TUCSON, Ariz. – Many pieces of the New England Revolution’s attack are interchangeable, and in Wednesday night’s 2-1 win over the Houston Dynamo, Teal Bunbury reminded everyone as much.
Bunbury, who has spent the bulk of his time in New England playing on the wing, started the second half at the top of New England’s attack in a target role. It was the first time this preseason that someone other than Charlie Davies or Juan Agudelo played as the target striker.
The results were promising. Bunbury twice used his pace to get in behind the Dynamo backline, running onto long balls from Donnie Smith and Michael Gamble. Those sequences led to both New England goals as Bunbury finished off the first himself, and set up Steve Neumann on the second.
“We wanted to try something a little different,” said head coach Jay Heaps. “We know Juan and Teal can be interchangeable and tonight we made a conscious effort to really give Teal the minutes up top, and I thought he was excellent. I really liked what he brought up there.”
While his time up top has been limited with the Revolution, there’s no question Bunbury is comfortable in a target role. The 25-year-old spent most of his four years with Sporting KC playing at the top of a three-man forward line, scoring 19 goals and adding seven assists in 89 appearances.
Bunbury was expected to fill a similar role when he arrived in New England prior to the 2014 season, and his first seven appearances that year were, in fact, up top. But after early struggles he soon transitioned into a spot on the wing and thrived, settling into a new position with his new club.
Heaps believes that versatility has helped Bunbury become a more well-rounded player, and that a bit of time away from the target forward role has been a boost for the dynamic attacker.
“Sometimes it’s fresh, because Teal has been a number nine throughout his career,” Heaps said. “He’s been playing on the wing a lot and I think he got a different perspective. I think that’s good.”
Bunbury will likely continue to see the bulk of his time on the wing as he enters his third season with the Revolution, but Wednesday night’s performance was a welcome reminder that the 6-foot-2 forward can also operate as a target striker, offering depth – and another option – behind Davies and Agudelo.
“Having the ability to flip those guys and provide cover at center forward and provide starting depth at center forward is really good for us,” said Heaps.
