Dec

Bunbury signs with Generation adidas

Bunbury and McInerney among first Generation adidas signees

by Paul Kennedy, Wednesday, Dec 23, 2009 7:00 AM ET

[MLS] Soccer America Player of the Year Teal Bunbury is among four players Major League Soccer signed to Generation adidas contracts. Besides Bunbury, also signed were Akron teammate Blair Gavin, former Rutgers midfielder Dilly Duka and U.S. under-17 striker Jack McInerney.

Also signed were seniors Andre Akpan (Harvard), Zach Loyd (North Carolina) and Toni Stahl (Connecticut).

Akpan and Bunbury are two of the finalists for the Hermann Trophy, college soccer’s version of the Heisman Trophy, while another Gen adidas target, Wake Forest’s Corben Bone, is the third finalist for the award.

Akpan finished his collegiate career at Harvard as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 127 points (47 goals, 33 assists), was the 2009 Ivy League Player of the Year.

Bunbury, a sophomore forward from Prior Lake, Minn., led the nation in goals with 17. He follows in the footsteps of Steve Zakuani, who signed a Generation adidas contract, and was selected No. 1 overall out of Akron by Sounders FC in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft.

Bunbury and Gavin are two of at least a half dozen other pro prospects on Akron, which took a perfect record in the Men’s College Cup.

McInerney scored two goals in helping lead the USA to the round of 16 at the 2009 Under-17 World Cup. Duka impressed for the USA at the Under-20 World Cup in Egypt.

The 2010 MLS SuperDraft takes place on Jan. 14 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia at 2 p.m. ET. The first hour will be broadcast live on ESPN.