The Goal Hunter — CLUBELEVEN

Every soccer fan growing up has that one iconic ball that stays with them forever. It could be an Adidas Telstar, a Jabulani, or a Nike Total 90 Tracer for some, but for Mayele Malango, it was quite different and unique.

“We would go to the local hospital, take the latex gloves, blow them up, and make a ball,” Mayele said.

Mayele was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo but was forced to flee to Malawi during the Second Congo Civil War. Mayele and his family would remain in the refugee camp for over ten years. During his time in the refugee camp, soccer was the primary form of escapism for Mayele and the other refugees displaced by the war.

Mayele fell in love with soccer in Malawi, and some of his fondest childhood memories come from playing in the sand with his siblings and childhood friends. Like many kids around the world, soccer allowed Mayele to stay entertained and make friends.

“In Africa, soccer is the main thing that brings kids together for fun. There was no other sport, no football, no basketball, just soccer.”

Since the kids in the refugee camp -- including Mayele -- did not have jobs or any way to pay for equipment, they played barefoot.

“We didn’t have stuff to play with, but we just wanted to play soccer, so we would find ways around the lack of equipment and just played to have fun,” Mayele said.

While today Mayele is known for his power and scoring prowess up top, back in Malawi, he’d often play goalkeeper and would try to emulate the star keepers from the early 2000s.

“We used to have a school team, and I used to play goalie during the first half of games,” Mayele said. “I used to call myself Dida. Then, when I was on the field, I would try to be like Ronaldinho.”

The goalkeeper position wasn’t really suited for Mayele. He eventually got tired of playing goalkeeper and wanted to see more action. He also got hit in the face on a 1v1 and decided that he wanted nothing more of the position. He eventually transitioned to playing forward and thrived once he got there.

After making the full transition to playing forward, Mayele began to put his talents to good use. “My brother and I would play on the same team, and we would make bets. There were some rich people in the city. They just had money, and they would bring it every day, so we would make bets with them, and we’d win almost every time.”

But there were also other activities that Mayele took part in to pass the time while in the camp. From the time he was 12, hunting and acrobatics became a part of his daily routine.

“When I wasn’t playing soccer, I would just go with my friends to the mountain and just go hunt for some food.I also used to do acrobatics. There was a place in the mountains, and we would just go there and chill and do backflips.”

By the time Mayele was 17, he and his family were able to move to Lowell, Massachusetts, through the United Nations’ refugee program. Mayele and one of his brothers stayed in Lowell and the Boston area, while his other brothers live in Canada and Iowa.

Mayele’s brother, Kalodji, lived with Mayele and his family in the refugee camp in Malawi but ended up moving to the Tongogara refugee camp in Zimbabwe. Kalodji met his eventual wife at the Tongogara camp, and they’d end up moving to the United States and settling in Lowell, Massachusetts, before moving to Iowa in 2018. His other brother, Fikiri Andreas Malango, participated in the school program in the refugee camp and was lucky enough to receive a scholarship to the University of Ottawa in Canada to continue his education.

“When I came to Lowell, I was a kid from Africa,” Mayele said. “You’re in the city. You don’t know anything. We came here, and then next week the snow starts coming. So that wasn’t fun, you know?”

Besides the climate shock, one of the biggest surprises for Mayele was on the field. “It was crazy coming here and having all the equipment ready for me. It was beautiful, and it felt so good. In Africa, we play with one ball. If it pops, we have to try very hard to get another.”

While having easier access to soccer balls was a welcome change for Mayele, adjusting to using other types of equipment, like cleats, was much harder.

“Sometimes, I prefer to play barefoot,” Mayele said. “My first time in America, I wore cleats, and they hurt, so I took them off. I like wearing them now, but I just wasn’t used to it. I played almost ten years of my life barefoot, so that was hard.”

Still, Mayele fit right in on the pitch, and he quickly gained attention from Bill Bentcourt, coach of the Lowell High School men’s soccer team, and went on to flourish, leading the conference with 25 goals as a sophomore.

Mayele would then move on to Salem State University, where he didn’t disappoint and made a name for himself. In just his freshman season, he scored 17 goals and recorded nine assists in 19 games, securing the Vikings to their first NCAA bid since 2010. This impressive season for Mayele attracted attention from Division 1 neighbors UMass Lowell, who are known for being one of the best D1 soccer schools in New England. With 11 Northeast-10 tournament appearances since 2000 and five NCAA tournament appearances since 2003, and countless other accolades, UMass Lowell has been a powerhouse in the New England DI college soccer scene.

Mayele played one season with the Riverhawks, appearing in all 18 games, scoring one goal, and recording two assists as a sophomore.

“The difference between DIII college soccer and DI soccer is that it’s more organized,” Mayele said. “In DI, there’s a lot of physical players. Big, tall players. DIII is not as physical.”

After his first and only season at UMass Lowell, Mayele got his opportunity to go pro.

He had two stints with the Boston Bolts in the second division of the USL in 2018 and 2019. In 2020, Mayele truly got his first professional contract when he signed for the New England Revolution II for their inaugural USL League One season in 2020.

“After my first year with Umass Lowell, during the off-season, the Revolution’s first-team gave me an opportunity to start training with them,” Mayele said. “I spent about 4-5 months training with the first team and was able to see a lot of difference from a college level to a professional level. I also wanted to be part of a professional program while I could also do my studies online and get my degree. So I was lucky enough that the [Revolution] offered me a second-team contract. I took time to think about it, but I ended up taking the deal because I just wanted to be part of something that I have dreamed of forever.”

“Playing for them was really good, I really liked it,” Mayele said. “I learned how to develop my game for the next level. I learned how to play quicker.

Mayele played 14 games in the 2020 season for the New England Revolution II, started 6 out of 14 games, recording 575 minutes played and scoring one goal, and providing one assist.

Unfortunately for Mayele, the New England Revolution II decided not to renew his contract for the upcoming 2021 season.

“I think it would have been good to have a chance to prove myself for one more year,” Mayele said. “The first year, I had to get used to the new environment, and I feel like a second year would have been a good chance for me.”

Despite having his contract extension denied, Mayele’s character really shines through as he still remains optimistic about the situation.

“They’re good people, and I still say hi to the coaches when I can,” Mayele said. “They believe that I’m a good player and I can play at the highest level.”

But yet another chapter in Mayele’s life and professional career is currently unfolding. He’s trading New England for the Big Apple.

Last month, it was announced that Mayele had signed for New Amsterdam FC in NISA. Although this move has him excited, Mayele is keen to keep developing and improving his game.

“I talked to my coaches to see what I could improve,” Mayele said. “I was told I need to work on my awareness, work on my finishing, and work on playing quicker with my teammates. I just want to improve those things and get better in any way I can.”

In his journey to keep fighting for his dream of playing pro at the highest level, Mayele looks back at idols from his childhood for inspiration. Many are the players you usually think of: Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Messi, and Neymar. And while those players still are an inspiration to him, he’s switched his focus to a player that reflects more of his current position in his playing career right now: Didier Drogba.

“Before, I was a player that lacked skills and stuff,” Mayele said. “Now, because I want to be a goal scorer and score goals, I’m now looking more into Didier Drogba. He scored crazy goals. So since I want to be a goal scorer, I have to watch guys like that. He’s big, and I’m also big, so I can learn from him and use that to my understanding and try to score some goals.”

Mayele even mentions watching videos of Uruguayan striker Edison Cavani, saying he’s a fan of his playing style.

“I just liked the way he would create space by himself,” Mayele said.” I like players like that, how they move the ball, how they make runs, and other things like that.”.

Beyond looking at legendary players for inspiration, he also looks at players that have come from a similar background as himself.

“Seeing people like Alphonso Davies or Siad Haji in San Jose, who’ve come from a similar background to mine, lets me know that I can make it,” Mayele said. “If they were able to do it, I can do it too.”

Despite the hardships and struggles that life has thrown at him, Mayele continues to smile and play on.

Photography by Peter Bonilla.