Just months after University of North Carolina Wilmington soccer standout Colin Bonner played his last college game, he earned a spot in the professional ranks with one of the highest ranked teams in Major League Soccer.
The dynamic forward became the first player in UNCW men’s soccer history to be selected in the Major League Soccer SuperDraft Jan. 19 when he was chosen in the third round by FC Dallas, which finished the 2015 MLS regular season ranked first in the Western Conference.
Bonner, who was the 45th selection overall, joined his new club at training camp two days after getting drafted. He met his teammates, toured the club’s facilities and started training on Jan. 23. Getting started right away left little time to dwell on excitement and anxiety, Bonner said during a Jan. 25 phone interview.
Previous experience playing alongside the pros also tempered his nerves. Last summer, he joined the D.C. United’s Under-23 squad, which trained next to the club’s full team and, once a week, trained with them.
After his brief immersion into the professional soccer scene, Bonner returned to co-captain the Seahawks his senior year. The 6-foot 4-inch senior from Fulton, Maryland, collected numerous accolades, including All-Colonial Athletic Association selections and First-Team NSCAA All-Midwest Region.
Bonner led the Seahawks in scoring with seven goals on the season. He served as a playmaker as well, earning six assists. That well-rounded skillset combined with his physicality drew attention of MLS, head coach Aidan Heaney said.
It’s unusual for a player of Bonner’s size to be so nimble and fast, Heaney explained. He is able to hold off defenders with his strength or beat them on the dribble with his agility.
“And he’s good in the air,” Heaney added. “You don’t see too many of those types of players. When you piece all those things together it’s a very interesting package.”
A strong work ethic, both on and off the field, completed the package, Heaney said. Bonner earned First-Team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, was named CAA’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award.
“He’s such a hardworking kid and he’s got a fantastic attitude,” Heaney said. “Those are the things that coaches will see when they get a chance to work with him.”
While he will face a much higher level of play at the pro level, Heaney thinks FC Dallas will be a good fit for Bonner.
“The guys are similar in age [to Colin], and their style of play, they really get after it and I think that suites Colin as well,” Heaney said.
Bonner agreed, adding that he hopes age and inexperience will factor less into playing time because many of his teammates are his age or younger.
“It’s a very young team compared to the other teams in the league,” he said. “It’s a great environment for me.”
Joining a professional team with players from around the world is pushing Bonner’s skills on the field — but also off the field.
Most of his teammates speak Spanish, he said, so a few days of locker room conversations have already expanded his vocabulary well beyond what he learned in Spanish class.
“I had a basic knowledge of Spanish, but I’m definitely picking it up now,” he said, laughing.
While Bonner’s rise to the pro level is a great personal accomplishment, it is also exciting for the UNCW men’s soccer program, Heaney said. The 2015 squad’s other co-captain, Michael Mecham, recently signed with the Wilmington Hammerheads, and UNCW’s ability to graduate multiple players to a pro career will help draw talented recruits who aspire to play professionally.
“It’s great recognition for the program,” Heaney said. “Good players want to play with other good players, and they see a path to a career in soccer can happen at UNCW.”
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