Kenyan teen who used to be a refugee lands lucrative deal with American sports club

Kenyan-born teen living in Seattle has been signed by the Sounders, an American soccer club in the city.Handwalla Bwana, 18, is expected to report to training camp later this month the team said on Thursday.Bwana, a former refugee from Mombassa, spent the past two seasons with the Huskies touted of the Washington as one of the most under-the-radar recruits in the nation and perhaps the best young soccer player to come out of the Seattle area.In expression of his bliss in joining the new team, Bwana who was born in Mombasa said was still in disbelief.“I never actually thought I’d be a pro from where I come,” he noted. “I remember going to sounders for games for the first time, and it was incredible. The atmosphere was something I had never seen before. Being able to sign to sign as a Homegrown, I can’t believe it.”Bwana only came to the United States in 2010, after six years at the Kakuma refugee camp. They moved to the camp hoping for a chance to land in the US.“I was praying to get my hopes up,” Bwana said. “Make me get the opportunity so that I can help my mom out. That’s all I asked for. I didn’t ask for money. Just give me the chance. Let me make the most of it.”Though he landed in the US, things were a bit hard before he could fully settle in."School was stressful,” Handwalla said. “I’m the kind of person who is really social. But if you don’t speak the language, how do I get involved? I didn’t have any friends. I would sit down alone at lunch.“I would just come home crying. It took me, what, a month, two months just to figure out how to open my locker?”Bwana, who joins Cristian Roldan and Henry Wingo as Washington products on Seattle's roster, scored 12 goals and assisted on 13 others in his two years playing for the Huskies. He played in 39 games during that span and made 26 starts.