Nkosi Tafari facts for kids
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Tafari with FC Dallas in 2021
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nkosi Tafari Burgess | ||
| Date of birth | March 23, 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | New York City, New York, United States | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | FC Dallas | ||
| Number | 17 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2020–2024 | FC Dallas | 100 | (6) |
| 2020–2021 | North Texas SC | 8 | (2) |
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Nkosi Tafari Burgess (born March 23, 1997) is an American professional soccer player. He plays as a defender for the Major League Soccer club FC Dallas.
Contents
Playing Soccer in College
Nkosi Tafari started his college soccer journey in 2015. He joined the University of Connecticut team, the UConn Huskies.
He didn't play in his first year, which is called "redshirting." From 2016 to 2018, he played in 46 games for the Huskies. During this time, he scored one goal and made one assist.
In 2019, Tafari moved to Seattle University for his final college season. He played 20 games there, scoring one goal and getting one assist. He was named the WAC Defensive Player of the Year. He also made the United Soccer Coaches All-Region First Team.
Becoming a Professional Player
Joining FC Dallas
On January 9, 2020, Nkosi Tafari was chosen by FC Dallas in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft. He was the 14th player picked overall.
He officially signed with the club on February 18, 2020. This was his big step into professional soccer.
First Games and Goals
Tafari made his first professional appearance on October 3, 2020. He played for North Texas SC, which is a team connected to FC Dallas. This game was against Fort Lauderdale CF.
He scored his first goal for FC Dallas on August 21, 2021. This exciting goal was against the Houston Dynamo.
On August 26, 2023, Tafari scored a very important goal. It was the winning goal in a 1–0 game against their rivals, Austin FC. This goal came at 96 minutes and 49 seconds. It was the latest game-winning goal in the history of FC Dallas!
Playing for His Country
In January 2024, Nkosi Tafari was chosen to play for the senior United States squad. He was part of the team for a match against the Slovenia team. This was a big honor for him.
About Nkosi Tafari
In 2021, Nkosi Tafari made a personal decision. He announced that he would use his middle name, Tafari, instead of his last name, Burgess.
He explained that he wanted to move away from a name "passed down from master to slave." He said, "I want to get back to my own roots and be proud of being African." His mother's family has roots in Ethiopia and Madagascar.
See also
In Spanish: Nkosi Tafari para niños
