Nkosi Tafari
{{short description|American soccer player|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox football biography
|name = Nkosi Tafari
|image = MLS FC Dallas at Real Salt Lake (51429255189) (cropped).jpg
|caption = Tafari with FC Dallas in 2021
|fullname = Nkosi Tafari Burgess
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1997|3|23}}
|birth_place = New York City, New York, United States
|height = {{height|ft=6|in=4}}{{cite web |title=Nkosi Tafari Burgess |url=https://www.fcdallas.com/players/nkosi-burgess/ |publisher=FC Dallas |access-date=August 23, 2022}}
|position = Defender
|currentclub = Los Angeles FC
|clubnumber = 91
|youthyears1 =
|youthclubs1 =
|collegeyears1 = 2015–2018
|college1 = UConn Huskies
|collegecaps1 = 46
|collegegoals1 = 1
|collegeyears2 = 2019
|college2 = Seattle Redhawks
|collegecaps2 = 20
|collegegoals2 = 1
|years1 = 2020–2025
|clubs1 = FC Dallas
|caps1 = 107
|goals1 = 7
|years2 = 2020–2021
|clubs2 = → North Texas SC (loan)
|caps2 = 8
|goals2 = 2
|years3 = 2025–
|clubs3 = Los Angeles FC
|caps3 = 4
|goals3 = 0
|club-update = March 15, 2025
}}
Nkosi Tafari Burgess (born March 23, 1997) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Major League Soccer club Los Angeles FC.
Club career
= College =
Tafari began playing college soccer at the University of Connecticut in 2015. He redshirted his Freshman season, before going on to make 46 appearances for the Huskies, scoring 1 goal and tallying 1 assist between 2016 and 2018.{{Cite web|url=https://uconnhuskies.com/sports/mens-soccer/roster/nkosi-burgess/9681|title=Nkosi Tafari - Men's Soccer|publisher=University of Connecticut Athletics}} In 2019, Tafari played his senior season at Seattle University, making 20 appearances and again tallying a single goal and an assist on his way to been named WAC Defensive Player of the Year and United Soccer Coaches All-Region First Team.{{Cite web|url=https://goseattleu.com/sports/mens-soccer/roster/nkosi-burgess/3434|title=Nkosi Tafari - 2019 - Men's Soccer|publisher=Seattle University}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.fcdallas.com/players/nkosi-burgess/|title=Nkosi Tafari|publisher=FC Dallas}}
= Professional =
On January 9, 2020, Tafari was selected 14th overall in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft by FC Dallas.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bigdsoccer.com/2020/1/9/21058683/fc-dallas-nkosi-burgess-cal-jennings-2020-mls-draft|title=FC Dallas selects two in the first round of the 2020 MLS Draft|first=Drew|last=Epperley|date=January 9, 2020|website=Big D Soccer}} He signed with the club on February 18, 2020.{{Cite web |title=FC Dallas Signs 2020 SuperDraft No. 14 Overall Pick Nkosi Tafari |url=https://www.fcdallas.com/post/2020/02/18/fc-dallas-signs-2020-superdraft-no-14-overall-pick-nkosi-burgess |publisher=FC Dallas}}
He made his professional debut on October 3, 2020, starting for Dallas' USL League One affiliate side North Texas SC in a fixture against Fort Lauderdale CF.{{Cite web|url=https://www.uslleagueone.com/northtexassc-forwardmadisonfc-2117282|title=North Texas SC vs. Forward Madison FC - July 25, 2020 |website=USLLeagueOne.com}}
He scored his first professional goal with FC Dallas on August 21, 2021, against the Houston Dynamo. On August 26, 2023, Tafari scored the game-winning goal in a 1–0 game against rivals . The goal came at 96:49 the latest game-winning goal in club history.{{Cite tweet |number=1695637581017321721 |user=MLS_PR |title=In tonight's 1-0 victory over rivals Austin FC, @FCDallas defender Nkosi Tafari scored the latest game-winning goal in club history at 96:49.}}
On January 23, 2025, Tafari was traded to Los Angeles FC in exchange for $300,000 in General Allocation Money and an International Roster Slot.{{Cite web|url=https://www.fcdallas.com/news/fc-dallas-trades-defender-nkosi-tafari-to-lafc-for-300k-in-2026-general-allocation-money-and-2026-international-roster-slot|title=FC Dallas Trades Defender Nkosi Tafari to LAFC for $300K in 2026 General Allocation Money and 2026 International Roster Slot|first=F. C.|last=Dallas|website=FC Dallas}}
International career
In January 2024 he was selected for the senior United States squad for a match against Slovenia.{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.co.uk/football/match/_/gameId/690424/slovenia-united-states|title=United States 0-1 Slovenia|language=it|publisher=ESPN|date=20 January 2024|access-date=14 October 2024}}
Personal life
In 2021, Tafari announced he would go by his middle name Tafari instead of Burgess, choosing to distance himself from the name that has been "passed down from master to slave" and saying "I want to get back to my own roots and be proud of being African".{{Cite web|url=https://www.fcdallas.com/post/2021/04/29/nkosi-tafari-why-i-chose-go-my-middle-name|title=Nkosi Tafari: Why I Chose to Go by My Middle Name |publisher=FC Dallas}} He is of mixed race Ethiopian and Malagasy descent through his mother.{{Cite web|url=https://www.beinsports.com/france/mercato/news/mls-87-joueurs-africains-engages/1857840|title=MLS : 87 joueurs africains engagés|website=beIN SPORTS France|language=fr}}
Career statistics
=Club=
{{updated|match played 8 September 2024}}{{Soccerway|654451|access-date=12 September 2024}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition | ||||||||
| rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|National cup !colspan="2"|Continental !colspan="2"|Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| rowspan="6"|FC Dallas
|2020 |MLS |0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2021
|MLS |22 | 1 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 22 | 1 | |||
| 2022
|MLS |27 | 0 | 2 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 29 | 0 | ||
| 2023
|MLS |33 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4{{efn|name="LEC"|Appearance(s) in Leagues Cup}} | 0 | 37 | 3 | |
| 2024
|MLS |25 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2{{efn|name="LEC"}} | 0 | 30 | 3 | |
| colspan="2"|Total
!107 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 118 | 7 | |
| rowspan="3"|North Texas SC
|2020 |6 | 1 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 6 | 1 | |||
| 2021
|USL League One |2 | 1 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 2 | 1 | |||
| colspan="2"|Total
!8 | 2 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 8 | 2 | |||
| colspan="3"|Career Total
!115 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 126 | 9 |
{{notelist}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.fcdallas.com/players/nkosi-Tafari Nkosi Tafari] at FC Dallas
- [https://goseattleu.com/sports/mens-soccer/roster/nkosi-burgess/3434 Nkosi Tafari] at Seattle Redhawks
- [https://uconnhuskies.com/sports/mens-soccer/roster/nkosi-burgess/9681 Nkosi Tafari] at UConn Huskies
- {{MLS player|nkosi-burgess}}
- {{U.S. Soccer player|t/nkosi-tafari}}
{{Los Angeles FC squad}}
{{2020 MLS SuperDraft}}
{{FCDallasFirstPick}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tafari, Nkosi}}
Category:American men's soccer players
Category:American people of Ethiopian descent
Category:American people of Malagasy descent
Category:Men's association football defenders
Category:FC Dallas draft picks
Category:North Texas SC players
Category:People from Deer Park, New York
Category:Sportspeople from Babylon, New York
Category:Soccer players from Suffolk County, New York
Category:Seattle Redhawks men's soccer players
Category:UConn Huskies men's soccer players
Category:USL League One players
Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen
Category:Major League Soccer players