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Mkosana breaks into MLS

Sport
Another Bulawayo-born striker. Lucky Mkosana, will be joining United States Major League Soccer (MLS) side Chicago Fire for the 2012 season after he was drafted by the club last Thursday from Dartmouth College. Mkosana joins fellow Zimbabwean Mkhokheli Dube, a former Under-23 Warriors and Highlanders striker, who is leaving another MLS side New England Revolution […]

Another Bulawayo-born striker. Lucky Mkosana, will be joining United States Major League Soccer (MLS) side Chicago Fire for the 2012 season after he was drafted by the club last Thursday from Dartmouth College.

Mkosana joins fellow Zimbabwean Mkhokheli Dube, a former Under-23 Warriors and Highlanders striker, who is leaving another MLS side New England Revolution for Chicago Fire.

The Dartmouth forward was drafted into the league with the 23rd overall pick in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft, according to the Ivy League, in which he played for his college.

“Dartmouth forward Lucky Mkosana, the 2011 Ivy League Player of the Year, was drafted by the Chicago Fire with the 23rd overall pick (second round) in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft, held (on) Thursday in Kansas City, Mo,” reported ivyleaguesports.com.

“I’m really excited. It’s just unbelievable, and I can’t believe this is happening. I’m just really thankful to everyone who supported me, like my coaches and my teammates, and I’m just really grateful for everything,” Mkosana was quoted as saying on the Dartmouth College website on Friday.

He becomes the first Dartmouth player drafted into the MLS since 1999 after a record-breaking senior season last year in which he became the top goalscorer notching up 34 goals, breaking a college record that had stood since the 1950.

He also became Dartmouth’s all-time points leader with 79 career points, breaking a record that had stood since the 1980s and led the Dartmouth offensive with 21 points on 10 goals and one assist, spending time in the national rankings.

The 23-year-old striker is ranked position 22 in goals per game (0,63), number 32 in total goals (10) and position 40 in points per game (1,30) in the Ivy League.

Mkosana, a senior co-captain, was named Most Valuable Offensive Player of the 2011 Dartmouth Classic and was Ivy League Player of the Week (September 12 last year) and also earned his fourth consecutive All-Ivy first team selection, in addition to Player of the Year honours.

He becomes the third player in Dartmouth College’s history to be drafted by an MLS team.

Chicago Fire technical director Frank Klopas is quoted in the club website as saying: “We selected three talented players and addressed some of the things we were looking for going into pre-season camp. The club is familiar with all three players and we look forward to getting things going next week when the team reports to Chicago.”

The other two players who were drafted into the club from college football are central defender Austin Berry from the University of Louisville and Hunter Jumper from the University of Virginia.

Mkosana joins Dube and another Zimbabwean striker Joseph Ngwenya, who was recently released by DC United in MLS and is club hunting, Back home, he did his secondary education at Thekwane High School in Plumtree.

Former Highlanders striker Dube, popularly known as Kheli in the US, was selected by Chicago Fire with the third selection in the Re-Entry Process Stage 2 Draft last month after four seasons with New England Revolution where he scored 14 goals in 72 appearances.

Dube left Zimbabwe, where he was on holiday, for the US via South Africa yesterday and is due to join his new teammates this week to start preparations for the 2012 season.