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The New York Red Bulls II seem to have added a touch of gold to their squad Wednesday, as former Cal men’s soccer standout Stefano Bonomo signed a United Soccer League, or USL, contract with the club after having pursued his professional soccer career in Europe over the past few months.
“This is great news for Stefano,” said Cal men’s soccer head coach Kevin Grimes to Cal Athletics. “Being back in the United States will allow him to finish his last few units to graduate as well. … He adds to the long list of Cal players in the professional ranks.”
The forward was initially drafted by the New York Red Bulls in the 2015 MLS Superdraft as the club’s second pick — 39th overall in the draft. He decided to take an alternate route, however, by venturing to Europe, where he underwent club trials in Poland, England and Italy, which did not yield the sort of outcomes he may have hoped for.
Bonomo originally caught New York Red Bulls head coach Jesse Marsch’s eye back in 2011 when Bonomo attended a U.S. U18 training camp, while Marsch was part of the coaching staff that served under then-head coach Bob Bradley’s U.S. Men’s National Team. It is this connection that helped leave the door open for Bonomo to rejoin the the Red Bulls upon his return stateside, which proved to be what he opted to do when he began training with the senior team nearly two weeks ago.
Although Bonomo may not feature for the senior squad like he probably would have had he stayed with the club earlier this year, he will bolster a reserve side that currently sits fifth in the USL’s Eastern Conference. The Red Bulls II are currently on track to reach the playoffs, and Bonomo’s killer instinct in front of the goal could help the team tally more goals and improve its chances of maintaining its postseason spot.
During his time with the Bears, Bonomo proved to be a crafty forward who was able to use his 6-foot-2 frame to steal possession from his opponents and capitalize on crosses up top. The forward also possess a great touch, as he is comfortable with the ball at his feet to take on defenders and create goal-scoring opportunities.
His skills and strong presence on the field helped him score 23 goals and record eight assists in 67 games for Cal, and he will hope to experience similar success in the USL with the Red Bulls II. If Bonomo is able to successfully make the transition to the professional level by maintaining his form and improving his skills, it will be only a matter of time until Marsch considers promoting him to the senior squad. If that happens, Bonomo will have the opportunity to play alongside players such as Sacha Kljestan and Shaun Wright-Phillips, who previously played for Chelsea F.C., Manchester City F.C. and Queens Park Rangers F.C.
In spite of the negative stigma that soccer players endure for coming to the United States to ply their trade, signing with the Red Bulls II seems to be a smart move on Bonomo’s behalf because it will help him get playing time, which could potentially put him on the map to join the senior team and garner some attention from other clubs, both in MLS and abroad.
Manny Flores is the assistant sports editor. Contact him at jflores@dailycal.org. Follow him on Twitter @manny_0.