Former Bosso junior makes waves in US

Sport
“ONE of the best, or the best player in Cushing’s history. He was both a passer and a scorer last season. Let’s see how he plays next season without the help of Chris Mullin (Jr).”

“ONE of the best, or the best player in Cushing’s history. He was both a passer and a scorer last season. Let’s see how he plays next season without the help of Chris Mullin (Jr).” — the words of New England Preparatory School Soccer Association (NEPrepSoccer) on 17-year-old US-based Zimbabwean Cushing Academy and former Highlanders player Ackim Mpofu on their 2013 watch list.

By FORTUNE MBELE, SPORTS REPORTER

Just over a year after arriving in Massachusetts, US, Ackim has made waves at Cushing Academy, scoring 17 goals and providing 12 assists for his school and is looking forward to college football after he graduates from high school next year and journeying into the US Major League Soccer (MLS).

He dreams of playing for Houston Dynamo in Texas in the MLS.

Southern Eye Sport caught up with Ackim last week after he arrived from the US for holidays.

Ackim was grabbed by Cushing Academy when he was doing Lower Six at St Columbus’ High School last year, when he was only 16 after featuring in the Highlanders senior team twice. This was after he graduated from the juniors and impressing juniors coach Dumaza Dube and then Bosso senior mentor Mkhuphali “Mr Cooper” Masuku.

He left for the US after playing for the Metropolitan Province of Bulawayo in the 2012 Zimbabwe National Youth Games where the City of Kings won a silver medal.

Mpofu then captained the Under-15 national team in the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympics Games, coached by Dube.

“Cushing said they had been following up on me, sent me their prospectus and invited me and I responded.

“I left for the US when I was doing Lower Six at St Columbus and I am currently in high school while playing football as a winger,” Ackim says.

In academics, Ackim who dreams of becoming a professional footballer and being a successful businessman, is doing Acting, History (Roots of the Modern World), Maths (Algebra II), Science (Conceptual Physics), African-American Literature and English as Second Language Level III.

“After or outside football, my ambition is to become the most successful businessman not only here in Zimbabwe but in Africa,” Ackim, who wants to pursue international business studies and sports medicine when he graduates to college next year, says.

Ackim says he could be playing for Highlanders now, but at the time when he caught Mr Cooper’s attention he was still at school doing Ordinary Level and his father told him to concentrate on his education.

“I was writing Ordinary Level exams then and my father said I should concentrate on my school work saying I would achieve nothing without education.

“So, mine was to train with the first team late as I also knocked off late from school. It worked as I came out with nine subjects, two As, three Bs and four Cs,” Ackim says.

At Cushing, Ackim was voted Most Offensive Player for the 2012-2013 season and has been selected to the Junior All Stars and All Stars teams in Massachusetts, New England.

Dube speaks highly of the utility player.

“He was a very good player and I understand he is doing fine in America. He is one player I believe has a bright future and can play anywhere in the world. It was unfortunate for Highlanders, but it was a plus for the boy to leave for the US,” Dube quips.

Ackim, a product of Emakhandeni City Pirates and Highlanders juniors, attended Josiah Chinamano Primary School and Milton Junior School before moving to Gifford High School for secondary school education.