Handwalla Bwana

BIOGRAPHY

Handwalla Bwana was born June 25, 1999, in Mombasa, Kenya. His family was resettled in the United States in 2010, initially in Atlanta, but later in Seattle, where he attended Ballard High School. Bwana said "I fell in love with the game because my dad played it. My dad was a professional in Somalia". Describing how his childhood shaped him as a player, Bwana has stated that "playing with a garbage ball...made me better with my feet".

Bwana joined the Seattle Sounders FC Academy in 2015. On September 11, 2015, Bwana made his professional debut for USL club Seattle Sounders FC 2 in a 1–0 defeat to the Orange County Blues. He spent two seasons at the University of Washington.

Bwana was signed by the Sounders MLS side as a Homegrown Player on January 11, 2018. Bwana made his debut for the club against expansion side Los Angeles FC as a substitute on March 4, 2018, an appearance that included a shot from outside the box that hit the crossbar. He started Seattle's CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal tie against Mexican club Chivas three days later, but did not appear in the second leg in Guadalajara, as Seattle lost 3–1 on aggregate. Bwana started his first MLS game against FC Dallas on March 18, 2018, a 3–0 defeat. His first goal was on May 9, 2018, the game winner against Toronto FC, and scored again a week later against Orlando City SC.

The Sounders traded Bwana to Nashville SC on October 21, 2020, in exchange for Jimmy Medranda and $225,000 of General Allocation Money.