Ten years ago, one Bunbury's playing career came to an end in Kansas City.
On Thursday, another Bunbury's career began there.
The Kansas City Wizards made history in this year's edition of the MLS SuperDraft, selecting former Wizards forward Alex Bunbury's son Teal with the fourth overall pick. The selection marks the first time that the son of an MLS player has joined the league, and for the elder Bunbury, it seemed almost too perfect a storyline.
"It's pretty much full circle, isn't it?" The elder Bunbury said. "I'm a man of faith, so I guess someone up there was making it happen for us. For a father to sit there and watch his son that he loves unconditionally join the team he once played for...words can not describe how I felt."
His son had no such problems.
"It's an amazing feeling, being able to say that my dad played for the Kansas City Wizards and now I'm going to as well," Teal Bunbury said. "I feel honored and privileged to carry on the Bunbury name in Major League Soccer."
But if Wizards fans are expecting a younger version of the back-to-goal specialist that helped the team to an MLS Cup in 2000, they may be in for a surprise. At 6-2 and 175 pounds, the 19-year-old Bunbury shares many of the same physical traits. However, the Wizards' newest recruit also possesses a good amount of speed and a goal-scorer's instincts that outclass even his father's (this according to Alex Bunbury himself).
That finishing ability took center stage this past college season, as the younger Bunbury scored an NCAA-high 17 goals, leading Akron's top-ranked offense to the final of the College Cup where they lost on penalty kicks to the University of Virginia. In January, the Missouri Athletic Club awarded Bunbury the 2009 Hermann Trophy, an award given annually to the best collegiate player in the nation.
Add all that to Bunbury's experience with the Canadian U-17 and U-20 teams, and the Wizards now have what Head Coach and Technical Director Peter Vermes considers a very exciting prospect.
"He's a polished forward from the college game," Vermes said. We think he has a lot of talent and a huge upside, and that's why we took him at number four."
Bunbury, for his part, isn't getting ahead of himself.
"This preseason is a great opportunity to showcase my ability and what I can contribute to the team," he said. "I'm going into it with the mindset that I have to prove myself."
To his father Alex, Kansas City is just the place for his son to do so.
"I'll never forget the way [Kansas City] treated me throughout my time there," said the elder Bunbury, a teammate of Vermes' during the Wizards' championship season in 2000. "Knowing Peter and knowing the organization, I know they're going to take care of a 19 year old kid who has a lot of potential. As a parent, it's a very comforting feeling knowing that."
