James Mzamo Musa (born 1 April 1992) is a New Zealand professional

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 ...

who plays as a

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

for

USL Championship 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 ...

club

Colorado Springs Switchbacks Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC is a professional soccer team based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Founded in 2014, the team is a member of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The franchise is owned by Martin E ...

Early life

Born in

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

, England, of South African

Xhosa Xhosa may refer to: * Xhosa people, a nation, and ethnic group, who live in south-central and southeasterly region of South Africa * Xhosa language, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa, principally spoken by the Xhosa people See als ...

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

shona Shona often refers to: * Shona people, a Southern African people * Shona language, a Bantu language spoken by Shona people today Shona may also refer to: * ''Shona'' (album), 1994 album by New Zealand singer Shona Laing * Shona (given name) * S ...

and

Afrikaner Afrikaners () are a South African ethnic group descended from Free Burghers, predominantly Dutch settlers first arriving at the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th and 18th centuries.Entry: Cape Colony. ''Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 4 Part 2: ...

descent, Musa and his family moved to New Zealand in 1999. Musa described New Zealand as "a good place to grow up", he still visits family in Zimbabwe.

Club career

Wellington Phoenix

Scouted by the Phoenix as one of the club's mandatory Under-21 players, Musa, a schoolboy at Wanganui High School, signed a professional contract with the Wellington outfit in June 2010 prior to the start of the 2010-11 A-League season. Musa made his first team début on 27 November 2010 at home against

Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Victory e ...

, a game he started at left back in place of the suspended

Ben Sigmund Benjamin Robert Sigmund (born 3 February 1981) is a New Zealand former international footballer. He represented New Zealand at under-17, under-20 and senior level. Club career Born in Blenheim, Sigmund spent his early career with Football ...

. It made him the 50th player to take the field for the Phoenix and also their 3rd youngest debutant behind

Kosta Barbarouses Konstantinos "Kosta" Barbarouses ( el, Κωνσταντίνος "Κώστας" Μπαρμπαρούσης; born 19 February 1990) is a New Zealand professional footballer who plays in Australia's A-League Men for Wellington Phoenix FC. Club ca ...

and

Marco Rojas Marco Rodrigo Rojas (born 5 November 1991) is a New Zealand professional footballer who plays as a forward for Chilean side Colo-Colo and the New Zealand national team. During his time in the A-League with Melbourne Victory, Rojas was dubb ...

. Following the 2010/11 A-League season, Musa was released from the Phoenix.

Waitakere City

Musa signed for

Waitakere City Waitākere City was a territorial authority in West Auckland, New Zealand; it was governed by the Waitākere City Council from 1989 to 2010. It was New Zealand's fifth-largest city, with an annual growth of about 2%. In 2010 the council was ...

in the Northern League, New Zealand in June 2011 to help prepare himself before the

2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup The 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the 18th FIFA U-20 World Cup. Colombia hosted the tournament between 29 July and 20 August 2011, with matches being played in eight cities. The tournament was won by Brazil who claimed their fifth title. At a FIFA ...

Following a successful

for the New Zealand U-20 team, he was linked with

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. Th ...

in England. Despite early reports that Musa had signed a two-year deal with the Bantams, the deal fell through when the manager, Peter Jackson offered his resignation to the club. In 2012 Musa again played for Waitakere City where he was able to get competitive games before the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Team Wellington

On 20 October 2011 Musa signed for

Team Wellington Team Wellington Football Club was a New Zealand semi-professional football club based in the suburb of Miramar in Wellington, New Zealand. They competed in the ISPS Handa Premiership. Team Wellington had traditionally been one of the most succe ...

to play in the

ASB Premiership The New Zealand Football Championship ( mi, Te Whakataetae Whutupaoro a Aotearoa) was a men's association football league at the top of the New Zealand league system. Founded in 2004, the New Zealand Football Championship was the successor to a m ...

. He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–2 last gasp win against Waikato FC on 5 February 2012. Musa helped

to a 4th-place finish in the league where they went on to beat league winners

Auckland City FC Auckland City Football Club is a New Zealand professional football club based in the suburb of Sandringham in Auckland, New Zealand. They currently compete in the Northern League (New Zealand), Northern League. Auckland City have established the ...

in a two leg semi-final 1–0 at home and 4–1 away to secure a place in the

Grand Final against

Waitakere United Waitakere United was a football club based in Waitakere City, New Zealand. They were one of the franchises in the ISPS Handa Premiership. They played their home games at Fred Taylor Park in Kumeu and The Trusts Arena. History Waitakere Uni ...

where they succumbed to a 4–1 loss at Trusts Stadium, Auckland.

Fulham

Following a substitute appearance for the New Zealand U-23 team at the London 2012 Olympic Games against Egypt at Old Trafford, Musa was approached by English

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

club

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...

for a trial. After a successful trial, Musa put pen to paper and signed for Fulham on 31 August 2012. He joined on a one-year deal with an additional year option. A week after joining Fulham, Musa was quickly able to adapt at Fulham It was confirmed on 4 January 2013 that James would go on a one-month loan to

Conference National The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profes ...

club

Hereford United Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'The ...

to gain first-team experience. On 30 January 2013, his loan was extended by a further month, and this was later extended again until 4 April 2013. On 26 March 2013, Musa returned to Fulham due to illness. Musa was one of twelve players released by Fulham at the end of the 2012–2013 Premier League season. After being released by the club, Musa was linked with Scottish Premiership side Hearts.

Team Wellington and South Melbourne

After leaving Fulham, Musa returned to New Zealand, where he joined

for the second time. Musa signed for

South Melbourne South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. South Melbourne recorded a population of 11,548 at t ...

of the

National Premier Leagues Victoria The National Premier Leagues Victoria, commonly known as NPL Victoria, is a semi-professional soccer league in Victoria, Australia. The league is a part of the National Premier Leagues, and is the highest level within the Victorian soccer leagu ...

in Australia on 7 March 2014, and joined them following his sides 1–0 loss to

in the

grand final on 16 March 2014. The 1–0 loss to

was Musa's second successive defeat in the

grand final having previously lost to

in 2012.

Saint Louis FC

On 25 February 2015 Musa signed with

USL 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, p ...

expansion club

Saint Louis FC Saint Louis FC was an American professional soccer team based in St. Louis, Missouri. The team was founded in May 2014, and competed in the USL Championship. The team played their matches at West Community Stadium, a venue inside the World Wid ...

. Head coach Dale Schilly is quoted as saying "At 22 years old, James brings loads of experience to Saint Louis FC...His experiences with Fulham and the New Zealand National Team have helped shape him into a top player. He has demonstrated very good defending instincts, is good in the air, and possesses sound open-field defending and tracking."

Return to Team Wellington

In November 2015, he returned to ASB Premiership to play for Team Wellington during the USL offseason.

Return to Saint Louis FC

Musa returned to Saint Louis for the 2016 USL season. On 9 November 2016,

announced that Musa wouldn't be returning to the club for the 2017 season.

Swope Park Rangers

On 30 November 2016,

Swope Park Rangers Sporting Kansas City II is a MLS Next Pro club affiliated with Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer. For the 2022 season they will play their home games at Rock Chalk Park at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, as well as Sw ...

, the reserve team for

Sporting Kansas City Sporting Kansas City, often shortened to Sporting KC, is an American men's professional Association football, soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The administrative offices are located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and t ...

, announced their signing of Musa along with his teammate from

Parker Maher.

Sporting Kansas City

In August 2017, Musa signed a first-team contract with

for the remainder of the 2017 season with options for 2018, 2019, and 2020. On 12 August 2017 Musa made his first team debut against

Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...

Phoenix Rising FC

On 1 March 2018, Musa signed with

Phoenix Rising FC Phoenix Rising Football Club is an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 2014 as Arizona United Soccer Club, the team is a member of the USL Championship. History On March 13, 2014, Kyle E ...

who play in the

United Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a Association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues curren ...

Minnesota United

On 17 January 2020, Musa made the move back to

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

, joining

Minnesota United Minnesota United FC is an American professional soccer club based in Saint Paul, Minnesota that plays in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer. The club began play in 2017 as the league's 22nd club, and replaced the North American So ...

. Minnesota opted to decline their contract option on Musa following the 2020 season.

Return to Phoenix Rising FC

On 5 March 2021, Musa re-signed with

Colorado Springs Switchbacks

Musa signed with Colorado Springs Switchbacks on November 18, 2022.

International career

Musa was selected for the New Zealand U-20 team to compete in the 2011 OFC U-20 Championship in April 2011 and the Suwon Cup in Korea. During the OFC U-20 championship he played in all four matches, scoring a hat-trick during the group stage and helping the Junior All Whites win the tournament and secure qualification to the

at which he played all three games against Cameroon, Uruguay and Portugal. In February 2012, Musa was selected in New Zealand's 20 man squad to play two friendly matches against Saudi Arabia, coached by former

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Founded ...

Manager

Frank Rijkaard Franklin Edmundo Rijkaard (; born 30 September 1962) is a Dutch former footballer and former manager who played as a defensive midfielder. Rijkaard played for Ajax, Real Zaragoza and AC Milan and represented the Netherlands national team side ...

in Melbourne, Australia in preparation for the

2012 OFC Men's Pre-Olympic Football Tournament The 2012 OFC Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament was the qualifying tournament to the football competition at the Football at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament, 2012 Summer Olympics in London for the member nations of the Oceania Foot ...

to be held in Taupo, New Zealand. On 25 March 2012 the New Zealand U-23 men's team secured qualification for the

with a 1–0 win over Fiji with a coolly finished penalty from Greg Draper. Musa played a big role in the Heart of defence during the qualifying campaign with the New Zealand U-23 team going through unbeaten. He also scored 2 goals during the tournament. On 21 June 2012, Musa was named as one of the 6 defenders in Neil Emblen's 18-man squad for the

, with

Ryan Nelsen Ryan William Nelsen (born 18 October 1977) is a former New Zealand professional football player and former head coach of Major League Soccer side Toronto FC. Nelsen commonly played as a defender, and his professional career began in 1995. He ...

named as captain and as one of the three overage players. Musa made one appearance for the New Zealand U-23 team at the

. He came on at left back in the 1–1 draw against

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

in place of the injured Ian Hogg in the 63rd minute at

Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...

. Musa was called into the

All Whites The New Zealand men's national football team ( mi, Tīma hoka a-motu o Aotearoa) represents New Zealand in men's international football competitions. The team is governed by the governing body for football in New Zealand, New Zealand Footbal ...

squad for a 30 May friendly in Auckland against

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

by interim coach Neil Emblen. Musa made his international debut on 30 May 2014 against South Africa, coming on as a substitute. The match ended in a nil-all draw.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Musa, James Living people 1992 births Association football midfielders Association football central defenders New Zealand association footballers New Zealand international footballers Wellington Phoenix FC players Team Wellington players Olympic association footballers of New Zealand Footballers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Hereford United F.C. players National League (English football) players Fulham F.C. players Saint Louis FC players Sporting Kansas City II players Sporting Kansas City players Phoenix Rising FC players Minnesota United FC players Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC players New Zealand people of South African descent New Zealand people of Italian descent New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in England People educated at Wanganui High School USL Championship players Major League Soccer players English emigrants to New Zealand