| Kiana Palacios | |
| Fullname: | Kiana Angélica Palacios Hernández[1] |
| Birth Date: | 1 October 1996 |
| Birth Place: | Orange, California, United States |
| Height: | 1.67m[2] |
| Position: | Forward |
| Currentclub: | América |
| Clubnumber: | 7 |
| Collegeyears1: | 2014–2017 |
| College1: | UC Irvine Anteaters |
| Collegecaps1: | 67 |
| Collegegoals1: | 24 |
| Years1: | 2018 |
| Clubs1: | LA Galaxy OC |
| Caps1: | 5 |
| Goals1: | 3 |
| Years2: | 2018–2021 |
| Clubs2: | Real Sociedad |
| Caps2: | 68 |
| Goals2: | 13 |
| Years3: | 2021– |
| Clubs3: | América |
| Caps3: | 102 |
| Goals3: | 51 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2015–2016 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2017– |
| Nationalteam1: | Mexico U-20 |
| Nationalteam2: | Mexico |
| Nationalcaps1: | 8 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 48 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 5 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 12 |
| Pcupdate: | 30 May 2024 |
| Ntupdate: | 30 May 2024 |
Kiana Angélica Palacios Hernández (born 1 October 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Liga MX Femenil side Club América. Born and raised in the United States to Mexican parents, she caps for the Mexico women's national team.
Palacios played college soccer for the UC Irvine Anteaters women's soccer team, converting from defensive midfielder to a forward, and essentially playing where the Anteaters needed her to be. She adjusted well and became the fourth leading scorer all time for UC Irvine with 24 goals. In her junior season, Palacios was at a point leading the NCAA in goals scored and total team points before leaving for international duty with the Mexico U-20 team in 2016, two weeks before the NCAA regular season ended.[3]
In her senior season, due to team injuries, Palacios was placed into the Central/Attacking Midfield position where she guided the Anteaters to the Big West regular season title; the Anteaters would eventually be defeated in the Big West semifinals.
in 2017, Palacios registered in the 2018 NWSL Draft and was selected in the fourth round by Sky Blue FC,[4] but she was not signed.
Palacios joined the LA Galaxy OC in May 2018, a now defunct women's soccer team that competed in the United Women's Soccer league, and that was created to help college players and recent graduates develop as professionals. Palacios scored three goals in five matches during her short stay with the team.[5]
On 13 July 2018, Spain's Primera División club Real Sociedad announced that Palacios had signed a one-year contract with the club.[6] [7] Palacios made her debut with Real Sociedad on 16 September 2018 in a match against Málaga, coming into the game as a substitute.[8] Palacios made 25 league appearances and scored six goals during her first season with Real Sociedad.
Palacios was also key player for Real Sociedad to win the 2018–19 Copa de la Reina, the club first Copa de la Reina title in history, by scoring four goals including a goal and a assist in the final against Atlético Madrid which ended in 2–1 victory for Real Sociedad.[9]
In total, Palacios made 68 league appearances and scored 13 goals during her three year stint with Real Sociedad.
On 1 July 2021, Palacios was announced by Liga MX Femenil side Club América as their new player.[10] she made her debut with América in match against Santos for matchday 1 of the Apertura 2021 that ended in 2–1 victory in favor of América, with Palacios scoring one goal for América during the match.[11] However, during her first season with América, Palacios struggled with injuries and poor fitness which let her to only made 22 appearances (mainly as a sub) and to scored three goals.[12] [13]
During the Apertura 2022 tournament, Palacios made a return to form and became a key player in the attack for América to return to a league final after four years, as she scored 15 goals in 22 matches.[14]
Palacios represented Mexico at the 2015 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship and the 2016 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. She made her senior debut on 4 February 2017 in a friendly match against Canada.[15]
Palacios made her first senior team start on July 8, 2017 against Sweden and scored her first senior team goal on April 8, 2018 against the United States in her fifth recorded cap.
Palacios was selected to represent Mexico at the 2023 Pan American Games held in Santiago, Chile, where the Mexican squad went undefeated to won the gold medal for the first time in their history at the Pan American Games, defeating Chile 1–0.[16] [17]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| LA Galaxy OC | 2018 | United Women's Soccer | 5 | 3 | — | 5 | 3 | ||
| Total | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | |||||
| 2018–19 | Primera Division | 25 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 29 | 10 | ||
| 2019–20 | Primera Division | 16 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 4 | ||
| 2020–21 | Primera Division | 27 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 3 | ||
| Total | 68 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 74 | 17 | |||
| Club América | 2021–22 | Liga MX Femenil | 22 | 3 | — | 22 | 3 | ||
| 2022–23 | Liga MX Femenil | 40 | 30 | — | 40 | 30 | |||
| Total | 62 | 49 | 6 | 4 | 62 | 33 | |||
| Career total | 135 | 49 | 6 | 4 | 141 | 53 | |||
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 8 April 2018 | 2–1 | 2–6 | Friendly | ||
| 2. | 28 July 2019 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2019 Pan American Games | ||
| 3. | 1 February 2020 | H-E-B Park, Edinburg, United States | 1–0 | 6–0 | 2020 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship | |
| 4. | 15 February 2023 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2023 Women's Revelations Cup | ||
| 5. | 18 February 2023 | 1–0 | 1–1 | |||
| 6. | 29 June 2023 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games | ||
| 7. | 3 July 2023 | 3–0 | 7–3 | |||
| 8. | 4–1 | |||||
| 9. | 5 July 2023 | 2–0 | 6–0 | |||
| 10. | 22 October 2023 | 3–0 | 7–0 | 2023 Pan American Games | ||
| 11. | 1 December 2023 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup qualification | ||
| 12. | 3–0 | |||||
Real Sociedad
Clausura 2023Mexico