Tiger Tuesday: Philip Mayaka

Tiger Tuesday features a Clemson athlete from the past that significantly impacted the their program.

Philip Mayaka – Midfielder, 2019-20

• Second-team All-American in 2019
• First-team All-ACC in 2019 & 2020
• ACC All-Tournament Team in 2020
• ACC Freshman of the Year in 2019
• Semi-Finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy in 2019
• 32 appearances
• 2 goals
• 8 assists

Philip Mayaka may have only been at Clemson a short time, but he made a big impact for the men’s soccer team.

Mayaka grew up in Nairobi, Kenya. He was discovered by Mike Potempa of Monteverde Academy, a private school in Florida that competes athletically on a national level. Standing only 5’-7”, he didn’t stand out to a lot of people in Kenya, but Potempa was impressed. Mayaka elected to make the move to the United States to play for Monteverde’s Soccer Institute over his other options in Europe because finishing his high school education was important to him. As you might have expected, it took some time to adjust to the culture-shift:

"“It was my first time flying actually. And when I got here, the only food I saw in America that I had eaten was fries, in Kenya we call them chips, and rice. And then I tried this meat that was really sweet and it was really disgusting.”"

He also played for Orlando City’s youth academy.

Offers to play college ball were slow to come until Coach Mike Noonan gave Mayaka a chance. He also earned some pro-offers following a player showcase. Noonan commented:

"“That was basically the Phil Mayaka coming-out party, and at that point, obviously, Mike (Potempa) did get some looks for him, professional clubs and some professional offers. But Phil was pretty committed, and his family was pretty committed to getting him to go to school.”"

Mayaka played a full season with the Tigers in 2019, and it didn’t take long for him to make a difference. He played in all 22 matches, starting in 20 of them. The accolades poured in. Mayaka was named a second-team All-American and a semi-finalist for the Hermann Trophy, which is awarded by the Missouri Athletic Club to the National Player of the Year for a given season. He was acknowledged as the Freshman of the Year in the ACC and earned first-team conference honors.

The 2020 season was impacted by the COVID pandemic, and the schedule was split between the fall and the spring. Mayaka played more of a defensive role for the Tigers and helped guide them to the 2020 Fall ACC Tournament Championship, once again earning All-ACC honors.

Mayaka had a great opportunity to go pro following the fall season, and he elected to sign a deal with Generation Adidas, which is a collaboration between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer for players that have the skills to go pro before they are technically eligible for the MLS SuperDraft.

Mayaka was the 3rd overall pick in the 2021 MLS Superdraft by the Colorado Rapids.

He has played on loan with the Colorado Springs Switchbacks and with the Rapid’s developmental team. He has also been bestowed the honor of playing for the Harambee Stars, the national team of his native Kenya.

Mayaka travels for the world of soccer, but values the Clemson experience

Despite his many experiences in the world of soccer, Mayaka is still only 21 years old, and has a bright future ahead of him, but his days in Clemson may not be over yet. He returned to Clemson United in the Fall 2020 season because he needed to log two seasons to be assured the opportunity to finish his Clemson degree when his soccer career is complete, so the odds are good he will be back on campus one day. A Clemson athlete through and through.