Lebogang “Lebo” Moloto was born in 1990 in Polokwane, South Africa, which is approximately 8600 miles away from Nashville, TN, USA, as the crow flies, but Nashville SC announced their acquisition of Moloto on 12 December 2017 from the Swope Park Rangers. So, how did he get from South Africa to Tennessee? In 2009, at the age of 19, Moloto moved to the United States to play college soccer. From 2009-2012, Moloto played at Lindsey Wilson College in Kentucky. In his four seasons, Moloto played in 83 matches, scoring 42 goals, and contributing to 20 others, and he helped the team to win two national championships. While at Lindsey Wilson, Moloto played for the Des Moines Menace, a PDL team, where he scored 11 times in 34 apps, and making six assists. Moloto was drafted by the Seattle Sounders in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft, but decided to complete his degree, and so was not signed to a contract. Instead, Moloto returned to his native South Africa, and played for United FC, a team in the second tier of South African football. After spending 2014 at United FC, Moloto decided to return to the States.

Lebo Moloto signed with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds for the 2015 USL season. Just five days after signing, Moloto scored his first goal in a preseason friendly. In 2015, Moloto set a league record by making three assists in a single match against the Harrisburg City Islanders. Pittsburgh kept Moloto on the roster through the 2016 season, and in both seasons in Pittsburgh, Moloto appeared in 54 matches, scored eight goals, and assisted on eight others. At the end of the 2016 season, Moloto joined the Swope Park Rangers, where he shone like he did in 2015. In 29 apps in the USL for Swope Park, Moloto scored seven times and made five assists. At the end of the 2017 season, Moloto was traded to Nashville SC in exchange for “future considerations” in the first ever trade conducted by Nashville SC.

Now, if you’re a regular, I’m sure you know how this works by now. I give the player’s history, and then I either provide highlight videos for your enjoyment, or I provide some statistics you skim through to see if there’s a highlight video at the end. Let’s try something a little different instead. Head Coach Smith, when Moloto was acquired, said this in a statement:

Lebo is a dynamic combination of creative ability & team-first mentality. He has a graceful appreciation of the ball when in possession and is capable of making and scoring goals on his own or linking with others. On top of that, his genuine attitude makes him a terrific team player with a totally unselfish approach.

And, in a first for this blog, here’s someone other than Gary Smith in a blue box that represents a quote:

From day one we have been looking for ways to create a competitive advantage in building out our roster. Adding a player of the caliber of Lebo was an opportunity we had to take advantage of, and we were fortunate to work out a deal that enabled us to do so. ~Mike Jacobs, Technical Director

Wow, y’all. That’s high praise from these two gentlemen. For every single one of these signings, we should be looking at what these two saw in these players. Why did they bring this player to Nashville? What impressed them? I think the above quotes are pretty self-explanatory: creative ability, being a team player, unselfishness, capable of bringing a competitive advantage. But, hey, seeing is believing, right? Let’s then see what he’s capable of:

This one is a beauty:

Wow. Just, just….wow:

I’m thoroughly impressed. Please do that on 10 February against Atlanta. It’s not far away now…