Doneil Henry

Doneil Henry
Born	(1993-04-20) April 20, 1993 Canada
Occupation(s)	Retired professional soccer player, Sporting Director, co-owner
Years active	2010–2023 (player)
Known for	Professional soccer career, Sporting Director at Simcoe County Rovers FC

Doneil Henry

Doneil Jor-Dee Ashley Henry (born April 20, 1993) is a retired Canadian professional soccer athlete. Presently, he holds the position of Sporting Director at Simcoe County Rovers FC, a club competing in League1 Ontario, where he also maintains a role as co-owner.

Early career

Henry's family, Beverly and Menocal Henry, emigrated from Jamaica to Canada. He began playing soccer at the age of 10 and developed his skills with youth teams including the Brampton Youth Soccer Club and North Mississauga SC.

Toronto FC

In November 2008, Henry became a member of the Toronto FC Academy, where he served as captain for two seasons competing in the Canadian Soccer League during 2009 and 2010.

Henry made appearances for Toronto FC in the 2010 Nutrilite Canadian Championship facing the Vancouver Whitecaps and participated in a qualifying fixture for the 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League against Motagua. His Major League Soccer debut also took place in this period, along with another CONCACAF Champions League match against Árabe Unido during the 2010 campaign. Additionally, he featured in an international friendly versus Bolton Wanderers. On August 26, 2010, Henry signed his first professional contract with Toronto FC, becoming the inaugural player from the TFC Academy to join the senior squad.

On June 15, 2011, Henry earned commendations from commentator Taylor Twellman following a goalless draw away at New England Revolution. He netted his first goal for Toronto on April 28, 2012, coming off the bench for Richard Eckersley in a match against Real Salt Lake, scoring in the 77th minute despite a 3–2 loss. Later that year, on August 21, Toronto FC announced they had secured Henry on a long-term contract. Throughout the 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League, he appeared four times in the 2011 season and once more during 2012. He also featured twice in the 2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League within the same year.

Henry scored his second goal for Toronto with a strike from outside the box during a 2–0 home win over rival club Montreal Impact in the Canadian Championship on April 24, 2013. Ahead of the 2014 season, he undertook training sessions with Premier League outfit West Ham United. Following a midweek goal against Montreal Impact in the Canadian Championship, Henry scored a last-minute winner in a 3–2 home victory over Columbus Crew on May 31, 2014.

Apollon Limassol

In April 2014, prior to the start of the 2014 MLS season, Henry was transferred to Apollon Limassol, a club competing in the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League and the Cypriot First Division, for an undisclosed amount. Toronto FC confirmed that the agreement included a sell-on clause and expressed intentions to negotiate with both Henry and Apollon Limassol to potentially arrange another loan spell for him during the 2015 MLS season.

West Ham United

Following two earlier training periods with Premier League side West Ham, arranged after manager Sam Allardyce received a recommendation from Ryan Nelsen, Henry secured a "long term" contract with the club on January 3, 2015, for an undisclosed fee. He made his first appearance for West Ham on August 6, 2015, during a 2–1 away loss to Romanian team FC Astra in the qualifying rounds of the Europa League. This defeat resulted in West Ham's elimination from the competition. That match remained his sole appearance before he departed from West Ham in December 2017 by mutual consent when his contract was terminated.

Loans to Blackburn Rovers

On March 4, Henry joined Blackburn Rovers of the Football League Championship on a one-month loan from West Ham. He debuted the same day in a 2–1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday, earning praise from Rovers' manager Gary Bowyer, who described his performance as "magnificent." In his second game on March 11, Henry provided an assist for Jordan Rhodes's late goal, securing a 1–0 win against Bolton Wanderers. During his third appearance—a 3–1 away triumph over Charlton Athletic—he suffered a hamstring injury that prematurely ended his season and led to an early return to West Ham. Later, on November 24, 2015, he rejoined Blackburn Rovers on loan.

Loan Spell at AC Horsens

On August 31, 2016, West Ham arranged a loan move for Henry to join Danish Superliga outfit AC Horsens for the remainder of the season. Henry made his first start on October 23 against Randers FC, contributing to a 1–0 victory with a clean sheet. Unfortunately, during his second start with Horsens, Henry sustained an ACL injury that prematurely ended his campaign. He returned to West Ham at the beginning of January 2017 following his recovery.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Henry signed with Vancouver Whitecaps FC on December 22, 2017. On April 25, 2018, he was temporarily transferred on loan to United Soccer League side Ottawa Fury until the end of May. Vancouver Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson explained that this loan aimed to help Henry regain full match fitness through regular competitive play. During his stint at Ottawa, Henry appeared in three matches, all resulting in clean sheets; however, he missed the final two games due to bronchitis and fatigue. He rejoined Vancouver on May 29, 2018. Shortly thereafter, Henry made his debut for the Whitecaps in June 2018.

Henry netted his inaugural league goal for Vancouver against Minnesota United during the opening match of Vancouver's 2019 MLS season on March 2.

Suwon Samsung Bluewings

On November 20, 2019, Henry completed a move to the South Korean K League team Suwon Samsung Bluewings for a fee that was not publicly disclosed. He made his first appearance for Suwon during the AFC Champions League, starting in a group stage fixture against Vissel Kobe on February 19, 2020. Henry opened his scoring account for the club on October 31 by netting the first goal in a 2-1 triumph over Gangwon FC.

Los Angeles FC

Henry returned to Major League Soccer in February 2022, signing with Los Angeles FC. He debuted for LAFC on February 26, entering as a substitute in the 86th minute for Jesús Murillo during a 3–0 victory against the Colorado Rapids. However, after making just six appearances, Henry was released by the club on July 3, 2022.

Return to Toronto FC

On July 22, 2022, Henry rejoined his former side Toronto FC, agreeing to a contract lasting until the end of that year. He featured in his first match back with Toronto the following day in a game versus Charlotte FC. At the conclusion of the 2022 season, Henry departed the club as his contract expired.

Minnesota United

In December 2022, Minnesota United revealed they had acquired Henry through the waiver process for the upcoming 2023 season.

HFX Wanderers

In July 2023, Henry inked a deal with the HFX Wanderers FC competing in the Canadian Premier League, committing for the remainder of the 2023 campaign with an option to extend into 2024. He made his first appearance for the Wanderers on July 23, entering as a substitute late in the second half during a match against Atlético Ottawa, which ended in a 1-0 triumph.

International career

Henry representing Canada at the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Youth

Henry featured in three fixtures for the Canada U-20 men's national soccer team. He was named to the Canada U23 squad that competed in the 2012 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament. After not playing in the opening match, he started and netted the first goal in a 2–0 victory over the United States U23.

Senior

Henry earned his inaugural senior cap for Canada on August 15, 2012, starting in a friendly against Trinidad and Tobago. He was substituted at halftime for Pedro Pacheco, with Canada securing a 2–0 win. On December 10, 2012, Henry was honored as the 2012 Canadian U-20 Player of the Year, narrowly surpassing Samuel Piette by receiving 37.8% of votes.

On June 27, 2013, Henry was confirmed as part of Colin Miller’s finalized 23-player roster for Canada at the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He was also included in the squad announced on May 30, 2019, for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Henry scored his maiden goal for Canada on September 7, 2019, during a CONCACAF Nations League fixture against Cuba. On July 1, 2021, he was selected again to represent Canada at the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Henry was anticipated to be part of Canada’s squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but sustained a calf injury during warm-ups before a pre-tournament friendly versus Bahrain on November 11, which ultimately excluded him from the final roster.

Management career

In December 2021, he was announced as a co-owner of the newly established League1 Ontario team Simcoe County Rovers FC. By June 2024, he had been appointed Sporting Director for the club. Shortly after this appointment, he joined the team's technical staff to assist the interim head coach following the dismissal of the former head coach. For the 2025 season, he was promoted to the position of head coach.

Club

Club	Season	League			Playoffs		National Cup		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Toronto FC	2010	Major League Soccer	1	0	—		1	0	2	0	4	0
	2011		10	0	—		1	0	4	0	15	0
	2012		18	1	—		4	0	3	0	25	1
	2013		20	0	—		2	1	—		22	1
	2014		21	1	—		4	2	—		25	3
	Total		70	2	0	0	12	3	11	0	93	5
West Ham United	2015–16	Premier League	0	0	—		0	0	1	0	1	0
Blackburn Rovers (loan)	2014–15	Championship	3	0	—		0	0	—		3	0
	2015–16		1	0	—		0	0	—		1	0
	Total		4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
AC Horsens (loan)	2016–17	Danish Superliga	4	0	—		0	0	—		4	0
Vancouver Whitecaps FC	2018	Major League Soccer	14	0	—		1	0	—		15	0
	2019		25	4	—		2	0	—		27	4
	Total		39	4	0	0	3	0	0	0	42	4
Ottawa Fury (loan)	2018	"USL Championship"	"USL"	"0"|"—"|"—"|"0"|"0"|"—"|"—"|"3"|"0"

Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Playoffs Apps	Playoffs Goals	National Cup Apps	National Cup Goals	Continental Apps	Continental Goals	Total Apps	Total Goals

International

Canada
Year	Appearances	Goals
2012	1	0
2013	10	0
2014	3	0
2015	0	0
2016	8	0
2017	0	0
2018	2	0
2019	7	1
2020	0	0
2021	10	0
2022	3	0
Total	44	1

International goals

The following table lists Canada's goals first in the scorelines.

No.	Date	Location	Cap Number	Opponent	Scoreline	Final Result	Tournament
1	September 7, 2019	BMO Field, Toronto, Canada	29	Template:Fb	Template:Center	Template:Center	2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League A

Honours

Toronto FC

• Canadian Championship titles: 2010, 2011, 2012

Individual Achievements

• Recipient of the Canadian U-20 Players of the Year award in 2012

External links

• Template:MLS player
• Template:K League player
• Template:NFT player
• Template:Canada Soccer player

Template:Canada Soccer Young Players of the Year