Mutanda Kwesele (born March 14, 1986, in Mufulira) is a Zambian footballer.

Mutanda Kwesele
Personal information
Full name Mutanda Kwesele
Date of birth (1986-03-14) March 14, 1986 (age 38)
Place of birth Mufulira, Zambia
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Position(s) Midfielder
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005 Santa Clara Broncos 3 (1)
2006–2008 Seattle Redhawks 39 (1)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007 Tacoma Tide 6 (1)
2009 Portland Timbers U23s 10 (1)
2011 FC Edmonton 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of May 11, 2011

Career edit

Youth and college edit

Kwesele moved from his native Zambia to the United States with his family as a child, settling in Seattle, Washington. He attended Seattle Preparatory School, where he was a two-time All-Metro and All-District selection, and began his college soccer at Santa Clara University. He transferred to Seattle University 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 in the USL Premier Development League in 2007, playing in 10 games and scoring 1 goal.[1]

Professional edit

Undrafted out of college, Kwesele was unable to secure a professional contract, and signed instead to play with the Portland Timbers U23s in the USL Premier Development League in 2009.[2]

He signed his first professional contract in 2011 when he signed with FC Edmonton of the North American Soccer League.

He made his debut for Edmonton on May 4, 2011, in a 1–0 loss to Toronto FC in the 2011 Nutrilite Canadian Championship.[3][4] The club released Kwesele on October 12, 2011, after the conclusion of the 2011 season.[5]

Coaching edit

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 of The Rising Point, a non-profit organization designed to bring quality soccer programs to underserved communities.[6]


References edit

  1. ^ "United Soccer Leagues (USL)". Archived from the original on 2008-05-17. Retrieved 2008-07-09.
  2. ^ Portland Timbers Sign Mutanda Kwesele
  3. ^ Players Abroad: Kwesele debuts for Edmonton
  4. ^ TFC Knocks FC Edmonton Out of the Nutrilite Canadian Championship
  5. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-10-15. Retrieved 2011-10-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ STRANGE, KATHARINE (October 25, 2018). "FIELD OF DREAMS: THE RISING POINT BRINGS SOCCER TO DISADVANTAGED YOUTH". Kids & Race.

External links edit