MUSKEGON – The Muskegon Risers indoor season provided a welcome fresh start in the U.S. for Akani Miyambu, and he’s certainly making the most of it.

The young South African goalkeeper came from his homeland last summer to enroll at Muskegon Community College and play for the MCC soccer team.

He was rotating with another goalie, game-to-game, and helping the Jayhawks have a great season. But his playing time was cut short by an incident that occurred when MCC was playing Lakeland Community College.

An opposing player had a breakaway on Miyambu and was getting around him, and in a moment of bad judgement the young goalkeeper knocked him down and ended the play.

Miyambu was given a red card, which meant he was ejected from the game. He remained with the MCC team after the incident, but never saw the field again for the Jayhawks, who went on to win a regional championship and advance all the way to the junior college national tournament.

“I was one-on-one with him, he dribbled past me and I took him out,” Miyambu said. “I never played again.”

A few weeks later the Risers put out a call for open tryouts for their winter indoor squad. Miyambu grew up playing traditional soccer, and had never tried indoor before, but he thought he would give it a go.

He immediately caught the attention of Risers head coach Ben Ritsema, made the team, and shared playing time with fellow goalkeeper Michael Vollmer for the first few games.

By the fourth game he was the Risers’ full-time starting keeper and has improved in leaps and bounds. Using his natural athleticism, he wows the crowd and frustrates opponents with his acrobatic saves.

He’s now among the statistical leaders among goalies in the league, and his outstanding play has helped the Risers go 5-5 and move very close to clinching a spot in the Major Arena Soccer League 2 playoffs.

A victory over the undefeated Cleveland Crunch on Saturday night, at home at Mercy Health Arena, would nail down a postseason slot for the Risers.

“He really didn’t know the indoor game at all, but I saw right away that he was athletic, he dove to make saves, had great reaction time, and could react to the placement of shots,” Ritsema said about Miyambu. “He was checking all those boxes for me. I didn’t care if he didn’t know the game yet. I knew we could teach him that.

“At the end of the tryout, I was talking to (Risers owner) Matt Schmitt, and I told him I liked the tall MCC goalkeeper, I think he shows some promise. So Matt said ‘Let’s bring him back,’ and he hasn’t missed a practice or a game since then. He’s committed and loyal, He really likes it.”

For Miyambu, the Risers provided an opportunity for redemption, and a chance to forge a more positive outcome from his journey to the United States.

“No doubt, I do feel bad,” he said about the incident at MCC. “My school career kind of blew up in terms of playing time. But it kind of helped shape me into the man I am now, and made me really want to perform with the Risers.”

Amazing improvement in a short time

Miyambu, 20, started playing soccer in his hometown of Johannesburg when he was five-years-old. He said his father was always eager for him to play the sport – referred to as football overseas – and made that clear when he was very young.

“We joke about it now – my dad kind of tried to live his dream through me,” Miyambu said. “My very first birthday cake was in the shape of a football field. I remember him leading me toward the sport, and when I was five he signed me up with local football club.”

After having a lot of success as a youth soccer player, Miyambu engaged the services of an agency to help him find a college team in the United States. He said he had several offers but liked MCC more than the other interested colleges.

He was eager to try out for the Risers when he heard about the camp, but was unsure about the situation, because he knew indoor soccer is very different – and much faster – than the traditional outdoor game.

“There are a lot of rules I didn’t know about,” he said.

Miyambu said he heard that indoor soccer is sort of a hybrid between soccer and hockey, but for a young man from a very warm country on the southern tip of Africa, that meant nothing.

“I’m from South Africa, so I never watched hockey,” he said.

He also had no idea what the Risers were really about. He heard it was semipro soccer, but was surprised by the professionalism of it all.

“It was definitely not what I expected,” he said. “I thought it was more of a social soccer club. I had heard we would be able to travel to other cities for matches, but I didn’t know about the arena, the quality of the gear and the players, and I didn’t know about the fans. It was a very new type of experience for me.”

Miyambu admits he was nervous when he took the field in the fourth quarter of the Risers’ opening game in Cincinnati in December. Muskegon trailed 6-5 heading into the fourth, but Miyambu only gave up one goal, the Risers scored four times and won 9-7.

“I was not confident when I went in, but in the last minute I made a one-on-one save and we ended up winning,” he said. “From there I just kind of kept building on. I felt the support from my teammates and coach, and I had no anxiety after that.”

Since then Miyambu has established himself among the best goalies in the MASL 2. He ranks second in wins with 5, third in save percentage with a .665 mark, and fourth in goals against average at 7.84.

If seven goals per game seems like a lot, it’s really not in indoor soccer, where fields are small, the action is fast, and the goals can come at a dizzying pace. No goalie in the league has had a shutout this season.

Miyambu’s best game came on Feb. 5 at home against the Chicago Mustangs, when he only gave up two goals and Muskegon won 13-2.

“I almost had a shutout against Chicago,” he said. “I only conceded two goals, which my coach said is absurd for an indoor match.

“I’m going to try my best to get that shutout. I’m going to try my best and make history!”

Coach Ritsema expected Miyambu to improve and be pretty good this season, but he never dreamed he would develop so quickly.

“Pleasantly surprised would be an understatement,” Ritsema said. “If you had told me he would be playing this well this soon, I would have said no way. I didn’t think anyone could improve that much so quickly. He’s got to be among the top four or five goalies in the league.

“To ascend that quickly is almost unheard of.”

‘I love the team and the city’

Veteran Michael Vollmer was the leading candidate to start in goal for the Risers this season.

After a few games, however, Miyambu’s skills became obvious, and he won the job on a regular basis.

Rather than being bitter or angry, Vollmer has taken Miyambu under his wing, helping him learn about the indoor game and life in semipro soccer.

“Michael Vollmer has been an outstanding mentor for him,” Ritsema said. “He knows the rules inside and out, and he’s helped Akani learn them. They even drove to Milwaukee to see a match together. I think his mentorship has been a real key to his success.”

“He’s played a big role for me,” Miyambu said about Vollmer. “He has shown me how important it is to be a leader, not just on the field but off it. I value him a lot. I am thankful for him teaching me the game and being so supportive.”

Part of Miyambu’s success is probably linked to his obvious love for the game.

He’s all smiles and chatter on the field. It’s common to see him leave the goal to hug a teammate when the Risers score, and he loves to hang around Mercy Health Arena to visit with fans after games.

He’s fun for everyone to watch, because he’s obviously having fun.

“He really loves playing for the Risers,” Ritsema said. “He loves coming to practice and playing in games, and he loves talking to the fans. He’s the last one back in the locker room after every home game. That’s his personality. He’s not shy in any way.”

Miyambu said he’s having the time of his life in Muskegon, competing in a way he never expected when he came to town last year.

“I love the team and the city,” he said. “The support we get is so exciting.”

Miyambu’s future in soccer remains undetermined. He’s still first and foremost a college player, and hopes to hook on with a four-year university team somewhere this fall.

If that doesn’t happen, he said he would be happy to play again for MCC, and of course that could lead to another season with the indoor Risers.

In the meantime, he’s focused on helping the Risers finish the season on a strong note. He’s looking forward to the challenge of playing undefeated Cleveland on Saturday, and believes the Risers have a real chance to beat the Crunch, the defending MASL 2 champions who are 9-0 this season.

Muskegon is 0-3 against Cleveland this year, but gave the Crunch a serious battle when they played them three weeks ago, losing 11-9.

“We’ve been getting big results and statement wins,” Miyambu said. “Even going to Cleveland and losing by two, we went into their home ground and competed. That was a definite sign of where our team is now. I’m excited to see what happens in our own back yard.”