Teal Bunbury's 17th-minute strike surprised just about everyone. His left-footed bender to the back post put the New England Revolution up 1-0 in the first leg of the Eastern Conference Championship, paving the way to an eventual 2-1 win.
It's been a season of growth for the Revs, and with the exception of a certain MVP candidate, perhaps no one has grown more than Bunbury.
Bunbury was originally drafted No. 4 in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft by the then Kansas City Wizards. He scored 19 goals in 77 appearances with the club before tearing his ACL towards the end of the 2012 season. The vast majority of those appearances came with Bunbury playing up top as field-stretching center forward in Peter Vermes’ 4-3-3 system.
Playing up top allowed Bunbury to play off the shoulders of central defenders and make runs in behind the backline to receive a through ball and attack the goal. But after he struggled to come back from his injury in 2013, Sporting KC shipped him to New England before the 2014 season.
Bunbury reprised his center forward role in Foxborough, starting the first seven games of the season as a No. 9. Following a slow start for both Bunbury and the team, head coach Jay Heaps moved his new striker out wide to a new position. Since then Bunbury’s game has evolved.
Defensively, he has been asked to get back defensively on the right wing much more than ever before. Check out how some of his defensive numbers have jumped, as you would expect, since moving outside:
| Teal Bunbury Defensive Statistics (incl. playoffs) | ||||
| Season | Recoveries Per 90 | Tackles Per 90 | Interceptions Per 90 | |
| 2010 | 4.2 | 1.4 | .4 | |
| 2011 | 2.9 | .5 | .3 | |
| 2012 | 2.5 | .7 | .4 | |
| Since 4/27 | 4.9 | 2.1 | .9 | |
In the attack, Bunbury has been used as a “target winger” (something you could read more about HERE). The number of times he has been used as an aerial threat and the number of times he has been able to attack defenders 1v1 have both increased dramatically.
| Teal Bunbury Attacking Statistics (incl. playoffs) | ||||
| Season | Attempted Aerials Per 90 | Attempted Dribbles Per 90 | Crosses from Open Play Per 90 | |
| 2010 | 3.6 | 3.3 | .9 | |
| 2011 | 1.0 | 1.4 | .9 | |
| 2012 | 2.8 | 1.5 | .6 | |
| Since 4/27 | 6.6 | 3.9 | 2.4 | |
The aerial numbers are particularly telling. Bunbury stands 6-foot-2 and weighs in at 175 pounds, which means he towers over most fullbacks. He's never been a natural in the air, but with such a pronounced physical advantage against the guys he's lining up from week after week, he's become a legitimate option on the long-ball.
Of course, it doesn't always pay: Bunbury's crossing attempts have also seen a sharp increase, though he has completed just 8 of his 48 crosses from open play since making the position switch. There is still work to be done.
After scoring four goals during the regular season, Bunbury has two in three playoff games. He is obviously getting more comfortable at his new position, which only bodes well for the Revolution’s potential run to MLS Cup, but it also means we could see even more growth in his game over the next couple of seasons.
