Winnipegger climbs up to Whitecaps’ main squad
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/08/2019 (2237 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
MAJOR Soccer League’s Vancouver Whitecaps are getting some Winnipeg-grown talent added to their roster this year.
Nineteen-year-old Georges Mukumbilwa recently put pen to paper on his first pro contract, the Manitoba Soccer Association announced on Friday.
Mukumbilwa was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but escaped the civil war and moved to a refugee camp in Kigali, Rwanda, when he was young.
The midfielder joined the Manitoba soccer system after moving here with his family when he was 13.
“It’s amazing. Where I’m from, I didn’t have the type of opportunity that I have here. Coming to Winnipeg really helped me. They’re the people who helped me to get where I am today. I was really fortunate,” Mukumbilwa said.
He played with Portage Trail Soccer Club and in the Manitoba Provincial Program during his youth career. Mukumbilwa joined the Whitecaps FC Residency in 2014, dominating while working his way through the program’s youth teams. He started 23 games for the U16 team, scoring six goals during the 2015-16 season. With the U18 team the following year, he made 20 starts and tacked on six more goals to his resumé.
Mukumbilwa was signed to the club’s development squad in July 2018 and spent the 2019 pre-season with the first team.
While his talent was obvious, Mukumbilwa almost didn’t make it through the first year of his Whitecaps residency. Being so far from his family and friends in Winnipeg was tough on the young teen.
“It was really tough. My first year in Vancouver, I was thinking about quitting the team, but my mom forced me to stay and that was it.”
Now, he couldn’t be happier he stuck it out and worked his way up to the top of the Whitecaps organization.
“I’m really excited, really happy. It’s what I’ve always wanted… This year, I’m just going to do whatever my coach asks me to do. Going to do as much as I can to pull weight on the team.”
devon.shewchuk@freepress.mb.ca
Twitter: @devonshewchuk