St. Anthony's Kitale alumnus Philip Mayaka has been drafted by Major League Soccer (MLS) side Colorado Rapids Soccer Club .
St. Anthony's Kitale alumnus Philip Mayaka has been drafted by Major League Soccer (MLS) side Colorado Rapids Soccer Club .
"The way we looked at the draft this year, there were three outstanding candidates," Rapids EVP & GM Padraig Smith told MLSsoccer.
"Three top players who separated themselves from the rest of the pack. When you look at the talent available at the top end of this draft, it was really important for us to get in there and acquire one of those players. To get Philip in the end is really fantastic.”
Mayaka, 21, was born in Kenya and came to the United States at the Montverde Academy in Florida, the same school Rapids forward and 2019 Rookie of the Year winner Andre Shinyashiki starred at.
He is best as a defensive midfielder or in a box-to-box role, and the indefatigable yet technical midfielder has drawn comparisons to "Dax McCarty with speed" as well as Latif Blessing and Darlington Nagbe.
“He’s a really tenacious player," Smith said.
He used the word tenacious more than a few times to describe Mayaka during the conversation.
"Technically gifted, a good passer of the ball, with good awareness. Then you add that tenacity and desire, he’s a really well-rounded player. We feel with our commitment to bringing through young players, he has the ability to thrive through this league in the long-term.”