Teal Bunbury – Making His Own Mark on the Soccer Field

Living in the shadow of a parent who was a professional athlete is never an easy thing to do. But Minnesota native Teal Bunbury is making his own mark on the soccer world.

Teal, the son of Alex and Kristi Bunbury, is a sophomore forward for Division-I Akron of Ohio and this year leads his team with 10 goals and is also top for points with 23. Bunbury’s team is 4-0-0 in the Mid-American Conference and 13-0-0 overall.

As a Freshman, Teal had a good start, playing in 23 games making 10 starts and accumulating 40 shots, 16 on goal. He scored a pair of goals for the game winner in US’s 7-0 rout of Florida Atlantic and had another big game against Wright Stat,e scoring twice and adding an assist.

Teal’s father Alex played professional soccer for 15 years in England, Portugal, Canada and the U.S. So the younger Bunbury knows he has big shoes to fill. However, if the past two years are any indication, Teal may not only match his father’s soccer prowess but may exceed it.

Bunbury may not be a name that is quite as well known to some Minnesotans even though he is a Prior Lake, MN native. Bunbury attended Shattuck-St. Mary’s so he didn’t get the high school recognition that some players from the state receive. However, while playing for Shattuck-St. Mary’s, he was named to the 2008 Parade All-American team after guiding his Shattuck team to a second-place finish at the USYSA national championships. He was also a named twice to the NSCAA/adidas Youth All-American team  and was a member of both the Canadian U-17 National Team and was a U.S. Soccer Region II ODP team member.

Teal was also listed as 20th-best recruit in the nation by Rise Magazines and was an all-star at the adidas ESP showcase in ‘06 and ‘07. He has also traveled with the ‘06 ESP team to England.

Bunbury showcased for the Rochester Thunder PDL team this past summer and was the team’s top goal scorer with 5 and top point getter with 12.

Amazingly, Bunbury was also playing for the Chicago Fire USL Super 20 team this year. On October 13th, Bunbury scored his fifth goal in four games to lead the Zips to a 2-0 victory over Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. Bunbury was honored by United Soccer Leagues on Thursday, August 6 as a Second Team, All-Tournament Selection for his performance in the annual Super-20 League North American Finals.

In four games at the Super-20 Finals, Bunbury scored two goals for the Chicago Fire, the first in a 4-0 win over the Northern Virginia Royals on Friday, July 31 and the second in a 2-1 loss to eventual champion, Red Bull New York on Saturday, August 1.

Bunbury entered the game for Ackron against Virginia Tech ranked seventh in the nation for goals scored this season. With the win, the Zips, who recorded their 10th shutout in 12 games, stayed perfect on the season with 12 wins in 12 games – achieving the best start in program history. 

Bunbury, who has been on an incredible run with nine goals in his last seven matches, found the net for the 10th time in 2009 in the 37th minute. The native of Prior Lake, MN., took a pass from Kofi Sarkodie, slipped through the Virginia Tech defense and beat the ’keeper in a one-on-one situation.

Keep your eye on the very speedy and athletic Mr. Bunbury. That is Mr. Teal Bunbury, who in the very near future could overshadow his father’s accomplishments.