If Mwanga's game approaches perfect, of course, then surely a European club and a World Cup beckon. The former is likely a given, sooner or later. The latter is becoming the subject of increasing interest. Mwanga, like Freddy Adu and Giuseppe Rossi, can choose to play for the country of his birth or the country of his salvation. D.R. Congo has qualified for just one World Cup, in 1974, and currently is ranked 123rd in the world by FIFA. Should Mwanga choose his native land, he may never come close. The U.S., on the other hand, is a regular qualifier. Considering the fact that no American forward has scored on soccer's biggest stage since 2002, Mwanga's contact information surely is already on file at the U.S. Soccer Federation's headquarters. He told the Union's Web site that representing the U.S. would be "an honor."
"There's a guy who played at Oregon State, Robbie Findley, who my college coach was telling me was someone I should look up to," Mwanga told FanHouse when asked about his World Cup dreams. "Just watching him play, that makes you realize that there's still a lot of work to do to get to that level. But it's definitely not impossible, and I'm just picturing myself hopefully playing in the next World Cup."
Highlights video of Mwanga after the jump...
