Handwalla Bwana | |
Birth Date: | 25 June 1999 |
Birth Place: | Mombasa, Kenya |
Height: | 1.80 m |
Position: | Attacking midfielder, winger |
Youthyears1: | 2015–2016 |
Youthclubs1: | Seattle Sounders FC |
Collegeyears1: | 2016–2017 |
College1: | Washington Huskies |
Collegecaps1: | 39 |
Collegegoals1: | 12 |
Years1: | 2015–2020 |
Clubs1: | Tacoma Defiance |
Caps1: | 16 |
Goals1: | 1 |
Years2: | 2018–2020 |
Clubs2: | Seattle Sounders FC |
Caps2: | 32 |
Goals2: | 4 |
Years3: | 2020–2022 |
Clubs3: | Nashville SC |
Caps3: | 7 |
Goals3: | 0 |
Years4: | 2022 |
Clubs4: | → Memphis 901 (loan) |
Caps4: | 4 |
Goals4: | 1 |
Years5: | 2023 |
Clubs5: | Charleston Battery |
Caps5: | 0 |
Goals5: | 0 |
Club-Update: | October 19, 2022 |
Handwalla Bwana (born June 25, 1999)[1] is a Somali professional footballer who plays as a winger.
Bwana was born a Somali refugee in Mombasa, Kenya, spending the first six years of his childhood at a refugee camp in Kakuma in northwestern Kenya.[2] His family resettled in the United States in 2010, initially in Atlanta, but later in Seattle, where he attended Ballard High School.[3] Bwana said "I fell in love with the game because my dad played it. My dad was a professional in Somalia". Describing how his childhood shaped him as a player, Bwana has stated that "playing with a garbage ball...made me better with my feet".[4]
Bwana joined the Seattle Sounders FC Academy in 2015.[5] On September 11, 2015, Bwana made his professional debut for USL club Seattle Sounders FC 2 in a 1–0 defeat to the Orange County Blues.[6] He spent two seasons at the University of Washington.
Bwana was signed by the Sounders MLS side as a Homegrown Player on January 11, 2018.[7] Bwana made his debut for the club against expansion side Los Angeles FC as a substitute on March 4, 2018, an appearance which included a shot from outside the box that hit the crossbar.[8] He started Seattle's CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal tie against Mexican club Chivas three days later,[9] but did not appear in the second leg in Guadalajara, as Seattle lost 3–1 on aggregate. Bwana started his first MLS game against FC Dallas on March 18, 2018, a 3–0 defeat.[10] His first goal was on May 9, 2018, the game winner against Toronto FC,[11] and scored again a week later against Orlando City SC.[12]
The Sounders traded Bwana to Nashville SC on October 21, 2020, in exchange for Jimmy Medranda and $225,000 of General Allocation Money.[13]
On August 19, 2022, Bwana joined USL Championship side Memphis 901 on loan for the remainder of the 2022 season.[14]
On January 10, 2023, Bwana and Nashville mutually agreed to part ways.[15] The following day, the player officially joined USL Championship side Charleston Battery on a free transfer.[16] After missing the entire season due to injury, he left Charleston following the 2023 season.[17]
Club | Season | League | National Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
Seattle Sounders FC 2 | 2015 | USL | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
2016 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||||||
2018 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||||||
Tacoma Defiance | 2019 | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | 6 | 1 | |||||
2020 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||||
Total | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | |||
Seattle Sounders FC | 2018 | MLS | 12 | 2 | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 2 | ||
2019 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | ||||
2020 | 5 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 1 | |||||
Total | 32 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 4 | |||
Nashville SC | 2020 | MLS | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |||
Career total | 50 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 55 | 5 |
Seattle Sounders FC