Sporting KC signs league’s first player from African nation of Rwanda
A week after trading a long-standing member of its defense, Sporting Kansas City has plucked out a player from an unusual location to replenish the depth chart.
Rwanda.
Sporting KC has agreed to a one-year contract with defender Abdul Rwatubyaye, who will become the league’s only Rwandan player. The deal includes team options for 2020-22.
Rwatubyaye, 22, has played the past three seasons with Rayon Sports FC, a club in the Rwanda Premier League. He’s also made 22 appearances for his home country’s national team.
He is expected to join the team in the next couple of weeks.
“We’re interested in investing some time in him because we think he has some real qualities that show he could turn into a really strong center back in our league,” Sporting KC coach Peter Vermes said. “He already can play, but his stock could really rise here.”
A week ago, Sporting KC was absent from the center back market, content to enter the season with its allotment for the two positions. But then it traded Ike Opara to Minnesota for up to $1 million in allocation money last week. Opara started 61 matches for Sporting over the past two seasons.
Rwatubyaye, pronounced GWAH-too-BYE-yay, isn’t a replacement for Opara, but with Andreu Fontas and Botond Barath moving up a rung on the depth chart, Sporting KC pounced on the opportunity to add to its competition. Rwatubyaye (6-1, 175) turned pro at 16 and has won three league championships in six seasons. He’s competed for the Rwanda men’s national team since November 2015, when he received a call-up for World Cup qualifying matches. He has started each of the country’s four matches in the most recent Africa Cup of Nations qualifying.
Sporting KC was tipped off to the player by the same scout who alerted the club of forward Latif Blessing.
“When we watch him, he has all of the characteristics (we demand from) that position,” Vermes said. “The question is what is his comfort level with certain things we want to do and how fast does he adapt and adjust. Those are things I can’t tell you until I work with the guy.”
This story was originally published February 5, 2019 at 1:20 PM with the headline "Sporting KC signs league’s first player from African nation of Rwanda."