Mutanda Kwesele (born March 14, 1986 in
Mufulira
Mufulira, is a town in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. Mufulira means "Place of Abundance and Peace". The town developed around the Mufulira Copper Mine in the 1930s. The town also serves as the administrative capital of Mufulira District.
...
) is a
Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...
n
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
Youth and college
Kwesele moved from his native Zambia to the United States with his family as a child, settling in
Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...
. He attended
Seattle Preparatory School
Seattle Preparatory School, popularly known as Seattle Prep, is a private, Jesuit high school located on Capitol Hill in Seattle, Washington.
Curriculum
Students generally pursue a traditional four-year course of study at Seattle Prep and then p ...
, where he was a two-time All-Metro and All-District selection, and began his
college soccer
College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United Kingd ...
at
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university's campus surrounds the historic Mis ...
. He transferred to
Seattle University
Seattle University (SeattleU) is a private Jesuit university in Seattle, Washington. Seattle University is the largest independent university in the Northwestern United States, with over 7,500 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate prog ...
prior to his sophomore season in 2006, and played three seasons with the Redhawks, helping the team reach the NCAA tournament in back-to-back seasons in 2006 and 2007. He played in 42 games during his college career, recording two goals and five assists.
During his college years Kwesele also played with the
Tacoma Tide
Sound FC is an American soccer team based in Tacoma, Washington. Founded in 2006, the team most recently played in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid.
History
2006–2009: Playoffs
The Tacoma team was introduced i ...
in the
USL Premier Development League
USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syste ...
in 2007, playing in 10 games and scoring 1 goal.
Professional
Undrafted out of college, Kwesele was unable to secure a professional contract, and signed instead to play with the
Portland Timbers U23s
Capital FC is an American soccer team based in Salem, Oregon, United States. Although founded in 2008 as part of the development system for the Portland Timbers USSF D2 organization, beginning in 2011 they were part of the development system ...
in the
USL Premier Development League
USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syste ...
in 2009.
He signed his first professional contract in 2011 when he signed with
FC Edmonton
FC Edmonton was a Canadian professional soccer club based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club was founded in 2010 and competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 2011 to 2017. The club went on hiatus when NASL ceased competitive operat ...
of the
North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to:
*North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league
*North American Soccer League (2011–2017)
The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...
.
He made his debut for Edmonton on May 4, 2011, in a 1-0 loss to
Toronto FC
Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BMO ...
in the
2011 Nutrilite Canadian Championship. The club released Kwesele on October 12, 2011 after the conclusion of the 2011 season.
Coaching
Mutanda has coached for several Seattle-area clubs, organizations and schools. He is currently a coach with
Emerald City Football Club, and has coached for Rainier Beach High School. Mutanda is also founder o
The Rising Point a non-profit organization designed to bring quality soccer programs to underserved communities.
References
External links
FC Edmonton bioSeattle University bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kwesele, Mutanda
1986 births
Living people
Zambian footballers
Santa Clara Broncos men's soccer players
Seattle Redhawks men's soccer players
FC Edmonton players
Capital FC players
Seattle Sounders FC U-23 players
USL League Two players
North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players
Expatriate soccer players in the United States
Expatriate soccer players in Canada
Association football midfielders
People from Mufulira
Soccer players from Washington (state)