Who is Nashville SC's newest signing, Handwalla Bwana?
Nashville SC has been mighty active in the transfer market in its first season in Major League Soccer.
The team has bought and sold a goalkeeper – Adrian Zendejas was sent to Minnesota last month for a fourth round 2021 SuperDraft Pick – Jhonder Cadiz was brought in on loan from SL Benfica, Alex Muyl was brought over from New York Red Bulls, and now, Nashville has acquired another winger, Handwalla Bwana, from the Seattle Sounders.
Bwana arrives in the Music City as a homegrown player after attending the University of Washington and was nearing the end of his two-year contract with the Sounders. At 21-years-old, the Kenyan born winger is a work in progress and another forward who can provide some support going forward.
The young forward featured in 33 matches for Seattle between January 2018 and this month. He totaled four goals, two assists, and averaged 1.2 successful dribbles in that time.
So, don’t expect Bwana to step in immediately like Muyl did and make an impact. Nashville needs further depth on the bench. Since Muyl and Randall Leal are both playing so many minutes, Bwana could turn into Gary Smith’s “super substitute” when the team needs a goal or a jolt of energy.
Bwana is known for his speed off the dribble, his interchanging passing, and his speed tracking back on defense. This is an exciting thought as he could quickly help both Alistair Johnston and Muyl on both ends of the pitch.
As a part of the trade, Nashville has sent fullback Jimmy Medranda to Seattle along with $225,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM). The Sounders could potentially receive another $25,000 if Bwana meets certain criteria.
Colombian left-back Jimmy Medranda never got the chance to mark his place in the lineup due to a muscle injury suffered in the only eight minutes he played with the expansion club way back in the second game of the season against Portland Timbers. His history of serious injury most likely played a factor here and led to his departure.
The reasoning here for the switch makes plenty of sense. Daniel Lovitz has solidified himself on the left flank and has been a stalwart alongside Walker Zimmerman and Dave Romney.
I really like the way the Nashville board has addressed the need for goal since after all, NSC only leads FC Cincinnati and D.C. United in goals for this season. There is plenty of talent and depth at defense, so why not use some of those pieces to get some more help on offense?
