Thabiso "Boyzzz" Khumalo (born 27 October 1980 in

Soweto Soweto () is a township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for ''South Western Townships''. Formerly a s ...

) is a former

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

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 ...

. Since 2019, he has been head coach of

AFC Ann Arbor AFC Ann Arbor is an American soccer club based in Ann Arbor, Michigan that currently plays in USL League Two. The team played in the National Premier Soccer League from 2016 to 2019. History AFC Ann Arbor was started by a group of Ann Arbor ...

's women's side in the

USL W League The USL W League (USLW) is a pre-professional women's soccer league in the United States which began play in May 2022. It was announced on June 8, 2021 by the United Soccer League with eight founding clubs. It follows the USL W-League, a sim ...

Early life and education

As a boy, Khumalo played under Farouk Khan at the "Super Centre" at the Transnet School of Excellence, before moving to the United States at the age of 16, settling in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

. Khumalo attended Bethlehem High School in

Bardstown, Kentucky Bardstown is a home rule-class city in Nelson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 11,700 in the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nelson County. Bardstown is named for the pioneering Bard brothers. David Bard obtained a l ...

, played club soccer for the Nelson County Assassins, Javanon and Lexington Premier, and played

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 K ...

for Lindsey Wilson College and

Coastal Carolina University Coastal Carolina University (CCU or Coastal) is a public university in Conway, South Carolina. Founded in 1954 as Coastal Carolina Junior College, and later joining the University of South Carolina System as USC Coastal Carolina, it became an in ...

while studying for a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education. During his college years Khumalo also played 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 syst ...

for both Mid-Michigan Bucks and

Chicago Fire Premier Chicago Fire U-23 was an American soccer team based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 2001, the team last played in the PDL, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. They last played in 2016, choosing to leave the PDL. The ...

Professional career

Khumalo was drafted by Chicago Fire in the

2005 MLS SuperDraft The 2005 MLS SuperDraft, held in Baltimore, Maryland on January 14, 2005, was the sixth incarnation of the annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft. Expansion club Real Salt Lake had the first pick as the result of a coin toss (fellow newcomers C.D. ...

, but never played a game in MLS, and instead spent time with

Charleston Battery The Charleston Battery are an American professional soccer club based in Charleston, South Carolina, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 1993, the Battery are one of the oldest continuously operating professional soccer clubs in th ...

in the

USL First Division The USL First Division (usually referred to as USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada from 2005 to 2010. During its existence, it formed the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer league system ...

. He joined

USL Second Division The USL Second Division (commonly referred to as USL-2) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, operated by United Soccer Leagues (USL). It was at the third tier of soccer in the United States, behind Major League Soccer (t ...

side

Wilmington Hammerheads Wilmington Hammerheads FC was a semi-professional American soccer team based in Wilmington, North Carolina. Founded in 1996, the team last competed in the Premier Development League, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid in 2017. History ...

in 2006, and then returned to South Africa, where he played for the Vodacom League team Alexandra United for his former coach, Farouk Khan. Khumalo returned to the United States in 2008, playing for the

Pittsburgh Riverhounds Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC is an American professional soccer team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1999 and beginning play in 1999, the club plays in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American so ...

in the

, where he was named to the USL-2 Team of the Year, played all 20 games, and registered six goals and three assists to finish tied for sixth in points in the league. He was also named in the Team of the Week on four occasions, and named Player of the Week once. On 10 September 2008, Khumalo signed on loan with

D.C. United D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...

. He bagged his first goal for

during a 5–2 loss to

Los Angeles Galaxy LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began pla ...

on 21 September 2008. Khumalo's success on loan led to United signing him on a permanent basis after the 2008 season ended. Khumalo was released by D.C. United on 27 July 2010. In November 2010, the Louisville Lightning from the

Premier Arena Soccer League The Premier Arena Soccer League (PASL) is an indoor soccer league with mostly semi-professional teams; along with a number of amateur teams across North America. The PASL was previously known as the Federation of Sports Arenas (FSA). The PASL logo ...

announced they had signed Khumalo to play in the 2010–11 season. On 14 March 2011, Khumalo signed a contract with

, now playing in the

USL Pro The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

league. On 16 November 2013, Khumalo signed with Lansing United, of the National Premier Soccer League. Khumalo signed with

of the

National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's soccer league. The NPSL is a semi-professional league, comprising some teams that have paid players and some that are entirely amateur. The league is officially affiliated to the Uni ...

for the 2016 season as an assistant coach and player.

Personal life

Khumalo is involved with a nonprofit organisation called the Umhlaba Vision Foundation, which serves to find opportunities for youth through sport and education.

References

External links

MLS player profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khumalo, Thabiso 1980 births Living people Soccer players from Soweto Zulu people South African men's soccer players Flint City Bucks players Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Chicago Fire FC players Chicago Fire U-23 players Charleston Battery players USL First Division players Wilmington Hammerheads FC players Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC players USL Second Division players D.C. United players USL League Two players National Premier Soccer League players AFC Ann Arbor players Major League Soccer players USL Championship players Chicago Fire FC draft picks Player-coaches Men's association football forwards Men's association football midfielders Women's association football managers