Namibia’s Ngarizemo hoping for MLS contract

Namibia national team defender Maleagi Ngarizemo is hoping he can clinch a deal with a professional football club in Canada.

The 30-year old central defender is currently in Toronto trying to get a crack at MLS with Toronto FC or at least in North America’s second tier with the Vancouver Whitecaps or Montreal Impact and says he wants to be a part of it as the sport continues to grow in Canada.

"I know Canadian football, it is going to come up," he said. "I want to come here to be a part of this. I talked to a couple of agents, and they told me it might be easier to get a tryout if I came here... I am good at game-reading, good passer, and a good long passer from the back,” he told Steve Sandor of the Toronto Sun.

During the 2007/08 season with South African club Cape Town FC, Ngarizemo was told to try his luck in Cyprus but admitted the conditions there did not suit him at all.

"He (the agent) told me to play there (Cyprus) for a year," said Ngarizemo. "But there was terrible conditions in Cyprus. It was not good, so I decided to go back."

After finishing his contract with another South African club, Black Leopards, the Namibian thought it was time to find another challenge so made the move to Toronto in December to give his Canadian gamble a go.

It is yet to be seen if he will be picked up but he is certainly trying hard to impress despite battling against the odds.