Mpho Moloi (born 20 May 1983 in
Soweto) is a South African
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
.
Career
College
Moloi attended a soccer academy in South Africa named Transnet School of Excellence before moving to
Newark, New Jersey when he was a teenager. He attended
Saint Benedict's Preparatory School
St. Benedict's Preparatory School is a Catholic college preparatory school in Newark, New Jersey run by the Benedictines.
The school serves boys and girls in kindergarten through twelfth grade on a urban campus. The school has been accredite ...
for his junior and senior years of high school, helping the Grey Bees to consecutive NJISAA prep championships. He also helped the Grey Bees win a national championship in 2001.
He went on to play
college soccer at the
University of Connecticut, where he was a regular for four years and captain for three years. Moloi earned all-Big East honors three times, including first-team status his senior year, and was named Big East Midfielder of the Year in 2005.
Professional
Moloi was drafted by
Houston Dynamo
Houston Dynamo FC (formerly officially, but still commonly, called the Houston Dynamo) is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The Dynamo compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Establi ...
in the
2006 MLS Supplemental Draft In Major League Soccer in the United States and Canada, the 2006 MLS Supplemental Draft, held on January 26, 2006, followed the 2006 MLS SuperDraft, as teams filled out their developmental rosters.
Round 1
Round 1 trades
Round 2
Round 2 trade ...
, and made one start for the team in the
US Open Cup, but never saw any league playing time in two MLS years.
He returned home to South Africa in 2008, and played two seasons for
Thanda Royal Zulu
Thanda Royal Zulu was a South African football club based in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal.
History
The club started after a Swedish consortium that included Sven-Goran Eriksson bought the franchise from Benoni Premier United at the end of the 2006 ...
in the
Vodacom League
The ABC Motsepe League, previously known as the Vodacom League between 1998 and 2012, was founded in 1998 as the current Second Division and the overall third tier of South African football. The competition is regulated by SAFA, and until 2012 ...
, before returning to the United States in 2010. Moloi signed with the
Harrisburg City Islanders of the
USL Second Division in 2010, and made his debut for them on 17 April 2010 in Harrisburg's opening day 2-2 tie with the
Richmond Kickers
Richmond Kickers is an American professional soccer club based in Richmond, Virginia. The Kickers compete as a member of USL League One (USL-1). The club was established in 1993, and began play that same year as a United States Interregional S ...
.
References
External links
Harrisburg City Islanders bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moloi, Mpho
1983 births
Living people
South African men's soccer players
Houston Dynamo FC players
Thanda Royal Zulu F.C. players
Penn FC players
USL Second Division players
UConn Huskies men's soccer players
Houston Dynamo FC draft picks
St. Benedict's Preparatory School alumni
Men's association football midfielders