Inside Daniel Mukuna's Lifelong Journey to Michigan
10/25/2018 12:47:00 PM | Men's Soccer, Features
By Brad Rudner
There's no place like home. But for Daniel Mukuna, where is that exactly?
Mukuna, 22, has lived one hell of a journey, putting roots down on three continents and in almost a half-dozen cities. He is in the middle of his latest chapter, serving the last two seasons as a stalwart center back for the University of Michigan men's soccer team.
This Sunday (Oct. 28), Mukuna and the rest of the six-man senior class will be honored on the field at U-M Soccer Stadium before the Wolverines' regular-season finale vs. Maryland (4 p.m. on Big Ten Network). Last week, he took time to reflect on the long and winding road that led him to Ann Arbor.
"I've always had the ability to pivot," he explained. "I was so used to moving, I never had a place I could be comfortable enough. It's the same mindset I've had since I was 6 years old. No matter where you go, you apply yourself, work through it day by day and find your rhythm."
Mukuna was born in Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, then known as Zaire. His surname, Mukuna, means "mountain" in Congolese dialect.
His father, Hubert, was finance minister for the government, while his mother, Brigitte, was a pharmacist until she gave that up to care for Mukuna and his eight siblings. In 1996, a few months after he was born, the First Congo War broke out -- a result of political instability and widespread corruption.
Citizens were shot in the streets. Mukuna wasn't old enough to remember that, but he does remember when rebel soldiers invaded their home. To avoid any trouble -- and to protect their children -- Hubert and Brigitte handed over anything they wanted. Had anyone resisted, there would have been shootings.
The Mukuna family at Michigan Stadium.
When Mukuna was 5 years old, the country was embroiled in the middle of the Second Congo War. With the situation in Kinshasa becoming more dangerous, the family immigrated to England, leaving everything behind.
"We left everything behind, literally everything my parents worked for their whole lives," he said. "I really want to know where I'm from, my roots. I always feel like I'm missing that part of home that raised me and shaped me. I've never been back to see what actually led me to be who I am today."
Upon arriving in England, the family initially lived with an uncle in London. It was a fresh start, but it wasn't without its challenges. They were never in one place long enough to settle down.
"The most difficult part was moving schools," he said. "I had a group of friends, then I'd move. That happened a few times. It was painful. People always ask me, 'You have such a big family. Are you close?' In those moments, we had each other. It made the transition easier."
So did soccer. Mukuna started playing when he was 8 years old, a little late -- but not too late -- for English children with aspirations to move through the academy system. It was the one constant. Though he moved schools, he never left his team. Hubert often drove him to training.
As the years went on and his skills sharpened, his parents would continually get feedback from coaches trying to persuade them to put him in an academy program. The family would move again, this time to Manchester, and that's where Mukuna got his break.
In 2009, at age 13, he signed with Burnley FC Academy and he stayed there until moving to Rochdale AFC, a third-division English club in Manchester. After one year -- and at the urging of his mother -- Mukuna left the club to focus on his studies.
For two years, Mukuna played semi-pro soccer with Hyde United FC while finishing his A Levels, the equivalent of a high school diploma in the U.S. After achieving that, he faced a dilemma when pondering his next step.
"I was ready to give up on school and go play professionally," he said. "We talked about it. But going to America, I didn't have to sacrifice any of those things."
But by the time he got his test scores back, admissions for most of the schools he was interested in attending had closed. Campbell University, however, accepted admissions right up until classes began in the fall. It was either that, go to junior college, wait a whole year for the process to open back up again or stay in England.
He packed his bags and moved to Buies Creek, North Carolina, a small college town about 30 miles south of Raleigh. He stayed there two years, played in 35 matches and made the All-Big South Team each season.
At the end of his freshman year, Mukuna yearned for something greater. He felt he could play at a higher level and thus began to think of transferring, but doing so would bring up another huge decision. He couldn't afford to go anywhere else; his parents didn't have the financial means without scholarship help. So does he stay or risk losing his scholarship knowing another chance may not present itself?
Yet again, Mukuna decided to take his chances, only he had to wait until after his sophomore season ended. It turned out he had no shortage of options.
"Tommy [McMenemy] was one of the first coaches I spoke to," he recalled. "I just knew from that first conversation with him that we had good chemistry. I loved the vibe."
He chose Michigan over similar offers from Georgetown and Creighton. After a visit to campus and meeting the coaching staff face-to-face, he was sure there was no other place for him.
"I thought they were the coaching staff that would take me to the next level," he said. "I think it's been proven right. My game has improved leaps and bounds."
"What we saw was a raw, physically-imposing player," said head coach Chaka Daley. "Really good in the air. Athletic. Tough. After visiting with him and getting to know the kind of young man he was, the journey he's been on, adding him to our group was an easy decision."
Daley (left) and Mukuna
Arguably his favorite moment in a Michigan kit came last October when the Wolverines won their first Big Ten title with a double-overtime win at Maryland. Mukuna scored in that match.
"You come to a place like this for moments like that," he said. "We knew the situation. The Big Ten is one of the best conferences in the country, and we knew Indiana and Michigan State needed to tie for us to have a chance. Toward the end of regulation, Robbie [Mertz] comes to me and goes, 'Listen, Daniel, if we win this game, we're gonna be Big Ten champs.' He must've told everyone else because our energy just went up. We went for it."
"When Francis [Atuahene] scored, I remember being just so jubilant. As happy as we were, all the work we did, it all happened because the coaching staff were brilliant in how they planned it and how we executed it. It was very fulfilling. An unbelievable moment."
Mukuna is on track to graduate in the spring with a degree in economics. After the season is over, he is going to take his shot at the professional ranks, hoping to secure an invite to the MLS Scouting Combine in early January.
"We're very confident, but nothing is guaranteed," he said. "I believe in my abilities. I believe I'm good enough to play at that level. You need some luck in this game. With a little bit of that, I'll have my shot."
Daley concurs.
"He's been challenged. Every kid has his ups and downs, and Danny has had those, too," he said. "The reality is, he's a great teammate, he's loyal and he's someone who's easy to put back on track if things go sideways. The key to being a professional soccer player is being consistent on a daily basis and Daniel has demonstrated the ability to do that this year.
"I'm rooting for him. It's a challenging world, but I have zero doubt that he'll be a professional in anything he does. I believe it. Our staff believes it."
Whether he gets that chance remains to be seen. Regardless of where he is in three or six months, one thing remains at the top of his post-college to-do list: go back to the Congo. Go home.
And wherever home is, his heart will always have a place for Ann Arbor.
"I'm so grateful for the personal growth I've had at Michigan. That, above all, will trump anything I'll ever gain," he said. "Success isn't guaranteed. Very few people get the opportunity to represent this university and be successful doing it. It's a privilege to be here, grow here and to say that I am a Wolverine."
