Darlington Murasiranwa
{{Short description|Zimbabwean footballer (born 2001)}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=July 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox football biography
|name = Darlington Murasiranwa
|fullname = Darlington Ngonidzashe Murasiranwa
|image = Darlington Murasiranwa, FC Edmonton (1).jpg
|alt = Darlington Murasiranwa is running and preparing to kick a ball
|caption = Murasiranwa in 2022 with FC Edmonton
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|2001|02|07|mf=y}}
|birth_place = Zimbabwe
|height = 1.83 m
|position = Goalkeeper
|currentclub =
|clubnumber =
|youthyears1 =
|youthclubs1 = Cape Town Barca Juniors
|youthyears2 = 2014–2016
|youthclubs2 = FC Edmonton
|youthyears3 = 2016–2018
|youthclubs3 = Vancouver Whitecaps FC
|youthyears4 = 2018–2019
|youthclubs4 = FC Edmonton
|collegeyears1 = 2019–2020
|college1 = Guelph Gryphons
|collegecaps1 = 3
|collegegoals1 = 0
|years1 = 2021–2022
|clubs1 = FC Edmonton
|caps1 = 13
|goals1 = 0
|years2 = 2023
|clubs2 = FC London
|caps2 = 16
|goals2 = 0
|years3 = 2023–2024
|clubs3 = Valour FC
|caps3 = 5
|goals3 = 0
|nationalyears1 =
|nationalteam1 =
|nationalcaps1 =
|nationalgoals1 =
|medaltemplates =
|club-update = January 16, 2025
|nationalteam-update =
}}
Darlington Ngonidzashe Murasiranwa (born February 7, 2001) is a Zimbabwean professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper.
Early life
Murasiranwa was born in Zimbabwe, later moving to South Africa where he began playing football in Cape Town with Barca Juniors at age 9.{{cite web|url=https://northerntribune.ca/fc-edmonton-darlington-murasiranwa/|title=Eddies Bring In Academy Goalkeeper Darlington Murasiranwa|date=February 5, 2021|first=John|last=Jacques|work=Northern Tribune}} When he was 13, he moved to Edmonton, Canada, re-uniting with his parents (including meeting his father for the first time), who had moved to North America, when Darlington was an infant in search of a better life for the family due to the economic hardships in their homeland, leaving him with his grandparents.{{Cite web|url=https://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/sports/zimbabwean-family-endures-strife-separation-death-on-long-way-home-to-kamloops-4373890|title=Zimbabwean family endures strife, separation, death on long way home to Kamloops|date=October 2, 2018|first=Marty|last=Hastings|work=Kamloops This Week}}{{cite web|url=https://valourfc.canpl.ca/article/as-i-see-it-theres-beauty-in-struggle-sometimes-i-see-the-lessons-i-learned-from-it|title=Darlington Murasiranwa:"As I see it, there’s beauty in struggle sometimes. I see the lessons I learned from it."|date=March 8, 2024|work=Valour FC|first=Ed|last=Tait}} In Edmonton, he joined the FC Edmonton academy. He joined the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy at U16 level,{{cite web|url=https://aftn.ca/vancouver-whitecaps-u16s-remodelled-roster/|title=Vancouver Whitecaps U16s remodelled roster brings "a lot of questions, but a lot of excitement"|date=September 3, 2016|first=Michael|last=McColl|work=Away from the Numbers}} before returning to the FC Edmonton academy.
University career
In 2019, he began attending the University of Guelph, playing for the men's soccer team.{{Cite web|url=https://gryphons.ca/news/2019/8/30/soccer-men-2019-season-preview-mens-soccer.aspx|date=August 30, 2019|work=Guelph Gryphons|title=2019 Season Preview: Men's Soccer}} He kept clean sheets in his first two starts.{{Cite web|url=https://gryphons.ca/news/2019/9/27/soccer-men-mscr-gryphons-depth-powers-them-past-golden-hawks.aspx|date=September 27, 2019|work=Guelph Gryphons|title=MSCR: Gryphon's Depth Powers Them Past Golden Hawks}} Ahead of the 2021 season, he announced he was transferring to MacEwan University where he would play for the MacEwan Griffins.{{Cite web|url=https://www.macewangriffins.ca/sports/msoc/2020-21/releases/20201204l4tmbo|title=After previous recruit lands pro opportunity, Griffins add promising goalkeeper Murasiranwa|first=Jefferson|last=Hagen|work=MacEwan Griffins|date=December 4, 2020}} However, he ultimately turned pro instead a couple of months later.
Club career
Murasiranwa signed with Canadian Premier League side FC Edmonton on February 5, 2021.{{cite web|url=https://canpl.ca/article/fc-edmonton-signs-youth-academy-product-darlington-murasiranwa|date=February 5, 2021|title=FC Edmonton signs youth academy product Darlington Murasiranwa|work=Canadian Premier League}} He made his debut for Edmonton on August 15 in a Canadian Championship match against Cavalry FC.{{cite web|url=https://northerntribune.ca/2021-canadian-championship-edmonton-cavalry/|first=John|last=Jacques|date=August 15, 2021|title=Canadian Championship Opens With Al Classico Win For Cavalry|work=Northern Tribune}} He made six appearances in his first season, keeping a clean sheet in the 1–0 victory in the final game of the season against Forge FC.{{cite web|url=https://canpl.ca/article/fc-edmonton-re-signs-t-boy-fayia-darlington-murasiranwa|title=FC Edmonton re-signs T-Boy Fayia, Darlington Murasiranwa|date=February 9, 2022|work=Canadian Premier League}} In February 2022, Edmonton announced that Murasiranwa would be returning to the team for the 2022 season.{{cite web|url=https://fcedmonton.canpl.ca/article/fc-edmonton-announces-return-of-t-boy-fayia-darlington-murasiranwa|date=February 9, 2022|title=FC Edmonton Announces Return of T-Boy Fayia & Darlington Murasiranwa|work=FC Edmonton}} Following the 2022 season, Murasiranza trained with English non-league side Shepshed Dynamo.{{Cite web|url=https://canpl.ca/article/never-forget-where-youre-from-darlington-murasiranwa-gives-back-to-zimbabwe-community-that-raised-him|title=‘Never forget where you’re from’: Darlington Murasiranwa gives back to Zimbabwe community that raised him|date=February 10, 2023|work=Canadian Premier League|first=Benedict|last=Rhodes}}
After FC Edmonton folded following the 2022 season,{{cite web|url=https://northerntribune.ca/valour-fc-darlington-murasiranwa-moment-of-trust/|title=Big Moment For Murasiranwa, Who’s Next Man Up For Valour|date=May 10, 2024|work=Northern Tribune|first=John|last=Jacques}} he joined FC London in League1 Ontario in March 2023.{{cite web|url=https://northerntribune.ca/fc-london-darlington-murasiranwa/|title=FC London Adds Eddies Goalkeeper Darlington Murasiranwa|date=March 16, 2023|work=Northern Tribune|first=John|last=Jacques}} Over the course of the season, he made sixteen appearances for the club.{{cite web|url=https://www.newzimbabwe.com/https-www-newzimbabwe-com-murasiranwa-makes-canadian-premier-league-return-with-valour-fc/?amp=1|title=Murasiranwa makes Canadian Premier League return with Valour FC|date=November 11, 2023|work=New Zimbabwe}}
In August 2023, after the League1 Ontario season, he returned to the Canadian Premier League, signing a contract with Valour FC for the remainder of the season, with a club option for 2024.{{cite web|url=https://valourfc.canpl.ca/article/valour-fc-sign-canadian-goalkeeper-darlington-murasiranwa|title=Valour FC sign Canadian goalkeeper Darlington Murasiranwa|date=August 17, 2023|work=Valour FC}}{{Cite web|url=https://northerntribune.ca/valour-fc-darlington-murasiranwa/|title=Former Eddies Goalkeeper Darlington Murasiranwa Makes CPL Return|date=August 17, 2023|work=Northern Tribune|first=John|last=Jacques}}
International career
Career statistics
{{updated|October 20, 2024}}{{soccerway|darlington-murasiranwa/512570}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" | |||||||||
| rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|League !rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="2"|League !colspan="2"|Playoffs !colspan="2"|National Cup !colspan="2"|Other !colspan="2"|Total | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| rowspan=3|FC Edmonton
|2021 |rowspan=2|Canadian Premier League |5 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 1 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2022
|8 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 8 | 0 | ||
| colspan="2"|Total
!13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| FC London
|2023{{Cite web|url=https://www.league1ontario.com/roster_players/64501558?subseason=875807|title=Darlington Murasiranwa 2023 L1O Stats|work=League1 Ontario}} |16 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 16 | 0 | |||
| rowspan=3|Valour FC
|2023 |rowspan=2|Canadian Premier League |2 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2024
|3 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 1 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 4 | 0 | ||
| colspan="2"|Total
!5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| colspan="3"|Career Total
!34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 0 |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://presto-en.usports.ca/sports/msoc/2019-20/players/darlingtonmurasiranwagvu6?view=gamelog Darlington Murasiranwa] at U Sports
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murasiranwa, Darlington}}
Category:21st-century Zimbabwean people
Category:Zimbabwean emigrants to Canada
Category:Zimbabwean emigrants to South Africa
Category:Canadian men's soccer players
Category:Zimbabwean men's footballers
Category:Men's association football goalkeepers
Category:Soccer players from Cape Town
Category:Soccer players from Edmonton
Category:University and college men's soccer players in Canada
Category:Whitecaps FC Academy players
Category:Canadian Premier League players
Category:Guelph Gryphons men's soccer players