HARARE – Zimbabwean soccer striker Joseph Ngwenya has been offered a two-week trial at Spanish premiership side Getafe after he was recommended by former Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

The 25-year-old Ngwenya is playing in the United States, where he joined Columbus Crew in May after a stint at Los Angeles Galaxy.

If Ngwenya makes the grade at Getafe, he will become the first Zimbabwean to play in Spain.

Klinsmann, who lives in the United States, tipped his former German team-mate Bernd Schuster, who is the Getafe coach, to have a look at Ngwenya.

Ngwenya is yet to win his first international cap, although he had been called up in January for Zimbabwe’s 2006 African Nations Cup preparations during which he pulled a groin.  

In the just-ended Major Soccer League in the US, Ngwenya started 17 of Columbia Crew’s final 20 games and scored a career-high five goals.

He is regarded as a key player at Crew where he received the goal of the year award and shared the Golden Boot with teammate Jason Garey.

Crew mentor, Sigi Schmid, who also coached Ngwenya at Galaxy, said he wanted to build his youthful team around the Zimbabwean striker.

"Joseph is really the old man in the group already," Schmid, whose team ended the season with 17 players younger than Ngwenya, was quoted by The Sun News (US) as saying. "We need him to be that guy to have the maturity in that group."

A breakthrough into European football will raise the profile of The Plumtree-born Ngwenya, little-known back home where he did not play for any major club, and only started shaping his career as a student at Coastal Carolina University in the US.

Getafe, who finished last season on ninth position in the 20-team Spanish La Liga, are eager to strengthen their side during the January transfer window. - ZimOnline