Patrick Daka (born 6 September 1975 in

Harare Harare ( ), formerly Salisbury, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of , a population of 1,849,600 as of the 2022 Zimbabwe census, 2022 census and an estimated 2,487,209 people in its metrop ...

) is a

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

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 ...

who last played for

Charlotte Eagles The Charlotte Eagles is an American amateur soccer team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1991, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays its home games at the ...

in the

USL Second Division The USL Second Division (commonly referred to as USL-2) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, operated by United Soccer Leagues (USL). It was at the third tier of soccer in the United States, behind Major League Soccer ...

Career

Early career

Daka began his career in his native Zimbabwe. At age 19, Daka signed with Hessen Kassel F.C in Germany in 1995 and played two seasons with them. He played games against Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and Stuttgart to name a few scoring a magical goal in the 90th minute against Borussia Dortmund in Kassel. He played for Black Aces and Darryn T in the

Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League is the top professional division of the Zimbabwe Football Association. It was founded in 1980, as a successor to the 1962 formed ''Rhodesia National Football League.'' It is currently sponsored by Delta Beverages ...

College

Daka moved to the United States in 2001, and subsequently played two years of

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 ...

at Western Baptist College (now

Corban University Corban University is a private Christian university in Salem, Oregon, United States. There are about 1,000 full-time students enrolled on the Salem campus and 2,800 worldwide. Athletically, it is a member of the National Association of Interco ...

), where he earned many honours including NAIA All-American, College Male Athlete of the Year, NAIA National Championship Most Outstanding Offensive Player and All-Conference Honors. During his college years he also played with

Cascade Surge Cascade Surge was an American association football, soccer team based in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1995, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2009, when ...

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 ...

Professional

His first USA signing was with the

in the Pro Soccer League in 2004, and has been with the team ever since. He made his professional debut on 15 May 2004, scoring a goal in Charlotte's 3–2 win over the Northern Virginia Royals. He has since gone on to make more than 100 appearances for the Eagles. Daka was not listed on the 2011 roster for Charlotte. He is now on the club's coaching staff.

International

Daka is a former full member of the

Zimbabwe national football team The Zimbabwe national football team (nicknamed ''The Warriors'') represents Zimbabwe in men's international football and is controlled by the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA), formerly known as the Football Association of Rhodesia. The tea ...

, having played for the Warriors in the

COSAFA Cup The COSAFA Cup (known fully as COSAFA Senior Challenge Cup) is an annual tournament for teams from Southern Africa organized by Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA), inaugurated after the ban against the Republic of Sout ...

in 1998 and 1999, World Cup qualifiers, African Cup qualifiers, and in numerous friendlies.

Personal life

Daka now coaches youth soccer at Charlotte Soccer Academy and offers camps for youth throughout the year.

References

External links

Charlotte Eagles bio

Daka Soccer Academy – Personal Youth Soccer Training
{{DEFAULTSORT:Daka, Patrick 1975 births Living people Footballers from Harare Zimbabwean men's footballers Black Aces FC players Free State Stars F.C. players Cascade Surge players Charlotte Eagles players USL Second Division players USL League Two players Corban University alumni Expatriate men's soccer players in South Africa Zimbabwean expatriate sportspeople in South Africa Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Zimbabwean expatriate sportspeople in the United States Zimbabwean expatriate men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Men's association football forwards Zimbabwe men's international footballers