Handwalla Bwana

Handwalla Bwana (born June 25, 1999)[1] is a Somalian professional footballer who plays for Nashville SC of Major League Soccer.[2]

Handwalla Bwana
Personal information
Date of birth (1999-06-25) June 25, 1999
Place of birth Kismayo, Somalia
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Nashville SC
Number 70
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^ 16 (1)
2018–2020 Seattle Sounders FC 32 (4)
2020– Nashville SC 2 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of November 9, 2020

Early life

Bwana was born in Kismayo, Somalia but spent six years of his childhood at a refugee camp in Kakuma, northwestern Kenya. His family was 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

Bwana 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]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 30 November 2020[15]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Seattle Sounders FC 2 2015 USL 10———10
2016 50———50
2018 40———40
Tacoma Defiance 2019 61———61
2020 00———00
Total 161000000161
Seattle Sounders FC 2018 MLS 122—1[lower-alpha 1]01[lower-alpha 2]0142
2019 15110—00161
2020 51—0[lower-alpha 1]0—51
Total 324101010354
Nashville SC 2020 MLS 20——2[lower-alpha 2]040
Career total 505101030555
  1. Appearance(s) in CONCACAF Champions League
  2. Appearance(s) in MLS Cup Playoffs

Honours

Seattle Sounders FC

References
  1. @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 learningto play with homemade soccer balls. Congrats to him" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. "Sounders FC trades Handwalla Bwana to Nashville SC for Jimmy Medranda and General Allocation Money". SoundersFC. October 21, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  3. 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.
  4. Episode 27 - "Refuge & Humility" W/Soroosh Abdi & Handwalla Bwana, 32 minutes 49 seconds, retrieved September 14, 2020
  5. "New Homegrown Player Handwalla Bwana sits down for first interview". SoundersFC.com. Seattle Sounders FC. January 12, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
  6. Molinari, Alessandro; Tanaka, Ella (March 28, 2015). "Junior Handwalla Bwana plays soccer for Seattle Sounders Academy". BallardTalisman.com. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  7. "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.
  8. Mondello, Joseph (January 11, 2018). "Analysis: Where will Handwalla Bwana fit with the Sounders?". Seattle Sounders.
  9. Ciaccio, Danny (March 4, 2018). "Seattle Sounders rookie Handwalla Bwana impresses, flashes creative flair in his MLS debut". Seattle Sounders.
  10. 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.
  11. "Seattle Sounders versus FC Dallas starting lineup: Handwalla Bwana makes first MLS start, Kelvin Leerdam first start of season". Seattle Sounders. March 18, 2018.
  12. Boehm, Charles (May 9, 2018). "Toronto FC 1, Seattle Sounders 2 | 2018 MLS Match Recap". MLS. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  13. Evans, Jayda (May 28, 2019). "During Ramadan, Sounders' Nouhou, Handwalla Bwana make it clear: 'Religion comes first'". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  14. "Sounders FC trades Handwalla Bwana to Nashville SC for Jimmy Medranda and General Allocation Money". SoundersFC. October 21, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  15. Handwalla Bwana at Soccerway

Notes

^ Were formerly named Seattle Sounders FC 2[1]


  1. https://www.soundersfc.com/post/2019/01/31/tacoma-defiance-rebrand-completes-seattle-sounders-player-development-restructuring
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