BEAVERTON — In Philadelphia, Danny Mwanga had drifted from the spotlight.
On Friday, it found him again.
Greeted by a media crowd following his first training session with the Portland Timbers, the 20-year-old forward expressed plenty of enthusiasm about the opportunity to play for a team he once cheered.
“For me personally it seems like a new beginning. I remember being here in high school, watching the Timbers play,” Mwanga said.
“For me, after spending two years in Philadelphia, it’s almost like a fresh start and I’m very excited about it.”
The Timbers acquired Mwanga from the Union on Wednesday in exchange for Jorge Perlaza, a swap of forwards between two clubs desperate to score goals. Mwanga’s family lives in Portland, where his mother and siblings settled in 2006 after fleeing war in the Congo.
The first draft pick in the history of the Philadelphia franchise, Mwanga joined Major League Soccer as the top overall draft pick in 2010. He said that experience will help him handle any pressure that comes from playing for his hometown team.
“My first year as a No. 1 draft pick there was a lot of pressure, and I was able to do well and try to help my team,” Mwanga said. “What I learned there, I’m going to bring to the table here, which is being consistent. That is one thing I have been lacking and hopefully I’m going to be able to bring to this team.”
In Philadelphia, Mwanga was on the bench more consistently this season, at least in part because Union coach Pert Nowak went to a one-striker formation. Mwanga said on Friday that didn’t play to his strength.
“I’m not a target striker. I’m the guy who plays underneath the striker and try to run at the back line,” he said. “This season I was more used as a target striker, which is not my forte and something that I was still trying to learn.”
Mwanga predicted he will learn quickly to play effectively alongside Kris Boyd in the Timbers usual two-striker formation. He said general manager Gavin Wilkinson and head coach John Spencer’s message was “to play my game and get my confidence back.”
Oregon State men’s soccer coach Steve Simmons, who coached Mwanga during his two seasons with the Beavers, attended Friday’s training session at the Adidas Timbers Training Center. Simmons described Mwanga — the Pac-10 freshman of the year in 2008 and Pac-10 player of the year in 2009 — as a humble, team-first player who has a chance to thrive for the Timbers.
“The other striker’s Kris Boyd,” Simmons said of the probably pairing of forwards. “And you’ve got a whole cast of good talented people around him, so I think it’s going to be exciting for him.”
