Mayaka was scouted playing football in his local Nairobi by the general manager of the Montverde Academy in Florida. Mayaka had options to play in Norway, but opted to make the move to the United States.[2] Whilst in Florida, Mayaka ended up playing with the Orlando City academy in the USSDA for a year, making 16 appearances and scoring 9 goals.[3]
College
Mayaka attended Clemson University to play college soccer. In his two seasons with the Tigers, Mayaka made 32 appearances, scoring 2 goals and tallying 8 assists. In his freshman season, Mayaka was named Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Freshman of the Year, All-ACC First Team, All-America Second Team and a semi-finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy. His sophomore season saw Mayaka earn First-team All-ACC and ACC All-Tournament team accolades.[4]
Professional
On 14 January 2021, it was announced Mayaka had left college early to sign a Generation Adidas deal with MLS, which would see him enter the 2021 MLS SuperDraft.[5] Going in to the draft, Mayaka was considered the consensus number one pick, however was selected 3rd overall on 21 January 2021 by Colorado Rapids.[6]
