For the second consecutive edition of the IHF Men’s Club World Championship, the California Eagles are representing the North America and Caribbean Handball Confederation in the world club handball flagship competition.

While outsiders on paper, the Eagles have plenty of experience under their belt, with 46-year-old line player Gonzalo Carou, the team’s coach in the previous season and a player who featured 11 times at the IHF Men’s World Championship, being the household name.

Around him, the Eagles have built a team with players boasting different backgrounds, but in their maiden match at the current edition of the competition, a left back shined. While the American team lost, 30:35, against Sharjah SC and is still looking for their maiden win at the IHF Men’s Club World Championship, left back Zuwed Akuro scored 10 goals.

He was clearly the Eagles’ top player on the court, dishing also three assists, and doing his best on both sides of the ball, displaying some interesting skills, combining powerful shots with classy lobs to hit double digits and slotting into the second place in the top goal scorer standings of the competition.

“I think we did a pretty good job, and given that we're trying to still get our system together and get to understand ourselves, I think it was a good game, but a tough loss, but we look forward to the other games,” said Akuro.

He described his performance as being 50%-50%, with “always a chance for improvement”, but he was obviously satisfied with the display, as the Eagles stood close to Sharjah throughout the whole match.

“One of my coaches back in Cameroon, he always told me if I'm not technical, I need to compensate it physically, so it's something I think I have, so I work hard to keep it, especially given I don't have a lot of technical training, so I try to keep the physical aspect of it, so it compensates for the technical part I'm missing,” says the left back.

But how did Akuro reach the IHF Men’s Club World Championship?

Now 34 years old, the left back started handball back in his home country, Cameroon, before moving to the United States of America. He even was a part of the senior national team which finished fifth at the 2016 CAHB African Men’s Handball Championship.

“I was born and raised in Cameroon, so I started playing in Cameroon before I moved to the USA. I played in the University of Buea, but I also joined FAP Yaounde, one of the best clubs in Cameroon, for some competitions. And when I went to the USA, where I lived, there was no handball, so since I went to the USA, I've not really trained handball a lot, because it’s hard,” says Akuro.

He also featured in some competitions for the San Francisco CalHeat, another former American team which played at the IHF Men’s Club World Championship, but since going to the USA, Akuro tried some other sports.

“I played soccer for two years at Phoenix College, which I'm very proud of. After two years of football, I did some track and field, I did short put, I did discus and I did 100 metres sprinting,” says Akuro.

“Then I played volleyball and a beach of beach volley too, so a little bit of everything”.

But handball kept calling again and again.

“Teams like ours in the USA, they usually just call, I travel and I go play in competitions with them. Sometimes it’s difficult. I'm looking forward to seeing if I can get more training and improve in the game,” says Akuro.

A few months ago, he was also called up for the first time for the United States of America beach handball team, which took part in the second stage of the 2025 IHF Beach Handball Global Tour in Spain.

But Akuro’s focus is clearly on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, where the USA national team is qualified, being the hosts of the competition, 32 years after the previous appearance, at Atlanta 1996.

At that time, Akuro will be 37 years old and he has already stiff competition from several players, who are already in the national team circuit and participated in the previous two editions of the IHF Men’s World Championship. But the dreams are still there.

“So for now, age is not on my side, so I'm looking forward to a great next four or five years. I'm looking into trying to get a good career, maybe move to Europe to get some training, to play for Team USA and especially with the Olympics coming up, I'm looking forward to giving it my best to see if I can make the team,” concluded the left back.