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In a move that surprisingly wasn't really rumored beforehand, Sporting Kansas City has traded forward Teal Bunbury to New England in exchange for a 2015 first round pick and allocation money.
This move unloads one of Sporting KC's three center forwards, where it was impossible for Bunbury to get the quality playing time he wanted in 2013. Claudio Bieler and Dom Dwyer were better overall than him in 2013, although he was still recovering from his ACL tear back in 2012.
The trade should allow Bunbury more playing time in a better place for him. As long as Bieler and Dwyer were in Kansas City, he wasn't going to get good playing time. In New England, he'll be able to be a quality contributor on a team that proved it could win matches in 2013.
For Sporting Kansas City this move seems to bring in a very good haul. The 2015 first round draft pick is what Sporting KC paid for Benny Feilhaber last year, and could prove to be a trading chip if Sporting KC is looking to add someone in MLS. Another big bonus for Sporting KC from this trade is the cap freedom. There has not been confirmation as to how much of Bunbury's $110,000 will come off the books for SKC, but the allocation money received by Sporting should help with extra money if they need it.
Since being drafted in 2010, Bunbury has been a good contributor up top but was hampered with injuries and too much competition in 2012 and 2013. Hopefully he finds success with the Revs, just not against Sporting KC.
