Danny Mwanga

Jean -Marie Daniel Mwanga ( born July 17, 1991 Kinshasa) is a Congolese football player.

Life

Youth and College

Mwanga comes from Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo. His father was an opponent of former dictator Mobutu Sese Seko and died during the civil war in 1997. His mother left him and his siblings, who grew up with his grandmother in order to build a new life in the U.S. can. In 2006, he moved over also to the United States and moved in with his mother in Portland, Oregon. There he attended Jefferson High School.

Career

Youth

Mwanga began his career in 2005 nor in siner home DR Congo, in the province of Katanga when Gedeon FC before he moved to the USA in 2006. After his move to the U.S., he attended Jefferson High School in Portland, Oregon and was part of the Jefferson Democrats soccer team. During the holidays, he played club football for the local club Westside Metros Soccer Club. From 2008 to 2009, he attended Oregon State University and played college soccer for the Oregon State Beavers. In his first year he scored four goals in 11 games and was named the best young player of the Pacific -10 Conference. In the second year he was voted the best player of the Conference. He scored 14 goals in 18 games.

Professional

In MLS SuperDraft 2010, he was drafted as the first overall pick in the first round by Philadelphia Union. He made ​​his debut on the opening day of the Major League Soccer in 2010. On May 15, 2010, he scored his first goal, and thus secured a draw against FC Dallas. He was nominated at the end of the season for the MLS Rookie of the Year Award.

National

Although he is not a citizen of the United States, he announced its intention for the national football team of the United States to want to play.