How Bernard Kamungo went from a refugee camp to a USMNT call-up

He will remember his childhood, wrapping cloth around inflated condoms and medical gloves to make soccer balls and, in doing so, create diversions from the hardships of living in poverty among some 150,000 other displaced souls.

He’ll think about that day in 2016 when his family’s name appeared on a resettlement list with a distant destination: Abilene, Tex.

He’ll flash back to his senior year in high school when he attended an open tryout for a professional opportunity and, two years later, scored for MLS’s FC Dallas against Lionel Messi’s Miami team.

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He’ll remember becoming a U.S. citizen in 2022, receiving call-ups to the junior national team in 2023 and the senior squad in 2024.

It’s a lot to pack into a 90-second pregame ritual. But it’s who he is.

“I’m here, you know, as a U.S. national team player,” he said Thursday. “It’s actually happening. It’s real. It’s going to be another proud moment, listening to the anthem, thinking about the big steps I’ve taken so far to be here.”

Kamungo, 22, is here because, in his first full MLS season last year, he recorded eight goals and three assists across all competitions for Dallas and made a strong initial impression with the U.S. under-23 national team.

With the ability to facilitate and finish scoring opportunities, Kamungo owns a skill set that, with greater polish and experience, could someday benefit Gregg Berhalter’s national team.

Short term, he is a candidate for this summer’s Olympic team, which will be represented largely by the under-23 program. Marko Mitrovic, the U-23 coach, is a member of Berhalter’s staff in this camp.

“The kid just has a knack for scoring goals,” Berhalter said. “He gets in front of goal and he’s very effective. Those are qualities you can’t teach.”

Kamungo also possesses a hunger for the game.

“You can see with the energy, commitment and desire that he has every single day to be a better player that it’s coming from his background,” FC Dallas Coach Nico Estévez said. “It’s coming from his family, from his birth country, and given this huge opportunity here in the United States, you can see how he wants to return all the good things this country is providing to him.”

For his first 14 years, Kamungo’s life was the Nyarugusu Refugee Camp, which the United Nations and Tanzanian government created in 1996 to accommodate thousands fleeing neighboring unrest. Bahizire and Silvie Kamungo and their six children lived in a small home — essentially a large partitioned room — without electricity or plumbing.

“There wasn’t much food, there wasn’t much money. Life was difficult,” he said. “When you’re a refugee, you don’t have a home. You’re just trying to find somewhere where you can call home.”

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Soccer was a competitive sport among young adults housed in the camp. Kids played on dirt space between houses.

“All I knew was soccer because there was no electronics or anything like that,” Kamungo said. “You’re enjoying time with your friends.”

“Honestly, I never thought about the future,” he said. “We were living in a refugee camp. You just don’t think too much about what’s ahead of you; you only have one plan, and that’s to survive this day to get to another day.”

Life changed in 2016, when the International Rescue Committee found a place for the family. Some in the camp ended up in Europe, Australia or Canada. Others landed in the United States, many in Texas.

The Kamungos were headed for Abilene, a city of 125,000 that sits 180 miles west of Dallas.

“I didn’t know what that was,” Bernard said, laughing.

Twenty years after arriving at the refugee camp, his parents were getting out.

Bernard, who spoke Swahili and French, needed to learn English. He resumed playing soccer by joining the middle school team. He found adult pickup games with other African immigrants and starred for the high school squad.

Life was much better but money was still tight. Club soccer was beyond the family’s means. When Bernard was a senior, his older brother, Imani, found him an open tryout with FC Dallas’s developmental team, North Texas SC, which plays in the third division of U.S. soccer. They paid a $90 registration fee.

It went so well, North Texas invited him back for additional workouts. In March 2021, Kamungo signed a pro contract. He moved to the Dallas area and finished high school online.

“I was about to cry,” Imani told the soccer website the Striker. “I’ve been waiting for that to happen, and I’m glad we did it.”

A year later, Kamungo’s 16 goals were second on the USL League One’s scoring chart. He was called up to FC Dallas for his MLS debut.

After the 2022 season, Dallas promoted him to the MLS squad for good. Last season, Kamungo scored six goals in 16 regular season matches and two in four Leagues Cup starts.

Estévez, a former Berhalter assistant, had told the U.S. coach at the start of the year to keep an eye on Kamungo. In midseason, though, Kamungo accepted an invitation to Tanzanian national team camp. (He is eligible through his mother’s family ties.)

When the U.S. under-23 team came calling later in the year, Kamungo had to decide which country to represent.

“I told him to be patient and make those decisions with your heart,” Estévez said. “Whatever you decide, it’s going to be love. Everyone is going to respect you.”

Kamungo said he told his family: “I really love both countries for the opportunities they gave us, so you decide. Whatever you guys decide, I’ll go for it.”

“Having somewhere I can call home, it was always my dream,” Kamungo said. “It was always what everyone who leaves a refugee camp dreams about. And for that, I don’t know if I’ll ever repay these guys. I need to show something and just work for this crest on the [U.S.] shirt.”