Bundesliga | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |
| 2018–19 | 2. Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| FSV Zwickau (loan) | 2018–19 | 3. Liga | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | |
| Sonnenhof Großaspach | 2019–20 | 3. Liga | 24 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 24 | 3 | |
| Hannover 96 II | 2020–21 | Regionalliga | 9 | 1 | — | — | 9 | 1 | ||
| Hannover 96 | 2020–21 | 2. Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 43 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 4 | ||
| Austin FC | 2021[15] | Major League Soccer | 9 | 1 | — | — | 9 | 1 | ||
| Charlotte FC | 2022[16] | Major League Soccer | 24 | 1 | 3 | 2 | — | 27 | 3 | |
| Charlotte FC | 2023[17] | Major League Soccer | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | |
| Total | 40 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 4 | ||
| Career total | 85 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 90 | 8 | ||
References
- ^ "The Striker Texas".
- ^ "Sonnenhof Großaspach: McKinze Gaines II kommt". Liga-Drei.de (in German). July 8, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ^ Bils, Chris. "Soccer notebook: Round Rock native McKinze Gaines signs with Hannover". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
- ^ "Zahlreiche Chancen bleiben ungenutzt: Hannover und Paderborn trennen sich torlos". Kicker (in German). kicker. February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
- ^ "Akademie-Personalupdate: Vier Abgänge bei U19, Gaines verlässt 96". hannover96.de (in German). Hannover 96. June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- ^ Goodman, Eric (July 14, 2021). "Austin FC's Alternates Outclassed By Mexican Giants Tigres in Exhibition Match". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
- ^ Craven, Mike (July 30, 2021). "Round Rock native and former U.S. youth national team player McKinze Gaines signs with Austin FC". Austin-American Statesmen. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
- ^ Club, Charlotte Football. "Charlotte FC selects McKinze Gaines, Forward | 2021 MLS Expansion Draft | Charlotte FC". Charlotte Football Club.
- ^ Club, Charlotte Football. "Charlotte FC Announces End of Season Roster Decisions | Charlotte FC". Charlotte Football Club.
- ^ "Nashville SC acquire McKinze Gaines from Charlotte FC | MLSSoccer.com". mlssoccer.
- ^ "Houston Dynamo acquire McKinze Gaines from Nashville SC | MLSSoccer.com". mlssoccer.
- ^ FC, Houston Dynamo. "Houston Dynamo FC announce roster decisions following the 2024 season | Houston Dynamo". Houston Dynamo FC.
- ^ https://www.newmexicoutd.com/news/2025/07/25/new-mexico-united-acquires-midfielder-valentin-noel-from-las-vegas-lights-fc/
- ^ McKinze Gaines at Soccerway
- ^ "2021 Stats". AustinFC.com. Austin FC. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
- ^ "2022 Stats". CharlotteFootballClub.com. Charlotte FC. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
- ^ "2023 Stats". CharlotteFootballClub.com. Charlotte FC. Retrieved May 6, 2023.