MARBELLA, Spain – Teal Bunbury’s 2018 season mirrored the New England Revolution’s in many ways.
At the campaign’s midway mark the Revs were perched comfortably in 5th place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 7-4-6, their best first half in a decade. Bunbury, meanwhile, had already hit for a career-high 10 goals and was firmly in the mix for the league’s Golden Boot.
The season’s second half wasn’t quite as fruitful, however, at least not in terms of goal-scoring output. Bunbury scored just once in the final four months and the Revs won just three more games, missing out on the playoffs for a third straight year.
Bunbury admits that the Jekyll and Hyde nature of last year’s scoring production is “something that’s definitely on [his] mind,” but he’s focused on the positives from his career-best campaign, and there were plenty as he found himself playing a critical role in Brad Friedel’s first year in charge.
“Under a new coach you never know what to expect, so I feel that I was able to showcase my qualities. I think the style of play and the new philosophy has benefitted me,” Bunbury said. “(Now) it’s all about building on that.
“I try to bring – if it’s not just goals and assists – my work rate. I think something this year is try to maybe spread that out throughout the whole season, and try to be a little more consistent with the goal scoring, since that is my job, to go out there and score goals.”
Work rate is something Bunbury brings every day, not just on the weekends, but every time he steps onto the training ground. It is perhaps his defining characteristic, and it’s what made him the ideal candidate to lead the charge in Friedel’s high-pressing approach last season.
“He’s one of those leader types,” Friedel said of the 28-year-old. “He’s an experienced player. He does a lot more than just score goals. His work rate is second to none, really. He can cover some ground. He’s a big asset for us to have, that’s for sure.”
Friedel initially deployed Bunbury on the right wing last preseason, but quickly realized that his nonstop engine was best-suited to play in the middle as the first line of New England’s high press. It’s a role that Bunbury covets, as his movements begin the chain effect of how the rest of the team presses behind him.
Entering the current preseason, Bunbury has a defined understanding of the role he plays and the expectations that come with it, making for a smooth transition into the system.
“As soon as you know the expectations and what a coaching staff wants from you as a player, and you’ve already experienced some of that, there’s not much of an adjustment period,” said Bunbury. “They can bring new guys in to kind of spice up the competition, but in my mind I at least know the way we’re supposed to press, the runs I need to make, and things I need to do on and off the ball.”
Bunbury will no doubt have competition for minutes – namely from offseason signing Juan Fernando Caicedo – but his role within the group will be massive regardless of who’s playing on the weekends, as he’s a player whose mere presence is beneficial to the squad.
“Teal does a lot of things around the club,” said Friedel. “He’s well-liked by everybody. He’s a true gentleman. I don’t think there’s anybody at any one of his other clubs – definitely not here – that could say a bad word about him.”
Bunbury and the Revs will kick off their eight-game preseason slate on Thursday morning when they’ll take on Shanghai Shenhua FC (5 a.m. ET) in Marbella, Spain.
