He was picked 3rd in the MLS Draft. Now he gets a comeback chance with AC Boise
The hype machine around Philip Mayaka went into overdrive before the 2021 MLS Draft.
Analysts called him a can’t-miss prospect. They dubbed him the most obvious No. 1 pick in years. Some claimed he would have gone first overall the previous year.
“It’ll be a shock if anyone else hears their name called first,” Matthew Doyle, a MLS-paid analyst for the past 15 years, wrote in the league’s own draft preview.
But the defensive midfielder from Clemson slid to the third pick to the Colorado Rapids. And that only marked the beginning of his slide.
Mayaka never played a minute for Colorado, the team that traded up to take him. The Rapids loaned him out to USL clubs for seasoning before releasing him two years later, and he spent the past three seasons in MLS Next Pro, a farm league for the country’s top clubs.
But the 25-year-old from Kenya gets a fresh opportunity to prove himself with AC Boise, which plays the first game in club history at 5:30 p.m. Mountain time Saturday in Florida against the Sarasota Paradise. The home opener will be Saturday, April 4, at Expo Idaho after back-to-back road games.
“I’ve learned that there’s always another chance,” Mayaka said. “As long as you don’t put your head down, you keep working hard, you don’t give up, there’s always another chance. There are always setbacks in life, and all that matters is how you overcome them.
“Since I left Colorado, I’ve started to love soccer more because I’m growing and understanding. I’m taking it like it’s my job now.”
Mayaka doesn’t dwell on his past opportunities. He noted that the Rapids fielded six midfielders in front of him on the depth chart, and he admitted that the 20-year-old version of himself could have handled the situation better.
But he brings those hard-earned professional lessons with him to Boise, where he provides a veteran hand to the fledging club.
“If little things don’t go your way early in your career, sometimes it’s hard to course correct,” Boise coach Nate Miller said. “I say this about all players: It’s right player, right coach, right club, right time.
“If one of those isn’t there, then you’re not playing. You get shipped off on loan. … You’re not comfortable in your environment. You’re not playing to your ability. And football moves on fast. People forget about you fast.”
Miller didn’t forget, though. AC Boise’s inaugural coach said he always builds his teams around defensive midfielders, and he kept an eye on Mayaka should he get another head coaching opportunity in the USL.
Miller pointed to Mayaka and Charlie Adams, a previous captain for Miller in San Diego, as two crucial pieces to Boise’s first season.
“Maya is such a ball-securing No. 6,” Miller said. “He’s got a great engine. He can run for days. He’s really intelligent. … A great passer, a great long passer. He has all those tools.
“I just think that he needed to be in an environment that really believed in him, supported him, and just gave him the style of football that will make him shine.”
Even though Boise has yet to play a game, Mayaka said the club’s reputation and focus on winning quickly attracted him to Idaho. So did its community commitment, since Mayaka runs an educational foundation in his native Kenya.
But the clincher came from Miller.
“He asked what I wanted,” Mayaka said. “I’ll be honest, he’s the first coach who’s asked what I wanted.”
Mayaka told Miller his wants are simple. He wants to earn a call-up from the Kenyan national team. (He made the roster for two World Cup qualification games in 2021, but did not enter the game). And he wants to lead Boise to a promotion.
AC Boise joins the USL at an opportune moment as the upstart league will offer promotion and relegation starting in 2028. That means Boise could someday play its way from its current home in USL League One (third division) into the USL Championship (second division) or even the coming USL Premier (first division).
“I want to help the club get there,” Mayaka said. “I’m one of those guys that as long as I’m on the team, I want to help you. It doesn’t matter if they play without me after those many years, but I want to make sure the club goes forward.”
