Hearts

American Perry Kitchen named captain of Hearts

Published Nov. 15, 2016 2:38 p.m. ET

Ryan Rosenblatt

Perry Kitchen is just 24 years old and only signed with Hearts of Midlothian six months ago, but he is already the Scottish club's captain. Hearts announced that the American would wear the armband for the rest of the season on Wednesday.

Kitchen's rise at Hearts is entirely unexpected. He had been a good youth player and a part of the United States youth teams before joining D.C. United, but he was never a superstar. He was simply a good, dependable MLS player. And when his contract ran out, he sought out an opportunity in Europe, which came at Hearts. But it took months for him to land at Hearts, so it's not as if this was an obvious match of two sides who desperately wanted to be together.

Yet here stands Kitchen, Hearts captain. He made an impact right away, quickly slotting into the team's starting lineup after signing in March and he earned rave reviews for his play. At the same time, he saw his standing with the U.S. senior team rise.

Now, in his first full season at the club, Kitchen is the team's first American captain and, a year after finishing third in the Scottish Premiership, Hearts are second in the table. It's been quite the rise for Kitchen, who seems to have found a home at Hearts and is now ready to be the club's leader.

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