Handwalla Bwana
Somali footballer (born 1999)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Handwalla Bwana (born June 25, 1999)[1] is a Somali professional footballer who plays as a winger for USL Championship club Las Vegas Lights and the Somalia national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | June 25, 1999 | ||
| Place of birth | Mombasa, Kenya | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Las Vegas Lights | ||
| Number | 26 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2015–2016 | Seattle Sounders FC | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2017 | Washington Huskies | 39 | (12) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2020 | Tacoma Defiance[a] | 16 | (1) |
| 2018–2020 | Seattle Sounders FC | 32 | (4) |
| 2020–2022 | Nashville SC | 7 | (0) |
| 2022 | → Memphis 901 (loan) | 4 | (1) |
| 2023 | Charleston Battery | 0 | (0) |
| 2024 | PDX FC | 1 | (0) |
| 2025 | South Georgia Tormenta | 21 | (3) |
| 2026– | Las Vegas Lights | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2025– | Somalia | 1 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 11:07, 2 November 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 13:33, 11 September 2025 (UTC) | |||
Early life
Bwana was born a Somali refugee in Mombasa, Kenya, spending the first six years of his childhood at a refugee camp in Kakuma in northwestern Kenya.[2] His family resettled in the United States in 2010, initially in Atlanta, but later in Seattle, where he attended Ballard High School.[3] Bwana said "I fell in love with the game because my dad played it. My dad was a professional in Somalia".[4] Describing how his childhood shaped him as a player, Bwana has stated that "playing with a garbage ball...made me better with my feet".[5]
Career
Bwana joined the Seattle Sounders FC Academy in 2015.[6] On September 11, 2015, Bwana made his professional debut for USL club Seattle Sounders FC 2 in a 1–0 defeat to the Orange County Blues.[7] He spent two seasons at the University of Washington.
Bwana was signed by the Sounders MLS side as a Homegrown Player on January 11, 2018.[8] Bwana made his debut for the club against expansion side Los Angeles FC as a substitute on March 4, 2018, an appearance which included a shot from outside the box that hit the crossbar.[9] He started Seattle's CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal tie against Mexican club Chivas three days later,[10] but did not appear in the second leg in Guadalajara, as Seattle lost 3–1 on aggregate. Bwana started his first MLS game against FC Dallas on March 18, 2018, a 3–0 defeat.[11] His first goal was on May 9, 2018, the game winner against Toronto FC,[12] and scored again a week later against Orlando City SC.[13]
The Sounders traded Bwana to Nashville SC on October 21, 2020, in exchange for Jimmy Medranda and $225,000 of General Allocation Money.[14]
On August 19, 2022, Bwana joined USL Championship side Memphis 901 on loan for the remainder of the 2022 season.[15]
On January 10, 2023, Bwana and Nashville mutually agreed to part ways.[16] The following day, the player officially joined USL Championship side Charleston Battery on a free transfer.[17] After missing the entire season due to injury, he left Charleston following the 2023 season.[18]
Bwana signed with Tormenta FC of USL League One in January 2025.[19]
On 20 February 2026, Bwana signed for Las Vegas Lights in the USL Championship for the 2026 season.
International career
Bwana was called up to the Somalia national team for a set of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches in September 2025.[20]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 30 November 2020[21]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Seattle Sounders FC 2 | 2015 | USL | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2016 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||||
| 2018 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||||
| Tacoma Defiance | 2019 | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | 6 | 1 | ||||
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | ||
| Seattle Sounders FC | 2018 | MLS | 12 | 2 | — | 1[b] | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 14 | 2 | |
| 2019 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | |||
| 2020 | 5 | 1 | — | 0[b] | 0 | — | 5 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 32 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 4 | ||
| Nashville SC | 2020 | MLS | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2[c] | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 50 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 55 | 5 | ||
Honours
Notes
- Tacoma Defiance were known as Seattle Sounders FC 2.
- Appearance(s) in CONCACAF Champions League
- Appearance(s) in MLS Cup Playoffs