It’s Bouna Time!
Senegal Goalkeeping with American Style
Bouna Coundoul, a 25-year-old goalkeeper, has spent the past 11 years playing soccer in the United States. At age 14, Bouna Coundoul moved to the United States from Dakar, Senegal, West Africa. Bouna played at Martin Luther King High School in Manhattan and went on to attend and play for the University at Albany in New York. Bouna is currently the starting goalkeeper for the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer.
Following an injury to Joe Cannon, Colorado’s first team keeper, Coundoul took over the starting role and has remained between the pipes. In 2007, Bouna played all 30 regular-season Major League Soccer games for the Rapids finishing third among MLS’s keepers with a 1.08 goals against average with nine shutouts. "Bouna Time!" as created by Coundoul in an interview last year, has become a catch phrase supported by not only the Rapid fans but by the Colorado Rapids team as well.
Following his 2007 top level performance in MLS, Coundoul was called up to the Senegal National Team in November as one of the squad's three keepers for the African Cup of Nations. Coundoul made his international debut for Senegal in November, playing the second half in a 3-2 victory over Mali in Paris. Coundoul will be competing for Senegal’s No. 2 goalkeeper spot behind Tony Sylva.
Word about Bouna Coundoul is getting out. Bouna’s strengths; very good quickness, agility and communication. With his fluent French and spot on Senegal's National team, Coundoul could soon find several European clubs seeking his services.
Senegal is currently ranked No. 38 in the world among national teams by FIFA and started play in the African Cup of Nations Tournament on Jan. 20. Senegal will face Angola, South Africa and Tunisia in group play.
The Senegalese team shocked the world when it upset France, the 1998 World Cup Champion, in the opening match of the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea. Senegal advanced into the knockout stage, after beating Sweden in the second round but lost to Turkey in the quarter-finals.
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Peter Mastrogiovanni
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