Bernard Kamungo’s long and winding road to becoming a professional soccer player for Major League Soccer’s FC Dallas franchise might seem unbelievable to some. Still, to him, it’s merely the fulfillment of a dream that began in a refugee settlement in his home country of Tanzania, that took root in Abilene, and finally became a reality in the Metroplex.
Just 6 ½ years ago, Kamungo and his family lived in the Nyarugusu Refugee Camp in Tanzania, where they lived in a mud hut without running water or electricity. He and his family and friends played soccer with a ball made of bags wrapped in clothing. Growing up in that environment, there was no thought of becoming a professional soccer player. His only thoughts at the time were surviving and trying to get food.
But when Kamungo was 14, the International Rescue Committee helped him and his family (both parents and five siblings) move to the United States, where they settled in Abilene. Suddenly, they had a real home with water, electricity, and plenty of food. And at school – Kamungo started in the AISD in the spring of 2017 as a 14-year-old eighth grader – he found contentment and plenty of food.
“It was amazing for me because right when we got to Abilene, my family could get something to feed us. And that was all I was looking for,” Kamungo said in an article on the FC Dallas website. “Back in Tanzania, it was hard for your parents to find something to feed you. Sometimes, you eat once a day, and that was it. But when we got to Abilene, I started eating like normal. But after we got to Abilene, I could eat three or four times a day, whatever I wanted. It got better right away.”
When he arrived in the United States, Kamungo didn’t speak English, and he would sit in the back of class, not saying much but taking everything in. He did plenty of talking on the middle school soccer fields, however, and it wasn’t long until then-Abilene High head boys’ soccer coach Kyle Riese began getting reports on Kamungo. Riese was eager to add the international transfer to his roster for the 2017-18 season.
Kamungo dominated the competition in his first three seasons as an Eagle. He was well on his way to continuing that domination in his senior season of 2021 when his brother, Imani, coaxed him into trying out for the North Texas Soccer Club, the third-division league team that serves as the reserve team for FC Dallas.
He earned a professional contract out of that camp and scored 22 goals in 52 matches for NTSC in 2022. The successful season led to him signing his first major league contract with FC Dallas for the 2023 season.
Kamungo, who wears No. 77, has started five matches this season and is fourth on the team in goals with four with three regular-season matches left. He has helped his team to the brink of the MLS Cup playoffs.
Kamungo recently joined us for a question-and-answer session, reflecting on his time in Abilene, the journey to professional soccer, and the night in August he’ll never forget.
Q: Take me back to your settlement in Tanzania and tell me how you survived, what your daily life was like, and if you genuinely had hope you could leave there and live a better life.
Kamungo: “It was more about focusing on every single day. If I woke up the next day, I thanked God for that day. Most of the time, I was focused on that day and didn’t try to get ahead of myself. I had school, and besides school, there was soccer. I would go to school for about eight hours, and after that, there was nothing else to do. I had to find something else to do and found soccer.”
Q: Can you tell me your emotions when you learned the International Rescue Committee (IRC) would relocate your family to the United States?
Kamungo: “It was the best day of my life. I was so excited I couldn’t sleep the night before because it was so hard to believe we had gotten the chance to leave Tanzania. It took me a few days to get in my head. Knowing we would be in the United States with better opportunities was always something I dreamed about. I would have the chance to reach my goal, which I’d always dreamed about.”
Q: What were your first thoughts about Abilene and where you were going to school?
Kamungo: “Everything was amazing to me because my village didn’t compare. I arrived and thought, ‘This is all I wanted to know.’ Then it was time to adopt a new country, learn a new language, and start living a new life.”
Q: Tell me about your education here and how difficult it was, especially since you didn’t speak English (Kamungo spoke Swahili).
Kamungo: “It was difficult, especially because I didn’t speak English. Sometimes, you don’t have people who speak the same language at school. But I was lucky I found some people who spoke the same language at Craig Middle School, and they were kind enough to help me out here and there. When I got to Abilene High School, Mrs. (Jenny) Miller, Mrs. (Jennifer) Jordan, and Mrs. (Sara) Garza helped me quite a bit throughout that transition.”
Q: What other teachers or coaches do you recall from your time here who impacted you and helped you learn to speak, read, and write English and perform in school and on the soccer field?
Kamungo: “So many of them. I could probably name all the teachers and coaches. Everyone played a big part in my development. I had a lot to learn about this culture, and Mrs. Miller was almost like my mom. She would take care of me on game day with snacks or whatever I might need. There were many of them, and I could name many of them and why they’re important to me.”
Q: Let’s skip ahead to your senior year in 2021. Tell me about the decision you had to make and how difficult it was to leave school and your teammates, sign the contract with the North Texas Soccer Club, and begin your professional career.
Kamungo: “It was a hard time. I only had a few classes as a senior, and at that time, the season had just started. I remember we had a match in Midland one day, and then I drove with my brother, Imani, overnight to Dallas for the tryout the next morning. Everything went well at the tryout, and I remember talking to (then-head coach Kyle Riese) and a few of my teammates and telling them that it was an amazing opportunity for me and I felt like I could go far. That was tough because, at the time, my brother was the only one who knew about the tryout. I talked to my parents and told them what I was thinking. I felt like I had a future in soccer, and I wanted them to tell me if they thought it was a good or bad thing. My parents helped me. They wanted to make sure I would finish high school and focus on the future. Even the general manager at the North Texas Soccer Club (Matt Denny) told me they would give me a contract. Still, I had to finish high school and then focus on my career (Kamungo graduated from Abilene High in May 2021 while also playing for the NTSC). It was a lot at the time, and telling my coach and teammates was hard because everything was going well for our team.”
Q: When did you begin to believe that this dream of becoming a professional soccer player could become a reality?
Kamungo: “When I went to the tryout, I went to satisfy my brother because he was always pushing me. I thought I would go there, do my thing, and return to Abilene. I showed up and played, and at first, I was looking around and saw how big the other guys were. At that point, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. But I realized I could play with those guys a few minutes into the game. I started believing by the time the first game was over and after the second game the next day. They took me after the tryout and told me to join the academy, and that’s where it started. I saw other guys and what they could do, and I thought, ‘I can do that.’ “
Q: What has been the most challenging transition from high school player to professional soccer player just a few years later?
Kamungo: “That word professional means so much. It takes time to learn what it truly means. It means taking care of your body, getting to the facility for training, and being responsible for everything you do. I’m responsible for anything related to my body, how much sleep I get, etc., to prepare for training. In high school, I slept whenever I wanted and ate whatever I wanted, but here, you have to keep your head straight and be ready to go physically at all times.”
Q: On the night of April 15, 2023 – playing in just your fifth match for FC Dallas – you scored your first career goal. What do you remember about that night and that moment?
Kamungo: “I sat down with my brother and my family in the offseason to devise a goal celebration that I would use whenever I scored. My family came up with something, and I told them I would use it when I scored. That night (April 15), I came into the match late (72nd minute), and in that situation, as a substitute, you want to provide a boost and some energy. I ended up scoring late (88th minute), and I just forgot about the celebration. I was so excited because it was a game-winning goal, and I didn’t even do the celebration.”
Q: On Aug. 6, you and your teammates at FC Dallas hosted Inter Miami in the Leagues Cup, which meant Lionel Messi came to Dallas to play in a Major League Soccer match. And you scored a goal for FC Dallas with Messi on the field. What was that night like for you and your teammates?
Kamungo: “I’ve watched Messi since I was a kid. I couldn’t believe it when I heard he was coming to MLS. We all love Messi and were looking forward to playing against him in the Leagues Cup. He’s played on the biggest world stage, and we were looking forward to playing him to see how our team stacked up against him and his team. Whenever we’re at our best, we play good football and can beat any team in this league. Our main focus was to play Miami and not one player. We played well but lost on penalty kicks, which was unfortunate.”
Q: What was it like to be on the field for 90 minutes with the greatest player ever?
Kamungo: “I didn’t even realize I was out there with him. You don’t think about it until the game is over, and then you’re like, ‘Oh my God, did I play against this guy? Did I score against this guy?’ Trust me, I was on the field, but I don’t think my mind was there. It was almost like an out-of-body experience. It’s crazy how I never dreamed I would become a professional soccer player one day. I never dreamed I would even get to watch Messi play in person. But to have been able to play against him was a dream come true.”
Q: And then you got a photo with him after the match. How did that come about?
Kamungo: “We had a few guys talking about getting a jersey, and I thought I would rather have a photo so I could show people I played against him. I walked up to him while he was doing an interview and waited. And, you know, I don’t speak Spanish, so I was trying to think of something he would understand. So I said, ‘Photo?’ he looked up and said, ‘Yes,’ and we got the photo.”
Q: You’re just starting a career you thought might never happen. Do you still wonder how this happened to a kid who grew up in Tanzania?
Kamungo: “It’s a lot to process. I was somebody who had nothing. And now that I have something, there’s a lot of pressure on me. I can either help my family or lose everything I have. That’s a lot of pressure, but I can handle it, and I’m looking forward to what’s to come for me.”
Goal vs. LA FC – https://www.mlssoccer.com/video/goal-bernard-kamungo-fc-dallas-56th-minute#goal-bernard-kamungo-fc-dallas-56th-minute
