COSMOS SIGN DANNY MWANGA ON LOAN FROM COLORADO RAPIDS
Club agrees on loan deal for former MLS No. 1 overall draft pick
NEW YORK (August 28, 2014) – The New York Cosmos announced today that the team has signed forward Danny Mwanga on loan from the Colorado Rapids. As per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“This is a great opportunity for me in joining the Cosmos,” said Mwanga. “I’m looking forward to getting started in training with the guys, working hard and hopefully contributing to the team’s title defense.”
Mwanga, 23, was drafted by the Philadelphia Union with the first overall pick of the 2010 Major League Soccer SuperDraft and was one of three finalists for the 2010 MLS Rookie of the Year award. During his stints with the Union (2010-2012), Portland Timbers (2012) and Colorado Rapids (2013-2014), Mwanga has scored 15 goals and recorded 10 assists across 98 regular season games.
“We’ve been looking to make additions to our options at forward and we believe Danny provides that,” head coach Giovanni Savarese said. “Danny is an experienced player who is still young and we are looking forward to having him join us.”
Mwanga was born in Congo and moved to Oregon in 2006, before playing college soccer at Oregon State University from 2008-2009. He earned his U.S. citizenship in June 2013.
About the Cosmos
The New York Cosmos began play in 1971, spending 14 seasons in the North American Soccer League, winning five Soccer Bowl trophies and bringing some of the biggest names in world soccer to the USA. This included Pelé, Franz Beckenbauer, Giorgio Chinaglia and Carlos Alberto.
It had been nearly 30 years since the Cosmos, an iconic global soccer club, have played in a professional league. Yet throughout their absence, the club maintained a loyal and dedicated fan following.
On Aug. 3, 2013, the New York Cosmos returned to the NASL with a sell-out win at Hofstra University’s Shuart Stadium, before embarking on a season that would see the Cosmos win the 2013 North American Soccer League Fall Season. The club closed out its inaugural season by winning the 2013 Soccer Bowl with a 1-0 victory against the Atlanta Silverbacks on Nov. 9, 2013 at Atlanta Silverbacks Park, Atlanta, GA. The championship is the sixth NASL title in the club’s history.
The Cosmos also submitted a privately-funded economic development proposal in 2013 to the State of New York to build a world-class 25,000-seat professional soccer stadium at Belmont Park. More information about the proposal and renderings can be found at www.newcosmosstadium.com.
For more information on the New York Cosmos, please visit www.newyorkcosmos.com, join us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @NYCosmos. Tickets for the 2014 season are also now available by calling 855-71-COSMOS or via the club’s official website.
