SPOKANE, Wash. - Spokane Velocity FC announced the signing of former D.C. United forward and Kimarni Smith, pending league and federation approval.

Smith, a native of Nottingham, England, spent his youth soccer career with Basford United FC's academy program before signing a professional contract with Sheffield United FC in 2015. Smith made a pair of appearances for Northern Premier League side Gainsborough Trinity FC on loan from the Blades in 2017 before moving to the United States to play collegiately at Clemson University. In his four seasons with the Tigers, he appeared in 63 matches and recorded 26 goals and 11 assists. During the 2019 season, Smith received Second-Team All-America, First-Team All-South Region and First-Team All-ACC honors. In 2020, Smith was named the ACC Tournament MVP.

In 2021, Smith was selected with the fourth overall pick in MLS SuperDraft 2021 by D.C. United. The forward made his professional debut with DCU in April in an MLS match against the New England Revolution. Between 2021 and 2022, Smith made 22 appearances for D.C. across all competitions and 29 appearances for the club's USL Championship affiliate, Loudoun United FC.

In 2023, Smith split time between USL Championship club San Antonio FC, making 11 appearances with the club, and MLS NEXT Pro side Crown Legacy FC, making eight appearances for Charlotte FC's affiliate club.

"Kimarni brings a wealth of high-quality experience at such a young age from his time spent with Sheffield United, DC United, and various other USL teams," said Spokane Head Coach Leigh Veidman. "He is a very dynamic, direct and fast player who will add to the quality of our squad and bring a different dimension to our attack. We are excited to have Kimarni joining us in Tucson and getting him integrated into the team."