Mutanda Kwesele (born March 14, 1986, in

Mufulira Mufulira is a town in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. Mufulira means "Place of Abundance and Peace". The town developed around the Mufulira Copper Mine in the 1930s. The town also serves as the administrative capital of Mufulira District. G ...

) is a

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

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 lea ...

Career

Youth and college

Kwesele moved from his native Zambia to the United States with his family as a child, settling in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

. He attended

Seattle Preparatory School Seattle Preparatory School, popularly known as Seattle Prep, is a private, Jesuit high school located on Capitol Hill in Seattle, Washington, United States. After it was founded in 1891, Seattle Prep merged with Immaculate Conception Parish Sch ...

, where he was a two-time All-Metro and All-District selection, and began his

college soccer College soccer, called college football in some countries, is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. While it is most widespread in the United States, it is also prominent in Japan, South Kore ...

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private university, private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, United States. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university' ...

. He transferred to

Seattle University Seattle University (Seattle U or SU) is a private Jesuit university in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the largest independent university in the Northwestern United States, with over 7,500 students enrolled in undergraduate and grad ...

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 Sound FC is an American soccer team based in Tacoma, Washington. Founded in 2006, the team most recently played in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. History 2006–2009: Playoffs The Tacoma team was introduced i ...

in the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

in 2007, playing in 10 games and scoring 1 goal.

Professional

Undrafted out of college, Kwesele was unable to secure a professional contract, and signed instead to play with the

Portland Timbers U23s Capital FC is an American soccer team based in Salem, Oregon, United States. Although founded in 2008 as part of the development system for the Portland Timbers USSF D2 organization, beginning in 2011 they were part of the development system fo ...

in the

in 2009. He signed his first professional contract in 2011 when he signed with

FC Edmonton FC Edmonton was a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club was founded in 2010 and competed in the North American Soccer League (2011–2017), North American Soccer League (NASL) from 2011 t ...

of the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...

. He made his debut for Edmonton on May 4, 2011, in a 1–0 loss to

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...

in the 2011 Nutrilite Canadian Championship. The club released Kwesele on October 12, 2011, after the conclusion of the 2011 season.

Coaching

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 o
The Rising Point
a non-profit organization designed to bring quality soccer programs to underserved communities.

References

External links

FC Edmonton bio

Seattle University bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kwesele, Mutanda 1986 births Living people Zambian men's footballers 21st-century Zambian sportsmen Santa Clara Broncos men's soccer players Seattle Redhawks men's soccer players FC Edmonton players Capital FC players Seattle Sounders FC U-23 players USL League Two players North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada Men's association football midfielders Footballers from Mufulira Soccer players from Washington (state)