Handwalla Bwana (born June 25, 1999)[1] is a Somali professional footballer who plays as a winger.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | June 25, 1999 | ||
| Place of birth | Mombasa, Kenya | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder, winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2015–2016 | Seattle Sounders FC | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2017 | Washington Huskies | 39 | (12) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2020 | Tacoma Defiance[a] | 16 | (1) |
| 2018–2020 | Seattle Sounders FC | 32 | (4) |
| 2020–2022 | Nashville SC | 7 | (0) |
| 2022 | → Memphis 901 (loan) | 4 | (1) |
| 2023 | Charleston Battery | 0 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 19, 2022 | |||
Early life
editBwana was born a Somali refugee in Mombasa, Kenya, spending the first six years of his childhood at a refugee camp in Kakuma in northwestern Kenya.[2] His family resettled in the United States in 2010, initially in Atlanta, but later in Seattle, where he attended Ballard High School.[3] Bwana said "I fell in love with the game because my dad played it. My dad was a professional in Somalia".[4] Describing how his childhood shaped him as a player, Bwana has stated that "playing with a garbage ball...made me better with my feet".[5]
Career
editBwana joined the Seattle Sounders FC Academy in 2015.[6] On September 11, 2015, Bwana made his professional debut for USL club Seattle Sounders FC 2 in a 1–0 defeat to the Orange County Blues.[7] He spent two seasons at the University of Washington.
Bwana was signed by the Sounders MLS side as a Homegrown Player on January 11, 2018.[8] Bwana made his debut for the club against expansion side Los Angeles FC as a substitute on March 4, 2018, an appearance which included a shot from outside the box that hit the crossbar.[9] He started Seattle's CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal tie against Mexican club Chivas three days later,[10] but did not appear in the second leg in Guadalajara, as Seattle lost 3–1 on aggregate. Bwana started his first MLS game against FC Dallas on March 18, 2018, a 3–0 defeat.[11] His first goal was on May 9, 2018, the game winner against Toronto FC,[12] and scored again a week later against Orlando City SC.[13]
The Sounders traded Bwana to Nashville SC on October 21, 2020, in exchange for Jimmy Medranda and $225,000 of General Allocation Money.[14]
On August 19, 2022, Bwana joined USL Championship side Memphis 901 on loan for the remainder of the 2022 season.[15]
On January 10, 2023, Bwana and Nashville mutually agreed to part ways.[16] The following day, the player officially joined USL Championship side Charleston Battery on a free transfer.[17] After missing the entire season due to injury, he left Charleston following the 2023 season.[18]
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of match played 30 November 2020[19]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Seattle Sounders FC 2 | 2015 | USL | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2016 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||||
| 2018 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||||
| Tacoma Defiance | 2019 | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | 6 | 1 | ||||
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | ||
| Seattle Sounders FC | 2018 | MLS | 12 | 2 | — | 1[b] | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 14 | 2 | |
| 2019 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | |||
| 2020 | 5 | 1 | — | 0[b] | 0 | — | 5 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 32 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 4 | ||
| Nashville SC | 2020 | MLS | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2[c] | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 50 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 55 | 5 | ||
Honours
editSeattle Sounders FC
Notes
edit- ^ Tacoma Defiance were known as Seattle Sounders FC 2.
- ^ a b Appearance(s) in CONCACAF Champions League
- ^ a b Appearance(s) in MLS Cup Playoffs
References
edit- ^ @briansciaretta (October 9, 2020). "In a bit of cool player news in ways beyond soccer, I've heard that Sounders winger Handwalla Bwana has officially become an American citizen. Amazing story after spending time as a child in a refugee camp in Kenya and learning to play with homemade soccer balls. Congrats to him" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Bien, Louis (March 5, 2018). "Handwalla Bwana's journey from Kakuma refugee camp to the Seattle Sounders". SB Nation. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
- ^ Pentz, Matt (October 28, 2016). "Handwalla Bwana could be the next Seattle soccer star. But first he must conquer his American Dream". Seattle Times. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
- ^ Episode 27 - "Refuge & Humility" W/Soroosh Abdi & Handwalla Bwana, 32 minutes 49 seconds, retrieved September 14, 2020
- ^ "New Homegrown Player Handwalla Bwana sits down for first interview". SoundersFC.com. Seattle Sounders FC. January 12, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
- ^ Molinari, Alessandro; Tanaka, Ella (March 28, 2015). "Junior Handwalla Bwana plays soccer for Seattle Sounders Academy". BallardTalisman.com. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
- ^ "S2 falls 1-0 at home to OC Blues FC, needs win in season finale to advance to USL Playoffs". SoundersFC.com. Sounders FC Communications. September 11, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
- ^ Mondello, Joseph (January 11, 2018). "Analysis: Where will Handwalla Bwana fit with the Sounders?". Seattle Sounders.
- ^ Ciaccio, Danny (March 4, 2018). "Seattle Sounders rookie Handwalla Bwana impresses, flashes creative flair in his MLS debut". Seattle Sounders.
- ^ Krasnoo, Ryan (March 8, 2018). "Seattle Sounders midfielder Handwalla Bwana plays beyond his years, earns high marks in first Senior Team start vs. Chivas". Seattle Sounders.
- ^ "Seattle Sounders versus FC Dallas starting lineup: Handwalla Bwana makes first MLS start, Kelvin Leerdam first start of season". Seattle Sounders. March 18, 2018.
- ^ Boehm, Charles (May 9, 2018). "Toronto FC 1, Seattle Sounders 2 | 2018 MLS Match Recap". MLS. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
- ^ Evans, Jayda (May 28, 2019). "During Ramadan, Sounders' Nouhou, Handwalla Bwana make it clear: 'Religion comes first'". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
- ^ "Sounders FC trades Handwalla Bwana to Nashville SC for Jimmy Medranda and General Allocation Money". SoundersFC. October 21, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
- ^ "Memphis 901 FC adds Nashville SC's Handwalla Bwana on Loan".
- ^ "Nashville SC, winger Handwalla Bwana mutually part ways | MLSSoccer.com". mlssoccer.
- ^ "Battery add attacking midfielder Handwalla Bwana". Charleston Battery. January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ [email protected], NICHOLAS MURRAY- (December 1, 2023). "Barajas leads Charleston Battery returnees in first roster moves". USL Championship.
- ^ Handwalla Bwana at Soccerway. Retrieved 2 February 2021.