#15
Midfielder
Philip Mayaka
Club
Colorado Rapids
League
MLS
Region
USA
Signed
2021
Estimated peak value · 2021
$235,000 / KSh 26m
Estimated, not a transfer fee — a €199,000 valuation around the season he went third overall in the MLS SuperDraft to Colorado, at $1.18 to the euro and KSh 109.
Profile
Clemson
A midfielder who left Kenya for Clemson and was named ACC Freshman of the Year in 2019 in his first season on the continent, making first-team All-ACC in 2019 and 2020 and the MAC Hermann Trophy semi-finals — the award for the best college player in the United States.
Colorado, and the professional years
The Rapids took him third overall in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft, and he has played for the Colorado Springs Switchbacks, Rapids 2, Crown Legacy, Huntsville City and Athletic Club Boise: 88 senior appearances and five goals.
Cup and continental record
NCAA tournament football with Clemson across two seasons in which he was twice first-team All-ACC, then US Open Cup, USL Championship and MLS Next Pro play-off football with Colorado Springs, Rapids 2, Crown Legacy and Huntsville City.
Managers he played under
Mike Noonan, the winningest coach in Clemson's history, developed him through his two All-ACC seasons, and Robin Fraser was head coach at the Colorado Rapids when they took him third overall.
Did you know
Freshman of the Year in America's toughest college conference, in his first season away from Kenya
Mayaka left Kenya for Clemson and was named 2019 ACC Freshman of the Year in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the strongest conference in American college football, in his first season on the continent. He made first-team All-ACC in 2019 and 2020 and was a MAC Hermann Trophy semi-finalist — the award for the best college player in the United States — before the Colorado Rapids took him third overall in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft.
3rd
Overall pick, 2021 MLS SuperDraft
2019
ACC Freshman of the Year, in his first US season
2
First-team All-ACC selections
Did you know
Scouted in Nairobi, third overall in the draft two years later
A Montverde Academy general manager saw him in Kenya and took him to Florida. Two seasons at Clemson brought ACC Freshman of the Year in 2019, a first-team all-conference place and second-team All-America honours. He signed a Generation Adidas contract and the Colorado Rapids took him third overall in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft.
3rd
Overall pick, 2021 MLS SuperDraft
2019
ACC Freshman of the Year
2
College seasons before turning professional
Did you know
Drafted third and never given a first-team minute
He never made a first-team appearance for Colorado. There were loans and reserve sides — Colorado Springs Switchbacks, Rapids 2 — then Crown Legacy, Huntsville City and, from January 2026, Athletic Club Boise in USL League One, where he is playing to force his way into the Harambee Stars after being named in a 2021 World Cup qualifying squad without getting on. It is the least romantic and most useful story in this list: the draft is a door, not a destination.
0
First-team appearances for Colorado
2026
Signed for Athletic Club Boise
1
Kenya squad call-up so far, without a cap
Career record
Midfielder at Athletic Club Boise in USL League One since January 2026, after the Colorado Rapids, Colorado Springs Switchbacks, Colorado Rapids 2, Crown Legacy FC and Huntsville City FC.
Career appearances and goals reconciled against Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Mayaka)
88
Appearances
5
Goals
0
Assists
0
Caps
0
Int'l goals
AI score breakdown
| Criterion | Score | Max |
|---|---|---|
| League Strength | 18 | 25 |
| Club Prestige | 10 | 20 |
| Titles Won (weighted) | 3.8 | 20 |
| Impact | 10 | 15 |
| Total | 41.8 | 80 |
Either side of him in the ranking
Ahead of him · Number 14
Behind him · Number 16