Akron's Bunbury Commits To MLS

University of Akron sophomore Teal Bunbury has opted to forego his final two years of college eligibility to sign a contract with Major League Soccer, according to a report by the Washington Post’s Steven Goff. He is widely regarded as a potential top-5 pick in next month’s 2010 MLS SuperDraft.

Bunbury, 19, started all 25 games for the top-ranked Zips last season, scoring a team-leading 17 goals to go with five assists. He was recently named Mid-American Conference Player of the Year and was selected as one of three finalists for the 2009 Hermann Trophy, which honors the top Division I college soccer player in the country. He is the second Akron player in as many years to be nominated for the award, following in the footsteps of Steve Zakuani, who also left the school after his sophomore year and was selected with the first-overall pick in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft by Seattle Sounders FC.

Teal is the son of Alex Bunbury, who spent two seasons as a member of the Kansas City Wizards back in 1999-2000. He also played professionally in Canada, Portugal and briefly with West Ham United.