Riya Usurua was born and raised in Windhoek, where his football journey began at the young age of six. At the time, he was playing for Mario Football Academy. During a match against Ramblers, their goalkeeper was injured, and Usurua was asked to step in as a goalkeeper.
“I saved the penalty, and then I just ended up being a goalkeeper. I just stayed in that position,” he recalled.
The young goalie fell in love with football through his father, who played for African Stars in the early 1990s. Growing up in a football-loving family, the sport quickly became more than just a pastime.
Usurua has since represented Namibia’s national futsal team, an experience he believes deepened his passion for the game.
“I played for the national team, which made me fall in love with football even more because it became such a big thing in my family. My brother, sister and I all played football, so it became something we really love,” he said.
He realised futsal was more than just a hobby when he featured in the first two legs of the AFCON qualifiers against Tanzania.
“That’s when I realised that futsal can actually grow in this country. We can take it far. I knew then that I wanted to do it more than just once or twice a week,” Usurua said.
From that point on, he trained harder and dedicated more time to improving his game. Today, he continues to play as a goalkeeper, a position he believes suits him perfectly.
Usurua says playing in goal almost feels like being a coach on the court. The role allows him to read the game, organise his teammates and direct play from the back.
He describes his playing style as both ‘crazy and relaxed’ at the same time.
“Sometimes I need to rush out, other times I need to stay calm. I have to know when to hold the ball, when to release it and when to play quickly for the counter-attack,” he explained.
One of his proudest moments came when he scored against Egypt and Afghanistan.
“I only had two minutes left in the game when I was brought on, so I just thought, ‘Why not? Why can’t I just shoot and see what happens?” he asked.
Not all experiences have been easy. One of his toughest matches was with his club, Quality FC, against JCY FC De Luanda in Angola, a match they lost 6-0. The defeat was a wake-up call.
“That match showed us that we were not at the level we needed to be. JCY were at a higher level than us, and they weren’t even the best team in Luanda; they were the fourth best,” he said.
Despite the loss, Usurua took valuable lessons from the Angolan goalkeeper Gomito, who also plays for the Angolan national team.
Currently, he is working on improving his role as a fifth man, stepping out of the goal to join the attack, which is a crucial element in modern futsal.
“I am really working on being better at passing the ball; knowing when to hold it, when to shoot and when to play through the lines. That’s a big focus for me this year,” he said.
Before matches, Usurua prepares with a prayer. Beyond that, he believes nothing more is needed because he is already doing what he loves. He credits national futsal head coach Marcos Antunes for instilling that mindset.
“He always tells us you can not be nervous or stressed doing something you love. When I am playing, I always choose to have a smile on my face. Even though I’m serious during the game, deep down I know I’m doing something I love,” Usurua said.
His short-term goals are to win the league and any tournaments that arise this year. Long-term, he hopes to play in another AFCON and ultimately qualify for the Futsal World Cup.
“That would be a major step for Namibia. It would be generational for the team that makes it,” he said.
Outside of futsal, Usurua is pursuing a Bachelor of Accounting degree at the Namibia University of Science and Technology while working full-time at Ramblers, where he coaches the U/8 team.
Over the years, he has won multiple 11-a-side tournaments, earned three Hopsol medals, been named Ramblers’ Player of the Year four consecutive years, claimed the Ragazzi Cup Goalkeeper of the Tournament award, and received Goalkeeper of the League and Goalkeeper of the Year honours in the futsal league.