PRONUNCIATION: joe-jay-ah KWEE-ZEH-RAH
POSITION: Defender
BIRTHDATE: Jan. 27, 2000
HEIGHT: 5-9
WEIGHT: 150
HOMETOWN:
YOUTH CLUB: Forza West FC
PREVIOUS TEAM: CF Montréal
PROFILE
Kwizera joined Rhode Island FC on January 4, 2024. In his first season in the USL Championship, the Congolese midfielder tallied three goals and six assists, logging 2,256 minutes in 30 appearances and making 25 starts. Kwizera came to the Ocean State after two seasons with MLS side CF Montréal. Kwizera burst onto the scene after Montréal selected him as the 15th overall pick in the first round of the 2022 MLS SuperDraft. Kwizera tallied 407 minutes and 12 appearances during his two seasons in Canada. Prior to joining the MLS side, Kwizera split his four-year collegiate career between Utah State University Eastern and Utah Valley University. In his senior campaign at Utah Valley, Kwizera scored five times and led the Western Athletic Conference in assists (11). His junior season ended with an All-WAC Second Team selection. Kwizera transferred to Utah Valley from USU Eastern, where he recorded seven goals and 11 assists in 34 appearances. Kwizera was born in Bukavu of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and moved to Salt Lake City at the age of nine.