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T2 opened their season on Sunday with 3-1 victory over Real Monarchs and a late-game stunner against Sacramento Republic, to defeat the defending USL champions 2-1. With so many new faces, we will be profiling the 20 players signed or loaned to the USL side.
We continue with forward Schillo Tshuma.
Number: 20
Position: Forward
Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 162
Born: Sept. 9, 1992
Hometown: Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
College: University of Maryland
Tshuma, 22, joins T2 on loan from the Timbers first team, after splitting 2014 between the Timbers, Orange County Blues, and Arizona United.
Tshuma made his Timbers debut during the U.S. Open Cup match on June 17, a 3-0 victory over Orlando City U23s. In his first loan stint, Tshuma appeared for Orange County in two matches (1 start), making the USLPro Team of the Week for Week 3, then was recalled to the Timbers and subsequently loaned to Arizona United, where he made 17 appearances, recording 1 assist.
Drafted by the Timbers in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft, Tshuma was a two-year starter at Maryland, making 49 appearances (46 starts), scoring 16 goals and adding 3 assists, while being named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference second team as a sophomore in 2013 and All-ACC Freshman team in 2012. His Terrapins side faced off against teammate Nick Besler's Fighting Irish in the 2013 NCAA Championship game, with Notre Dame taking home the hardware.
Additionally, Tshuma has represented Zimbabwe at the U17 and U23 levels. He moved to Alexandria, Virginia at the age of 15, through a partnership with Grassroot Soccer and Episcopal High School, as detailed in articles in The Oregonian, The Diamondback, and Soccer America, where he was a three-time state champion, scoring 55 goals and adding 28 assists.
A speedy winger, Tshuma has struggled with consistency at both the collegiate and professional levels, starting out strong, then fading down the stretch, but finds himself with a strong opportunity to grow and prove himself with T2, and has started the first two matches of the season, recording an assist on Kharlton Belmar's first goal against Real Monarchs on March 29.