CF Montréal selects Jojea Kwizera 15th overall in MLS SuperDraft

The 22-year-old native of the Democratic Republic of Congo “is a strong player with good speed,” said sports director Olivier Renard.

Author of the article:

Pat hickey • Montreal Gazette

Publication date:

January 11, 2022 • 28 minutes ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation

CF Montréal 2022's first-round pick in the MLS SuperDraft was Jojea Kwizera, a 22-year-old from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. — CF Montréal 2022’s first-round pick in the MLS SuperDraft was Jojea Kwizera, a 22-year-old from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Photo by CF Montreal

CF Montréal used its first-round pick in the MLS SuperDraft Tuesday night to select Jojea Kwizera, an attacking midfielder who honed his soccer skills in a refugee camp in Tanzania.

The 22-year-old DRC native was selected 15th in the annual U.S. college players draft. CFM started the day with the 11th pick, but athletic director Olivier Renard traded places with the New York Red Bulls and pocketed $ 100,000 in general allocation money for his troubles.

CFM also had a third-round pick and selected Ivy Brisma, a forward from North Carolina State University.

Kwizera and her older sister were separated from their parents during one of the periods of civil unrest in the Congo and were among the 800,000 Congolese who fled the country. When he was nine years old, he and his sister moved to Utah, where he found his identity in soccer.

He earned a scholarship to Eastern Utah University, where he scored five goals and seven assists in 16 games as a freshman. He played his last two seasons at Utah Valley University, where he scored six goals and added 12 assists in 25 games.

“He’s a hard-hitting player with good speed, a southpaw who plays a daring game,” Renard said in a video conference. “He is someone who is hungry for football.”

Brisma, a four-year starter at NC State, was born in Haiti but grew up in Philadelphia and spent five years at the Philadelphia Union Academy.

In other news, CONCACAF announced that the Champions League first round second leg between CFM and Mexico’s Santos Laguna on February 22 will begin at 8:00 pm at the Olympic Stadium. The game was originally scheduled for Saputo Stadium at 8:30. The first leg will be played in Torréon, Mexico, on February 18.

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