The editorial staff at MLSsoccer.com is looking back over the year with our "Best of 2010" awards, running Dec. 13 through Jan. 2. Each day we'll hand out an award from a variety of categories culled from the storylines of Major League Soccer and the North American soccer scene.
Our series wraps up today looking forward to the new year, and our prediction of the Breakout MLS Star of 2011. We’ve selected Sporting Kansas City forward Teal Bunbury, who scored five goals in his rookie season, eventually played with both the Generation adidas team in Madrid and Stoke City in England and earned his first national team cap after picking the United States over Canada.
Bunbury spoke with beat writer Andrew Wiebe about his busy 2010 and the year ahead.
MLSsoccer: It’s been a busy couple months for you. How has the offseason treated you so far?
Bunbury: All of this has been really good for me. Going to South Africa and then Spain and England were all great experiences, and I had a lot of fun everywhere I went. I feel like I gained a lot.
MLSsoccer: What was it like to have your first go round with the national team and get your first cap as a senior international, after pledging your allegiance, so to speak?
Bunbury: It was amazing. It’s always been a dream of mine when I was younger to be able to play for my country and getting my first cap was great. Being able to meet Bob Bradley and be a part of what he has been working on was an honor. You can tell people were out there to prove themselves. It was a younger type of group and it was people’s first time there. You could tell that some people were a little anxious at times. Obviously, it’s a new environment, and you always have to try to make the best of it.
MLSsoccer: How do you feel like you showed? Did you show Bradley the capabilities that you have and the promise that you can bring to the setup?
Bunbury: Throughout the training and the game, I think I did well. Obviously, I think I could have done better, but I think I showed him qualities that he would like. I have this January camp coming up as another opportunity to show even more of what I have. I’m just going to take it one step at a time, do the things that I can control and do them to the best of my ability.
MLSsoccer: Spain was another place where you enjoyed quite a bit of success and also put the ball in the back of the net. What was it like to go there with a bunch of guys in a similar place as you in their careers and be so successful representing MLS?
Bunbury: It was a lot of fun because it was my first time meeting most of those guys. Just building the friendships with them and knowing you are going to be playing alongside them and then against them was really good. Even though we were there for a short time, our chemistry was amazing from the first time we trained. Being able to beat those teams, have good results and play well just showed how MLS has quality players.
MLSsoccer: What was the chemistry like between you and Juan Agudelo?[inlinenode:322612]
Bunbury: It was really good. He’s a great player, and I feel like we really build that starting in South Africa and on to Madrid. I think we have a really strong connection, and hopefully it will only get better.
READ: Agudelo the Breakout Star for FutbolMLS.com
MLSsoccer: You went to Stoke for a training stint after finishing up with the Generation Adidas tour. What was it like to see a professional environment in the Premiership firsthand?
Bunbury: It was a great experience, and I’m glad I went over there. Just to be able to be exposed to that really helped my game. Even though I was only over there for a week-and-a-half, there are things I will be able to bring into my game during preseason and next season all together.
MLSsoccer: You had success there as well, scoring a goal in a reserve game. How did you think you fit in in that environment and what were some highlights of the trip for you?
Bunbury: I felt really comfortable. I went in with an open mind and didn’t feel out of place at all. Just seeing how they train was huge. Even though the weather was really bad and it was cold and they had a game a couple days before, you could see the dedication and the work they were putting into the training. Kenwyne Jones really stood out for me. We kind of had the same qualities as players and I watched him a lot him a lot during training and the game I went to see.
MLSsoccer: What do you think the sum of all these experiences is going to mean for you going into the MLS season?
[inlinenode:324455]Bunbury: I think it has just raised my confidence. As a player, the majority of your game is just having confidence. That is really up right now. Going into my second season, I’m not a so-called rookie anymore. I can say that I’m going to be even more determined to go out there and help my team in whatever way I can. These experiences over the last couple months have been great and only made me a better player and person as well.
MLSsoccer: What do you expect from the national team camp coming up (beginning Tuesday)? What do you hope to accomplish there?
Bunbury: I just want to showcase that I could be an intricate part of the team. Everything I do – on and off the field – I just want to showcase that I can be a part of what Bob Bradley wants to accomplish with that team. I feel like I can do that, and my mindset is going to be to go in there and impress and really show what I can do.
MLSsoccer: When you decided to leave Akron, did you have any idea what would be happening for you just one year later? Has all this taken you by surprise at all or did you expect this to happen?
Bunbury: After coming out of Akron, I wasn’t necessarily expecting to play with the national team, go on these trips and be pretty successful with all that in my first year. Obviously, I wanted things to happen, help my team play well and be given opportunities like this so I could prove myself. In a sense, it kind of came out of the blue. For the most part, I was just expecting to be able to improve my game as the year went on.
MLSsoccer: Speaking of Akron, I’m sure you took a lot of pride in seeing them take the national championship.
Bunbury: Without a doubt. Caleb Porter has been amazing there over the last five years and transformed that school into a powerhouse. When I was there, he always talked about dominant soccer. Watching the team, you can just tell how passionate they are when they play, and that comes from Caleb Porter and the other coaches. It’s great to be a part of that, and I’m very happy for the guys to win it. It was very much deserved.
MLSsoccer: 2011 is fast approaching, and it’s a big one for Kansas City with the new stadium, re-branding, Omar Bravo and everything else going on. What do you hope to accomplish in your second season?
[inline_node:320731]Bunbury: On the team level, we just want to continue to improve from last year. We were very close to making the playoffs. I know it’s going to be a long season, but I think we have the ability to make the playoffs and that will be a goal for us from the very beginning. Obviously, I am very excited to play in the new stadium and for all our fans. As a team, I feel like we are just going to have to build chemistry and get deadlier in the final third and be more opportunistic. On a personal level, I just want to keep improving my game. As a striker, I need to score more goals so I would say that’s the biggest thing.
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