Prior to this week, Seattle Sounders Homegrown midfielder Handwalla Bwana’s previous competitive start came in a 3-2 extra-time loss to Seattle University in an NCAA tournament match last November.
On Wednesday, Bwana started in a 1-0 win over Mexican giants Chivas de Guadalajara in the first quarterfinal leg of CONCACAF Champions League. And he didn’t look out of place one bit.
“Handwalla, that was the surprise for all of us,” said Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. “The kid played great. He came on and didn’t have any fear of the game. There was no [hesitation that] this was Chivas.