Teal Bunbury
Encyclopedia
Teal Bunbury is a Canadian
-born American
soccer player who currently plays for Sporting Kansas City in Major League Soccer
. He is also a member of the United States men's national soccer team
.
to an American mother, Kristi, and Guyanese-born Alex Bunbury
, a professional soccer player who won the sixth most caps all time for the Canadian men's soccer team
. At the age of two, he left Canada to travel with his father as he played in England briefly, and then in Portugal until he was 10 years old. He then moved to the United States with his father and has grown up there since. He grew up in Prior Lake, Minnesota
and attended Shattuck-St. Mary's High School. He was contracted for Apple Valley Juventus, before playing college soccer
at the University of Akron
. He made a total of 35 starts and appeared in 48 games with the Zips during the 2008 and 2009 seasons. In 2008, he scored a total of 6 goals in his 23 appearances, second only to future SuperDraft pick Steve Zakuani
, who scored the most goals in the NCAA with 20. Most of those appearances came off the bench, as Bunbury only started 10 games in that season.
After Steve Zakuani
was selected first overall in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft
, Bunbury began to shine for Akron. As a sophomore, he started all 25 games for the Zips, including the 2009 Division I Men's College Cup
final. Bunbury led the team and the nation in goals, scoring 17 across the year. He also led the team in shots (103) and tied with fellow forward Darlington Nagbe in game-winning goals (5). Throughout the season, Bunbury earned many accolades, including the Mid-American Conference
's Player of the Week award three times, as well as once by College Soccer News. He was also named to Top Drawer Soccer's national Team of the Week during the season. He was also the 2009 Hermann Trophy Award Winner for the best player in college soccer.
During his college years Bunbury also played with the Rochester Thunder
in the USL Premier Development League
and the Chicago Fire Premier
in the USL Super-20 League.
. He was drafted in the first round (4th overall) of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft
by Kansas City Wizards
.
He made his professional debut on March 27, 2010, in Kansas City's opening game of the 2010 MLS season against D.C. United
, and scored his first professional goal on April 13, 2010, in a US Open Cup game against the Colorado Rapids
. He was handed a start on his first game in Canada versus Toronto FC
. He was subbed off in the 58th minute. Despite being a striker in college, Teal is used more behind the main striker and is evolving into a playmaker. He scored his first MLS goal in a 1-0 victory over Columbus Crew.
In December 2010 Bunbury joined English Premier League side Stoke City
on trial and scored in a reserve match against Wigan Athletic
.
teams. Though he had said he would play for Canada and it would feel "wrong" to play for USA, he was called up to the full USA team on November 11, 2010 as part of the squad to face South Africa. Bunbury earned his first cap for the United States on November 17, 2010 against South Africa
, coming on as a substitute at halftime in the Nelson Mandela Challenge Cup. He scored his first international goal against Chile from a penalty kick, in an exhibition match in Los Angeles. It was in this game that he earned the moniker "Boon-boo-ree" after Spanish-speaking commentator Pablo Ramirez
said his name to the rhythm of Boom Boom Pow
while Bunbury and Juan Agudelo
celebrated the goal by dancing.
Stats Accurate as of November 2, 2011
, a former striker who is the third highest scorer and is fifth in caps won all-time for the Canadian men's soccer team
. He also finished his career as one of C.S. Marítimo's all-time top goal scorers. Teal is the first son of a former MLS player to be drafted into the league.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soccer player who currently plays for Sporting Kansas City in Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
. He is also a member of the United States men's national soccer team
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
.
College and amateur
Bunbury was born in Hamilton, OntarioHamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
to an American mother, Kristi, and Guyanese-born Alex Bunbury
Alex Bunbury
Alexander "Alex" Bunbury is a former Canadian professional footballer, who played as a striker.-Club career:Bunbury started playing professionally with the Hamilton Steelers in Canada, also having one-year spells in the Canadian Soccer League with the Toronto Blizzard and Montreal Supra.In 1993,...
, a professional soccer player who won the sixth most caps all time for the Canadian men's soccer team
Canada men's national soccer team
The Canada men's national soccer team represents Canada in international soccer competitions at the senior men's level. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association and compete in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football .Their most significant...
. At the age of two, he left Canada to travel with his father as he played in England briefly, and then in Portugal until he was 10 years old. He then moved to the United States with his father and has grown up there since. He grew up in Prior Lake, Minnesota
Prior Lake, Minnesota
In 2007, there are an estimated 19,319 residents. The population density was 1,207 people per square mile . There were 5,791 housing units at an average density of 428.9 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 94.5% White, 0.8% African American, 2.1% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.3%...
and attended Shattuck-St. Mary's High School. He was contracted for Apple Valley Juventus, before playing college soccer
College soccer
College soccer is a term used to describe association football played by teams who are operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes...
at the University of Akron
University of Akron
The University of Akron is a coeducational public research university located in Akron, Ohio, United States. The university is part of the University System of Ohio. It was founded in 1870 as a small college affiliated with the Universalist Church. In 1913 ownership was transferred to the City of...
. He made a total of 35 starts and appeared in 48 games with the Zips during the 2008 and 2009 seasons. In 2008, he scored a total of 6 goals in his 23 appearances, second only to future SuperDraft pick Steve Zakuani
Steve Zakuani
Steve Zakuani is a Congolese footballer who currently plays for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer. Born in Zaire , Zakuani grew up in London before attending the University of Akron on a soccer scholarship...
, who scored the most goals in the NCAA with 20. Most of those appearances came off the bench, as Bunbury only started 10 games in that season.
After Steve Zakuani
Steve Zakuani
Steve Zakuani is a Congolese footballer who currently plays for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer. Born in Zaire , Zakuani grew up in London before attending the University of Akron on a soccer scholarship...
was selected first overall in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft
2009 MLS SuperDraft
The 2009 MLS SuperDraft took place on January 15, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. It was the tenth annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft. The first selection was owned by the expansion Seattle Sounders FC...
, Bunbury began to shine for Akron. As a sophomore, he started all 25 games for the Zips, including the 2009 Division I Men's College Cup
2009 Division I Men's College Cup
The 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship was a tournament of 48 teams from NCAA Division I who played for the NCAA Championship in soccer. The semifinals and final were held at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina. All the other games were played at the home field of the higher...
final. Bunbury led the team and the nation in goals, scoring 17 across the year. He also led the team in shots (103) and tied with fellow forward Darlington Nagbe in game-winning goals (5). Throughout the season, Bunbury earned many accolades, including the Mid-American Conference
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
's Player of the Week award three times, as well as once by College Soccer News. He was also named to Top Drawer Soccer's national Team of the Week during the season. He was also the 2009 Hermann Trophy Award Winner for the best player in college soccer.
During his college years Bunbury also played with the Rochester Thunder
Rochester Thunder
Rochester Thunder was an American soccer team based in Rochester, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 2008, the team played in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Heartland Division of the Central Conference...
in the USL Premier Development League
USL Premier Development League
The USL Premier Development League is the amateur league of the United Soccer Leagues in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda, forming part of the American Soccer Pyramid...
and the Chicago Fire Premier
Chicago Fire Premier
Chicago Fire Premier is an American soccer team based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 2001, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Great Lakes Division of the Central Conference.The team plays its home games at...
in the USL Super-20 League.
Professional
After two years with the Zips, Bunbury decided to forgo the remainder of his collegiate career and sign with Generation adidasGeneration adidas
Generation adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young soccer talent in the United States. The program, sponsored by adidas, encourages early entry of American players into MLS...
. He was drafted in the first round (4th overall) of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft
2010 MLS SuperDraft
The 2010 MLS SuperDraft was the eleventh annual SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. It was held on January 14, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the 2010 NSCAA Convention. The 2010 SuperDraft consisted of four rounds with sixteen selections each, for a total of 64 players...
by Kansas City Wizards
Kansas City Wizards
Sporting Kansas City is an American professional soccer club based in Kansas City, Kansas that competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada...
.
He made his professional debut on March 27, 2010, in Kansas City's opening game of the 2010 MLS season against D.C. United
D.C. United
D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inception, in 1996.Over the...
, and scored his first professional goal on April 13, 2010, in a US Open Cup game against the Colorado Rapids
Colorado Rapids
The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver suburb of Commerce City, Colorado which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league...
. He was handed a start on his first game in Canada versus Toronto FC
Toronto FC
Toronto FC is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada....
. He was subbed off in the 58th minute. Despite being a striker in college, Teal is used more behind the main striker and is evolving into a playmaker. He scored his first MLS goal in a 1-0 victory over Columbus Crew.
In December 2010 Bunbury joined English Premier League side Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
on trial and scored in a reserve match against Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
.
International
Bunbury has played the Canadian national U-17 and U-20Canada U-20 men's national soccer team
Canada U-20 men's national soccer team, also known as Canada Under-20s or Canada U-20s, is the youth club for national soccer in Canada. It plays a large role in the development of Canadian soccer, and is considered to be the feeder team for the Canada men's national soccer team...
teams. Though he had said he would play for Canada and it would feel "wrong" to play for USA, he was called up to the full USA team on November 11, 2010 as part of the squad to face South Africa. Bunbury earned his first cap for the United States on November 17, 2010 against South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, coming on as a substitute at halftime in the Nelson Mandela Challenge Cup. He scored his first international goal against Chile from a penalty kick, in an exhibition match in Los Angeles. It was in this game that he earned the moniker "Boon-boo-ree" after Spanish-speaking commentator Pablo Ramirez
Pablo Ramirez
Pablo Ramírez is a Spanish-language sportscaster in the United States. Ramírez primarily provides Spanish-language commentary for soccer matches, currently working along with Jesus Bracamontes for the TV station Univision...
said his name to the rhythm of Boom Boom Pow
Boom Boom Pow
"Boom Boom Pow" is a song by The Black Eyed Peas released as the lead single from their fifth studio album, The E.N.D. The song uses the auto-tune vocal effect, and blends the genres of Electro-rap, dance-pop, electro hop and hip hop....
while Bunbury and Juan Agudelo
Juan Agudelo
Juan Sebastián Agudelo is a Colombian-born American soccer player. He currently plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer....
celebrated the goal by dancing.
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | January 22, 2011 | Home Depot Center, Carson, California Carson, California Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, Carson had a total population of 91,714. Located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately 14 miles away from the Los Angeles International Airport, it is known as a suburb of the city.... , USA South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... |
Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|||
Career statistics
| Club | Season |  Major League SoccerMajor League Soccer Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada... |
US Open Cup | MLS Cup MLS Cup The MLS Cup is the championship match of Major League Soccer, the highest tier of professional soccer in the United States and Canada. As the final match of the MLS Cup playoffs, the winner is crowned the season champion in the same manner as other North American sports leagues... |
CONCACAF CONCACAF Champions League The CONCACAF Champions League is the annual international club football championship for teams from the CONCACAF region .... |
Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||
| Sporting Kansas City |
2010 2010 Major League Soccer season The 2010 Major League Soccer season was the 98th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer, the 32nd with a national first-division league, in the United States and Canada, and the 15th in MLS history. It began on March 25 at Seattle's Qwest Field with Seattle Sounders FC defeating the expansion... |
26 | 5 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 27 | 6 |
| 2011 2011 Major League Soccer season The 2011 Major League Soccer season was the 99th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer, the 33rd with a national first-division league, in the United States and Canada, and the 16th season of Major League Soccer. The season marked the arrival of two new league clubs, Portland Timbers and Vancouver... |
28 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - | 32 | 12 | |
| Club Total | 54 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | 59 | 18 | |
Stats Accurate as of November 2, 2011
Personal life
Teal is the son of Alex BunburyAlex Bunbury
Alexander "Alex" Bunbury is a former Canadian professional footballer, who played as a striker.-Club career:Bunbury started playing professionally with the Hamilton Steelers in Canada, also having one-year spells in the Canadian Soccer League with the Toronto Blizzard and Montreal Supra.In 1993,...
, a former striker who is the third highest scorer and is fifth in caps won all-time for the Canadian men's soccer team
Canada men's national soccer team
The Canada men's national soccer team represents Canada in international soccer competitions at the senior men's level. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association and compete in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football .Their most significant...
. He also finished his career as one of C.S. Marítimo's all-time top goal scorers. Teal is the first son of a former MLS player to be drafted into the league.
Akron Zips
- Mid-American Conference Regular SeasonMid-American ConferenceThe Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
- Champion: 2008, 2009
- Mid-American Conference TournamentMid-American ConferenceThe Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
- Champion: 2008, 2009
- NCAA Men's Division I Soccer Championship
- Runner-up: 2009
Individual
- Mid-American ConferenceMid-American ConferenceThe Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
Player of the Year: 2009 - Goal.comGoal.comGoal.com, founded in 2004 by Chicco Merighi and former Ferrari Maserati and Ralph Lauren President and CEO Gian Luigi Longinotti-Buitoni, is a website for international football news. Goal.com represents the largest football community in the world, with 22 language versions, covering over 200...
Player of the Year: 2009 - Hermann TrophyHermann TrophyThe Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top male and female college soccer players.-History:...
Winner: 2010 - NSCAANSCAAThe National Soccer Coaches Association of America is an organization of American soccer coaches founded in 1941. The NSCAA has grown from a handful of college soccer coaches to more than 22,000 members, making it the largest coaching organization in the world. Its members coach at all levels of...
All-American: 2009 - Soccer America Player of the Year: 2009