Position: Forward
Birthdate: 08/19/2002
Hometown: Wellington, New Zealand
Previous Club: Wellington Olympic AFC
College: Northern Kentucky University
Height: 5-9
Jesse Randall enters his first season with the Black and Yellow after signing with the club in March 2023.
Prior to joining the Battery, the 20-year-old was with the New Zealand U-22 national team for a pair of friendlies against China’s U-24 squad. Randall started both matches for New Zealand and was a driving force in both victories. A quick and crafty player, Jesse is considered a rising star within New Zealand football and joined the Battery following the China fixtures.
Randall additionally links up with fellow Kiwi Deklan Wynne in Charleston.
The youngster has accumulated plenty of club experience in his career already, playing the past four years in the New Zealand top-flight, most recently with Wellington Olympic AFC. Randall has scored 34 goals and added 14 assists across 52 matches in that time. He also played for clubs North Wellington FC, Hawke’s Bay United and Tasman United.
Randall’s move to Charleston isn’t his first foray into American soccer as he played one year at Northern Kentucky University. He was named the conference’s freshman of the year after posting a solid campaign of 10 goals and five assists in 17 appearances.
On the international stage, Randall also represented New Zealand in the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil, featuring in all three of their matches. In all competitions, he made six appearances and scored one goal with the U-17 squad. His return to the national team comes on the heels of his success at the club level, where he was among the New Zealand National League’s top scorers in 2022.
Photos courtesy of Photosport NZ/New Zealand Football Federation
