It’s been months and the controversy has died down. But there is still pain and sadness in Alex Bunbury’s voice.
A father never stops caring for his children. So when people took a shot at Teal Bunbury, his dad Alex felt it too.
The former Canadian international striker found his family in the spotlight when son Teal chose to play soccer for the United States, instead of Canada.
Alex says when it comes to international allegiance, his son was just trying to make him happy.
“There was a lot of hatred that went on because of the situation of (Teal) choosing the U.S. over Canada,” Alex Bunbury said in a recent phone interview from his home in Prior Lake, Minn. “I was sad to hear some of the things some people said about my son. It really hurt my feelings.
“I want all the fans that are out there, that always supported me, to know that Teal is a good kid, and he never meant to say anything against Canada. I want them to know that my son found himself in a very difficult position because he did not want to disappoint his dad.”
The controversy stemmed from the fact that Teal, who was born in Canada but has dual citizenship, accepted an invitation from the U.S. national team last November. That came 10 months after the Sporting Kansas City striker told CBC Sports: “It would feel wrong for me to play for the US. I feel a connection with Canada.”
That chain of events led to some strong criticism in Canada.
“People have a right to their opinion and I respect that, but I don’t like it when people are calling him a traitor, making hateful comments, wishing that he hurts himself, and making fun when he doesn’t get called up by the U.S. team,” said Alex. “I mean, that’s not necessary.”
Teal evidently had regrets after his comments to CBC and went to his dad to tell him how he truly felt.
“He said to me, ‘I just don’t feel it, dad. I really would prefer playing for the U.S.’ So I said, ‘Well, you made a mistake when you went out publicly and told everybody’… He said, ‘Dad, I know, I did that because I didn’t want to disappoint you,'” said the senior Bunbury. “And I told him, ‘Hey, you’re my son and I love you, I realize you’re doing this for me but you have to do it for yourself. Whatever decision you make, I will support you.’
“And that was it.”
A six-foot-two, 175-pound forward, Teal won the Hermann Trophy in 2009 as the top NCAA men’s player while at Akron.
He made his debut for the U.S. national team on Nov. 17, 2010, when he came on as a substitute in a 1-0 win over South Africa in the Nelson Mandela Challenge.
The next month he spent time training with English Premier League side Stoke City and scored in a reserve match against Wigan Athletic.
In January, he scored for the U.S. coming off the bench in a 1-1 tie with Chile. Bunbury celebrated his penalty kick success by dancing near the corner flag with teenage teammate Juan Agudelo.
On the club front, the 21-year-old Teal has found a soccer home with Sporting Kansas City.
He scored both goals in his team’s 2-0 win Sunday over the defending champion Colorado Rapids in the first leg of the Eastern Conference semifinals. The second leg is set for Wednesday night at Livestrong Park in Kansas City.
In his second year with Kansas City, Bunbury tied for the team lead in goals with nine.
Alex Bunbury has been publicly critical of the way the Canadian national team program has been run over the years, but he says that was never brought up in his discussion with his son
“I can tell you in all honesty that Teal came into this situation because he wanted to respect his dad,” said the 44-year-old Alex, who played 11 years for Canada starting in 1986. “I wanted my son to play for Canada, to follow my legacy. And I was the one who contacted (Canadian coach) Stephen Hart and told him about Teal.”
The young Bunbury did play three games for Canada’s under-17 and under-20 teams, although only sparingly.
“So when you calculate all of that stuff, he looked at it and made a decision,” said his father.
Alex is also adamant about dispelling the notion that Teal, who had a breakout year in his second MLS campaign with nine goals and three assists in 29 games, was developed in Canada.
“He was born in Hamilton when I played with the Steelers (in the CSL). We moved to Europe when he was two years old, when I went to West Ham United (England) and Maritimo (Portugal).
“And when I decided to come back and play in MLS, he was 10 years old when we moved to Minnesota. So basically he’s been raised as a European-American, he does not feel Canadian, and people need to understand that. He was developed in the Maritimo system, and then I coached him here in America until he went to college.
“So the Canadian connection was his dad imposing that on him”, added Alex, who is fifth in all-time caps (64) for Canada and third (16) in goals. “Teal does not feel in his heart that he’s Canadian. He was born in Canada, he knows his dad is Canadian inside out, his grandmother lives in Canada . . .
“This was a decision that was so difficult on this young man. Here he is, he has a father that’s well-known, well-liked, and everyone’s looking at him to follow in his dad’s footsteps, but his heart wasn’t there.
“I want people to understand that was the situation. And hopefully they see it for what it is.”
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