Shaka Bangura Explained

Shaka Bangura
Fullname:Shaka Bangura
Birth Date:9 February 1986
Birth Place:Kissy, Sierra Leone
Position:Striker
Youthyears1:2005–2009
Youthclubs1:Montreat College
Years1:2008
Caps1:6
Goals1:2
Years2:2009
Caps2:18
Goals2:12
Years3:2010
Caps3:14
Goals3:0
Years4:2011
Caps4:19
Goals4:4
Years5:2012
Caps5:10
Goals5:1
Years6:2013
Caps6:2
Goals6:0
Years7:2014
Caps7:3
Goals7:0
Years8:2014–2015
Caps8:32
Goals8:4
Years9:2018
Caps9:9
Goals9:3
Pcupdate:22 February 2016

Shaka Bangura (born February 9, 1986, in Kissy[1]) is a Sierra Leonean footballer.

Career

Youth and College

Bangura moved to the United States from Sierra Leone when he was a small child, settling in College Park, Georgia. He attended North Clayton High School, where he scored a total of 58 goals and was named to the All Region Team every year.[2] He then earned a sports scholarship to attend Montreat College in North Carolina. At Montreat he consistently made All Conference first team in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC). His first year at Montreat he was named freshman of the year and was also named the conference player of the year in his sophomore and junior year and during his senior year he won the golden boot award [3] He finished his college career having scored a total of 58 goals in four years.

During his college years Bangura also played with Atlanta FC in the National Premier Soccer League in 2008, and with Fredericksburg Gunners in the USL Premier Development League in 2009.[4]

Professional

During the 2010 pre-season Bangura joined the Puerto Rico Islanders of the USSF D2 Pro League.[5] He made his professional debut on April 21, 2010, in a game against NSC Minnesota Stars.[6]

Bangura signed with Richmond Kickers of the USL Pro league on March 15, 2011,[7] and scored the winning goal on his Kickers debut, a 2–1 win over Charleston Battery on April 23.[8] After the 2011 season, Bangura signed with Anagennisi Dherynia in the Cypriot First Division.[9] In 2013 Bangura signed with Samut Songkhram in the Thai Premier League, where he helped the team survive relegation. One of his brightest moments came against Chainat, whom he single-handedly defeated. Later the week he made the Thai premier League all team. In 2014 Bangura was invited for a tryout with Persija Jakarta. Bangura impressed with two goals in two games but was not awarded a contract. After the two games many teams in the Indonesia Super League were interested. Bangura decided to sign with Barito Putera, where he played 6 games with 4 goals and 2 assists in the Inter Island Cup.

Honours

Puerto Rico Islanders

Personal life

He is the cousin of Abdul Bangura, his teammate at Atlanta Silverbacks.[10]

Notes and References

  1. http://www.lrbears.com/article.asp?articleID=228&mo=11&yr=2011 Lenoir-Rhyne Men's Soccer Continues Offensive Streak With A 4-1 Win Over Montreat
  2. News: Sierra Leonean soccer gems in the diaspora. Vanguard. The Patriotic. 2007-11-25. The Patriotic Vanguard. 2018-05-16. en.
  3. Web site: Shaka Bangura 2008 Men's Soccer Roster. Montreat College Athletics. en. 2018-05-16.
  4. Web site: USSF Division-2 Pro League. ussf.demosphere.com. 2018-05-16.
  5. Web site: Lista de jugadores de los Puerto Rico Islanders. PR Islanders FC. PR Islanders FC. Spanish. 2010-04-14. 2010-04-14.
  6. Web site: USSF Division-2 Pro League. ussf.demosphere.com. 2018-05-16.
  7. News: Kickers Shake Things up with New Signing. 2011-03-15. OurSports Central. 2018-05-16. en.
  8. Web site: United Soccer Leagues (USL) . 2011-04-25 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110506051806/http://uslpro.uslsoccer.com/stats/2011/2175600.html . 2011-05-06 .
  9. Web site: Δεύτερη μετεγγραφική περίοδος / ενημέρωση. sigmalive.com/. 18 February 2013.
  10. News: Silverbacks promote Abdul Bangura to first team. Soccer Today. Diane. Scavuzzo. 3 July 2015. 26 March 2021.