The Tampa Bay Rowdies have begun to add much-needed depth to the club’s front-line.
Forward Danny Mwanga, the 2010 MLS draft’s No. 1 overall pick, has signed a one-year contract with the team. The deal also includes a club option for 2017.
The big off-season addition is coming on the heels of a fall season that saw the Rowdies score the second-lowest team point total in the NASL: just 20. Compare that to the league-leading 45 points scored by the Ottawa Fury.
In addition to a big leg, Mwanga, just 24, also brings with him a half-decade worth of professional experience.
After beginning his career with the MLS’ Philadelphia Union in 2010, Mwanga spent time playing for the Portland Timbers and Colorado Rapids, tallying 15 goals in about five seasons. He made his way to the NASL in 2014, when he was loaned by Colorado to the New York Cosmos.
That season he finished with one goal and one assist in eight appearances (all starts).
The 2015 season was somewhat of a rough one for Mwanga though, as Colorado declined to renew his contract, sending the former No. 1 pick to Orlando City, where he appeared in just four matches, scoring no goals.
Mwanga will be joining a Tampa Bay Rowdies forward rotation that already includes Georgi Hristov and Tommy Heinemann. He’ll also be reuniting with former Timbers teammate Kalif Alhassan.
The Rowdies 2016 season starts in April.
