Mayaka drafted into Colorado Rapids preseason squad

Kenyan midfielder Philip Mayaka is part of the Colorado Rapids squad which kicked off the 2021 preseason in Tucson, Arizona on Monday.

Colorado Rapids who ply their trade in the United States’ Major League Soccer (MLS) began their preparations for the new season at the start of the month and in an attempt to enhance fine-tune their players, the club had to switch its preseason base from Colorado to Arizona.

Mayaka who joined the Colorado Rapids in January will enter their camp for the first time after impressing while turning out for Clemson University side Clemston Tigers and was among the most sought-after prospects in the MLS draft this year.

Mayaka who was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) at St Anthony’s Boys Kitale claimed the 2016 Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) after edging Dagoretti High School 5-4 on post-match penalties, was drafted alongside two other Kenyans - Nabilai Kibungucy and Leroy Enzugusi who joined Minnesota United and Nashville SC respectively.

The box-to-box midfielder who was scouted by Mike Potempa was in a class of his own in the college games and joins the camp hoping to translate the form into the league.

Other new faces in the Colorada Rapids camp are Yaya Toure, a seventeen-year-old winger captured from New York Red Bulls II, Kelly Jeremy, a defender who was ninth in the draft and Edwards Michael who joined from German's fourth tier side Wolfsburg II.