Zesco United have unveiled their CAF Champions League squad for the 2019/20 season. Surprisingly Ghanaian striker Rahim Osumanu is missing on the list while Japanese Kosuke Nakamachi has been included on the list of players.
Zega Mambo’s new inclusions for the new season are Zimbabwean midfielder Thabani Kamusoko who joins from Tanzania’s Yanga FC, former Prison Leopards forward Saviours Nkonkola and Uganda striker Umaru Kasumba who joins from Sofapaka FC.
The Ugandan striker Umaru Kasumba was born on February 9, 1994, and joined Sofapaka FC in 2017 after finishing as the second top scorer in the 2015/16 Ugandan soccer season.
Standing at 181cm, the Ugandan leaves the Kenya club has the club’s top scorer for the 2019 season. He helped Sofapaka finish the second position in the 2017 season behind Gor Mahia.
The towering striker took the Kenyan Premier Soccer League by storm in 2017, in a season that he managed to bang in 12 goals in 12 appearances at the same time he made 6 assists. The team ended up second on the log table.
Kasumba found the back of the net nine times in the 2018 season in 19 league appearances for the Batoto Ba Mungu side in all competitions. He was part of the team that helped the Nairobi based club to a double, winning the Jamhuri Cup and Sportpesa Shield Cup.
During the 2019 season, he scored seventeen (17) goals and managed five assists for his club. Kasumba ended the season has the third-highest goalscorer behind Enoch Ochieng (20) and Allan Wetende Wanga while his club Sofapaka finished third, ten points behind champions Gor Mahia while missing out on a spot in the CAF Confederation Cup by two points to second-placed Bandari FC.
Shortly after the end of the season, Kasumba was invited for trials at a German club. The striker also received offers from Egypt and Zambia. Zesco and Nkana are the two Zambian clubs that were interested in the services of the 25-year-old Uganda striker.
Zesco United will be hoping that he replicates the form he showed in the just ended KPL season and help them qualify to the group stages of the CAF Champions League after failing to make the group stages last season.
Full Squad:
Goal Keepers
Jacob Banda
Samson Banda
Dieudonné Ntibahezwa
Defender
Marcel Kalonda
Fackson Kapumbu
Shemmy Mayembe
Clement Mwape
David Owino
Solomon Sakala
Simon Silwimba
Midfielder
Anthony Akumu
Misheck Chaila
John Ching’andu
Logic Ching’andu
Kondwani Mtonga
Mwape Mwelwa
Kosuke Nakamachi
Mwila Phiri
Edward Tembo
Quadri Kola
Thabani Kamusoko
Sabumukama Enock
Strikers
Jesse Jackson Were
Kalengo Winston
Savior Nkonkola
Kasumba Umaru
Some descions at zesco are surprising. I think rahim osumabe is better than Winston klenga, and why sign a zim player who is a finished products at younger instead of relying on youngsters such as Edward Tembo. Khondwani Mtonga is also tired .
Fackson Kapumbu has ceased to be international material