THREE Guyanese football players will be given an opportunity to play in the USA’s Major League Soccer, according to former MLS star Alex Bunbury. Since last year, Bunbury has been showing keen interest in helping local players to realise their dreams of playing professional football at the highest level and at his Press Conference yesterday, the ‘Club Sport Marítimo’ all-time leading goalscorer said the three players will travel to the Midwestern U.S state of Minnesota to vie for a spot in the Minnesota United FC.
The club currently competes in the USA’s second division North American Soccer League (NASL) but on March 25, 2015, the MLS announced it had selected Minnesota United as an expansion team, to begin play in 2017.
Bunbury made 24 appearances for the MLS outfit Sporting Kansas City (1999-2000) and would have used his influence to give Alpha United’s Daniel Wilson and Julian Wade of Slingerz FC, a shot at USA’s top professional football league last November (2015).
“I intend to continue using my connections to open doors for Guyanese players so that they can have a chance to play at the highest level in their careers. It’s something that I will be doing continuously,” Bunbury said.
The names of the three players who will travel to the U.S. later this month have not been released since some logistics are still being worked out between the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and the clubs involved.
Minnesota United will be the sixth MLS expansion team to join from the NASL, following Seattle Sounders FC (2009), Portland Timbers (2011), Vancouver Whitecaps (2011), Montreal Impact (2012), and Orlando City SC (2015).
By Rawle Toney